May 11, 2015

May later apologized, citing 'sleep deprivation' although one suspects alcohol may have been a contributing factor.

Omar Khadr is the Canadian who was arrested in Afghanistan as a 15-year-old for committing the war crime of killing an American soldier. Khadr spent many years in Guantanamo for that, but has recently been released in Canada. The ruling Conservatives have recently tried and so far failed to keep him in prison.

via CBC

Delivering funny speeches in front of a room full of politicians and journalists at the annual press gallery dinner is a tough thing for any party leader, but it was especially tough for Green Party Leader Elizabeth May on Saturday night.

After a longwinded and meandering speech, which included a few funny jabs, May ended with a shout-out to Omar Khadr, who was freed on bail in Edmonton last week.

"Omar Khadr, you've got more class than the whole f-----g cabinet," May said, referring to the Conservative party, as Conservative MP and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt tried to usher her off the stage.

Usually, party leaders deliver light-hearted, mainly self-deprecating speeches that include the odd barb thrown at the media. But May went on at length about being the only female leader and having to claw her way into televised leaders' debates.

Raitt intervened multiple times and attempted to persuade May to end her speech, but instead, May played a recording of Welcome Back, Kotter, a theme song from a 1970s sitcom.

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