Brison's Braggadoccio

The taint of Liberal arrogance is more than seeping through the pores of Public Works Minister Scott Brison these days. He's wallowing in it.

Twice in one day, last week, he took aim at the Conservatives with rhetorical spit following a Rotary Club Luncheon in Toronto. First, he fired the expected political salvos at Stephen Harper, accusing him of being anti-gay and other typical partisan positioners. He then compared Deputy Leader Peter Mackay to a "squirrel".

Having the embarrassing misfortune of being forced to eat his own words, Brison apologized to Harper and the National Citizens Coalition yesterday for making earlier unjust allegations of illegal lobbying. Since he was already in reverse gear, he hastily retracted a short-lived Public Works hiring ban on white males.

Now, all of this makes for interesting reading but it's nothing compared to this morning's story about Brison insulting a longtime Liberal supporter.

Sandra McGrath, who has given three decades as a Grit campaign volunteer, has written to Prime Minister Paul Martin urging him to rein in the rude language and inappropriate behaviour.

After serving two terms on the Human Resources Development Canada Board of Referees, she was upset that Brison had led her to believe she was a shoo-in for the reappointment she ultimately did not get.

During a chance encounter at Acton's Restaurant in Wolfville, N.S., McGrath aired her frustration and advised Brison she would not support him in the next campaign.

"He got very upset. He looked at me and said, 'Well I've got something to tell you. I'm going to be the MP for a very, very long time, and you can kiss my ass,' " she recalled. "We were shocked and dumbfounded. This is a cabinet minister and there's supposed to be ethics in government. If he can't take some heat from the people of Canada, he shouldn't be in cabinet."

This is all too much fun seeing "Fancy Pants from Kings-Hants" dance. Self-aggrandizing looks so unflattering on just about anyone. There's just something about this man's smug little aura that makes him all the uglier.

In case you were wondering just what critter Mr. Brison might be compared to, participate in the online poll at Conservative-own.ca.