BBC: Canada PM faces plagiarism claim

[Eugene]

Source: BBC News

Page last updated at 08:55 GMT, Wednesday, 1 October 2008 09:55 UK

Canada PM faces plagiarism claim

A Canadian Conservative Party speech-writer has resigned
after Prime Minister Stephen Harper was accused of
plagiarism in a speech he made in 2003.

Owen Lippert admitted he had been "overzealous in copying
segments" of a speech in support of the invasion of Iraq
by then Australian PM John Howard.

Mr Lippert said neither his superiors nor Mr Harper, who
was opposition leader at the time, had been aware.

-snip-

Context 'even worse'

The speech by Mr Harper was originally made on 20 March
2003 as the House of Commons in Ottawa held an emergency
debate at the beginning of the US-led war in Iraq.

In the debate, Mr Harper urged Canada and the Liberal
government to join the so-called "coalition of the willing".

-snip-

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7645593.stm

[Canuckistanian]

1. The audio clip is quite devastating

They had a clip of both speeches mixed together and the words are exactly the same for long periods of time. At times, it was like an echo effect.

Not sure what this will mean for Harper since it's a 5-year old speech. But this could be a major scandal in the sense that it may paint Harper as a warmonger who goes along with the other war hawks.

And this speechwriter is no party flunky. He's a PHd with decades of experience.

We're discussing it in the Canada forum.