Pat Martin: Rent-a-quote of the week award


When time is getting tight and pundits need an MP to spout off on the latest pseudo-issue in Ottawa, there’s only one person to turn to: NDP MP Pat Martin.

Mr. Martin is the Rage King of Parliament Hill. He’s mad about everything, and he has a bottomless store of pithy quotes and time-worn cliches for any reporter willing to quote him. Tories “don’t get it.” Policies “don’t pass the smell test.” Ministers should “join the Hall of Shame” and step down. Mr. Martin has a sound bite for every occasion.

It’s been a banner week for him. Every morning seems to bring new reports of the Winnipeg MP demanding someone resign. If Stephen Harper listened to Mr. Martin, his cabinet would be down to the Minister of State for Transitory Victories.

On lobbyists:

Lobbyists are “like having bats in your attic … They can’t stand the light of day. They are hard to get rid of, and if you leave them there long enough, they rot your timbers.”

On a $9 million renovation project:

“It is not okay for a minister of Public Works to shake down contractors at a so-called fundraiser …Are they going to make room in the hall of shame over there and fire that minister?” Read More »