Don't Forget the Parting Gifts

The Harper government is big on law and order, real big. It regularly tells us about how we need to reinforce the deterrence factor of our criminal laws - get tough on crime, stop coddling the villains even those as young as ten.

With this upstanding morality you might be forgiven for thinking that, when we nabbed a foreign spy working in our midst, we would throw the book at him if only "pour encouragez les autres." Guess again.

According to our Public Safety Minister, Stockwell Day, we'd like it if he'd just leave and we're guessing the mystery man would like that too. Here's how Stockwell put it; "I think he would be happiest if he did that."

Let's see - when we catch a foreign agent committing espionage in Canada, we don't want him to become 'unhappy'? That should strike fear in the hearts of Russia's SVR, foreign intelligence agency. Now I don't know much about spying, mainly what I picked up from Le Carre and those spy scandals of the 50's and 60's, but, when we get one of these guys aren't we supposed to bleed him for information?

Maybe not, but at least let's not forget the parting gifts.