[Archive 2006-10-09] Controversy follows after Canadian PM skips vote for hockey game

Historical archive — originally published 2006-10-09. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Controversy is being expressed over Stephen Harper's decision to skip the House of Commons vote for the Kyoto Protocol on climate change on Wednesday for a hockey game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Liberal MPs say that this reveals Mr. Harper's true attitude toward the environment. "It shows the importance he gives to Kyoto and climate change," said Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez. "What kind of example does that send to Canadians?"

Harper was with his ten-year-old son Ben cheering on for the Toronto Maple Leafs and sat in seats in the platinum level of the Air Canada Centre, next to Larry Tanenbaum, head of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Leafs. Also seated with Mr. Tanenbaum was Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and his wife, Terri.

Members of Parliament and the prime minister are not required to attend votes in the House of Commons and routinely miss them when dealing with other business. If Mr. Harper was there, his vote would not have changed the outcome.

The PM will be writing a whole book on the history of the game. But demands of his day job have slowed down the project.

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