No one should be shot over there

In response to questions on the Abitibi expropriation fiasco in the Bow-Wow Parliament on Thursday, Dippity Premier Kathy Blunderdale said:

MS DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, the pulp and paper industry has been in turmoil worldwide for quite some time. A primary objective of this government from 2003 forward was to do everything that we could do to sustain the industry here in Newfoundland and Labrador. We worked hard to do that in Stephenville. We were working hard to do that with Abitibi in Grand Falls-Windsor. It became very clear in a very short period of time that our efforts were not going to be successful because of circumstances way beyond the control of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. We realized that we had to move quickly – very quickly – to ensure that the assets that truly belong to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador stayed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, in the rush to do that, there were mistakes made and we did expropriate a property in Grand Falls-Windsor, the mill itself, where we did not intend to do it. That is a reality that we have to live with. We cannot return it while the CCAA process is ongoing. Mr. Speaker, we will deal with it when the time is right for us to do so.

They call it Question Period, not Answer Period, for cause: it is notable that Danny Williams-Government himself wasn’t answering the Abitibi-related questions that were notionally addressed to him. However, scrummed by reporters outside the chamber, the Great Lawyer said:

It was something I wasn't happy with when it happened, but it was an innocent mistake that was made by an official in the department. As simple as that.

Passive verbs. Intransitive verbs. And an un-named official who conveniently exists to lay the blame on.