TORONTO – The man once called Stephen Harper’s “intellectual, philosophical soul mate,” Tom Flanagan, has been fired from his spot on CBC’s Power and Politics and condemned by his former political allies for saying that watching child pornography is OK and causes no harm.
While it may have been the coup de grâce on his long career in politics, this wasn’t the first time Flanagan stumbled.
Top 5 Flanagan moments:
April 2000: First Nations, Second Thoughts
In his controversial book, “First Nations, Second Thoughts,” Flanagan suggested that First Nations communities are uncivilized and wasteful.
“European civilization was several thousand years more advanced than the aboriginal cultures of North America,” argued Flanagan, calling colonization “inevitable” and “justifiable.”
Critics said Flanagan chose to cite newspaper articles rather than scholarly resources, and neglected to visit any First Nations communities for his research.
Feb. 2008: The Chuck Cadman affair
Flanagan was accused of offering a bribe, in the form of a million-dollar life insurance policy from the Conservative Party of Canada, to independent MP Chuck Cadman in exchange for his vote to topple the minority Liberal government in 2005.
At the time, Cadman –who was dying of skin cancer — rebuffed the offer and voted in favour of the Liberal budget, said his wife Dona Cadman. The RCMP found no evidence to support criminal charges.
Dec. 6, 2010: Julian Assange ‘should be assassinated’
On CBC’s Power & Politics, Flanagan told host Evan Solomon that he thought Wikileaks’ Julian Assange “should be assassinated, actually.”
“I think Obama should put out a contract and maybe use a drone or something,” said Flanagan, adding, “I’m feeling pretty manly today.”
Jan. 30, 2013: A very fashionable Flanagan
Flanagan appeared on Power & Politics, this time sporting an Edward Gorey-esque oversized fur coat.
“Sasquatch revealed,” tweeted CBC National host Peter Mansbridge, while others suggested he resembled the famed Ikea Monkey.
Feb. 28, 2013: Looking at Child Porn is OK
Speaking to his class at the University of Lethbridge on Feb. 27, Flanagan said that people should have the freedom to look at images of child pornography.
“I certainly have no sympathy for child molesters, but I do have some grave doubts about putting people in jail because of their taste in pictures,” said Flanagan.
“It’s a long story but I got put on the mailing list of the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) and I started getting their mailings for a couple of years and that’s about as close as I got to child pornography.”
Flanagan said the issue is one of personal liberty and questioned whether someone should be put in jail for doing something “in which they do not harm another person.”
Many politicians condemned his comments Friday, including Stephen Harper and Wildrose leader Danielle Smith, who he currently works for as a campaign strategist.
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