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Judy Go?

Friday, November 26, 2004

Controversy seems to follow some public figures like the smell of cheap perfume. Unfortunately for her, such is the lot of Canadian Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, The Honorable Judy Sgro.Don't get me wrong. I think her appointment was a wise choice, given her background and the ethnically diverse riding she represents. Moreover, I admire her character. She displays a feisty street-fighter side in the House of Commons, giving better than she gets, when attacked. She is the kind of person you'd want on your side in a bar-room brawl. Hard not to like.That said, her short tenure as minister has been marked by a number of disputatious events:

Church sanctuary violated

Expenses

Favored treatment allegations

Taken together they make it difficult for her to serve effectively. The opposition and national press smell blood and, fairly or not, they are circling.The Citizenship & Immigration portfolio is an important one and its direction and administration deserves the full-time attention of the Minister.

Able as she may be, it is evident that a good portion of her time is now devoted to damage control. At some point soon she must decide what is in the people's best interest.

Blog written by David Cohen