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Kerry "moral coward" charges prominent Canadian columnist

by Judi McLeod

June 23, 2004

Firing at the CEO of Quebecor World Inc. from the safe distance of another country has landed presidential candidate Senator John Kerry on the sharp tip of columnist Peter Worthington’s pen.

Kerry has been branded a "political and moral coward" by the Quebecor-owned Toronto Sun founding father and columnist.

"There’s not even a minimal risk in attacking an enterprise when you don’t have the worry of losing any votes or financial contributions. It’s pure politicking from a basically moral coward," Worthington told Canadafreepress.com.

Back on Feb. 10, Kerry sent word to the media that he was supporting the Covington, Tenn. workers of the Canadian-based printing multinational corporation.

"I have always believed that one of the best ways to raise people out of poverty is to give them the real freedom to form a union, free of management interference and intimidation," said the man married to Heinz heiress, Teresa Heinz-Kerry.

Lofty as his words were, months of silence from the Kerry camp were to follow. Then, come June, like the proverbial bolt out of the blue, Kerry renewed his attack by calling on Quebecor World Inc.’s Toronto President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau to respect workers’ freedoms to form a union.

Kerry fired off a letter to Peladeau after meeting with Quebecor employee Larry Johnson about Quebecor’s alleged harassment and intimidation of workers.

Now that Kerry is stepping up his campaign against the Canadian Company, he’s ready to lecture the CEO.

"after speaking with Larry Johnson, a maintenance department employee in your Olive Branch, Mississippi plant, I am deeply concerned by what I have heard. Mr. Johnson described an atmosphere in the Mississippi plant created by management to prevent workers from forming a union. He offered personal accounts of being followed by supervisors, reprimanded for talking to his co-workers about forming a union, and forced to attend anti-union meetings–all clear violations of the National Labor Relations act. Mr. Johnson assured me that workers in every Quebecor plant where workers are attempting to form a union are being subjected to similar abridgement of rights," Kerry wrote Peladeau in his letter.

"as far as we know, his complaints came from a majority of one," said Worthington.

The feisty and respected Sun columnist compared Kerry’s attack on Quebecor to the disgraceful use of his time "defiling other people (who served) in Viet Nam".

"Nobody has ever begrudged him his Silver Star, but let’s put it into perspective. In his brief, few months’ stint in Viet Nam, he never saw any action on the ground because he was not in the army but on a navy boat. He is not qualified to criticize his fellow americans."

Emerging as the 21st century savior of the working class, Kerry scores both media headlines and the public support of union leaders.

"Sen. Kerry is showing that he is a true ally to working families in the United States. On behalf of the 75,000 men and women of the GCIU, I applaud him for his efforts to help Quebecor workers to win justice on the job," said GCIU International President George Tedeschi.

Union boosterism is not the first time Kerry has straddled both borders as he campaigns for the presidency. In May, his op-ed piece criticizing america’s role in Iraq was the lead guest editorial in the Toronto Star.

Kerry, whose main job creation blurb was critical of outsourcing, was discovered outsourcing his campaign to Canada.

It would appear that calls received from the Kerry campaign by voters in Wisconsin originated via telemarketers in Canada.

according to the Milwaukee Journal, Kerry fired the phone service responsible for the calls.

Meanwhile, Peladeau has ignored Kerry’s attacks.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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