On the Conservative watch... they recklessly cut government and people die....

Click here for a great editorial calling Tony Clement and the Harper-cons to the mat on their spin-doctoring of the Listeria outbreak.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says the recent tainted meat outbreak that killed six people and caused at least 14 more serious illnesses is a shining example of how well Canada's food inspection system works.

Pardon?

My thoughts exactly. The system worked? Um, sorry when the system works people don't die.

Warren Kinsella sums it up nicely and makes the connection with the Walkerton tragedy under the Ontario Conservatives and the inevitable tragic result of neo-con government slashing and burning at every government agency.

Politically, the consequences can also be quite similar.

Everyone knows that conservatives hate government - and, when right-wingers get their hands on government, everyone also know they will cut the Hell out of it. When that happened at Walkerton, lots of people died, and lots more had their lives destroyed.

It's a legitimate point for Dion to make: "On our watch, we used government as an instrument to keep people safe. Under your watch, people died."

If Dion hasn't made this point yet, he needs to. Canadians' lives are at stake.

A.L.