Conservative MP shows his true colours?

Sure looks that way:

A lawyer and humanitarian says Calgary West Conservative MP Rob Anders told her he believes Canadian diplomacy and humanitarian work should focus on changing foreigners' language to English and their faith to Christianity.

Donna Kennedy-Glans said Mr. Anders made the remarks to her during a private dinner in June -- although the veteran politician insists his comments are being "twisted" by someone with an agenda.

Ms. Kennedy-Glans, a Calgary West constituent, said she has come forward in the middle of the election campaign because she wants fellow voters to understand his perspective.

From here, via candle in this babble thread. Not quite as bad as Ann Coulter, who in 2001 said of the Muslim world that "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity", but shocking nonetheless. Maybe this has something to do with the curious reluctance of Conservative candidates to attend all-candidates debates:

After weeks of phone tag and buck-passing, a Winnipeg women's business group was forced to cancel a long-planned, all-candidates forum slated for Friday because no Tory was willing to attend.

"It was very eye-opening," said Audrey Wasylyshen, a member of the Manitoba branch of the Business and Professional Women's Clubs (BPW). "I always thought the political field was very open and people wanted to speak out, but obviously some people want to keep quiet.

"How do we choose our representative when we don't have all the voices heard?"

The BPW event isn't the only one the Tories have dodged. Tory candidates failed to attend two separate election forums organized by students at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba earlier this week.

In two Winnipeg ridings the Tories hope to steal -- Elmwood-Transcona and Winnipeg South Centre -- the Tory candidates there have yet to go head to head with their opponents with only two weeks left in the campaign.

You have to wonder if the orders to avoid the debates came from on high, to avoid the embarrassment of one of their candidates saying something like Anders said.

One thing I find curious is that BPW decided to cancel the entire event. Why not allow it to continue, and let the Tories face the consequences of not showing up? Perhaps the name of the organization is a clue -- "business" and "professional" bring to mind people who are likely in a high tax bracket (regardless of the fact that reelecting the Tories is not in the interest of most women).