And here I thought that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had respect for people who do not share his political views. It seems that he mocked the protestors who had gathered in Montebello to voice their concerns about his summit with George W. Bush and Felipe Calderon. According to the Montreal Gazette:

"I've heard it's nothing," he commented to reporters over his shoulder as he waited to greet the U.S. president. "A couple of hundred? It's sad."

Maybe the attidue goes with the job title. I'm reminded of the time that Jean Chretien accused NDP MP Svend Robinson of being irresponsible because he encouraged people to attend the protests surrounding the Summit of the Americas in 2001.

I keep waiting for an explanation why protests are inherently irresponsible, and why participants deserve to be mocked by their elected representatives.