Posted on 02/04/2005 8:06:51 AM PST by Cagey
TORONTO (Reuters) - Ontario Education Minister Gerard Kennedy got low marks for spelling and math this week when discussing the possibility of a strike by the Canadian province's teachers.
"I think strike is a bit of a five-letter word in education and that gets people nervous," Kennedy said on Wednesday, according to media reports.
After it was pointed out that the word strike has six letters, Kennedy, a member of the Liberal Party, said that he meant to say something else all together. "Pardon me, I was going to say four, but it really is a tough word in education. Thank you -- show off!"
Critics were quick to call the gaffe a "Dan Quayle moment," in reference to the former U.S. vice-president, who famously made a schoolboy add an unnecessary "e" to the end of the boy's correctly spelled "potato."
"But then again, at least no one put Dan Quayle in charge of educating over a million schoolchildren," said legislator John Baird, of the opposition Conservative Party.
I guess the Education Minister is mathematically challenged.
I thought maybe it was because Canada uses the metric system.
Of course Reuters had to get that dig in on Vice President Quayle....
How come we never heard more about Algore getting lost in the woods, except on Rush's show? (rhetorical question... I already know the answer)
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