BLAME ACTIVISTS, CLEMENT SAYS

ANTIGONISH, N.S.--The federal minister of health says he cancelled a
planned funding announcement at the International AIDS Conference
because overwrought delegates were making it impossible to have a
"rational discussion."

During a visit to Nova Scotia yesterday, Tony Clement said activists
and "so-called experts" had started to skew the dialogue toward grandstanding.

"That conference, in our view, was becoming a place where you
couldn't have a rational discussion," he said. "It wasn't only the
Canadian context. There was a delegate who demanded the resignation
of the South African health minister. It was really becoming a very
politicized conference."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who came under attack for not
attending, made the same criticism Wednesday.