By Paul Gessel, Citizen staff writer, Thursday, March 28, 1996.
The Canadian government officially complained to Spain over decidedly undiplomatic material about last year's turbot war put on the Internet by Spain's Ambassador to Canada, José Luis Pardos.
"We have raised the matter with the Foreign Ministry in Madrid, " Ariel Delouya, a spokesman for Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, said in an interview Wednesday.
In question is a series of ambassadorial diaries, policy statements and propaganda appearing on Sí,Spain, the Pardos-directed home page of the Spanish embassy (http://www.DocuWeb.ca/SiSpain/).
Pardos is a self-confessed Internet "addict" and one of the most flamboyant ambassadors in Ottawa's diplomatic community.
The Internet musings contain many unflattering references to the "impertinent" Brian Tobin, then the fisheries minister and now Newfoundland premier, as well as snide comments about "useless" Canadian bureaucrats and the Canadian government in general.
Tobin is described as constantly seeking "politically near-sighted glory" in the battle to stop Spanish overfishing. Words like "Tobinescal" and "Show-bin" are coined in an apparent attempt to belittle Tobin.
In St. John's, Tobin's office declined immediate comment until the premier had an opportunity to view the Internet material.
Canadian officials did not lodge their complaint until this past January.
"As far as the inaccuracies, if I might term them that way, that are on his home page, we've drawn them to the attention of the Spanish foreign ministry and have been assured that the appropriate measures would be taken to ensure there are no inaccuracies in what statements are put on the Internet about Canada, "said Delouya.