Because I had a beer yesterday with…well, I better not mention his name. He’s the contractor who’s building a shed for me in my backyard. And he’s a terrorist.

I met him about two years ago when he gave us a quote to renovate an office building we were buying. Good rates, beat the other bidders by about 15%. He had a very good corporate CV and portfolio too. Did the work entirely to our satisfaction, on time, and under budget. So I’ve used him several times, both at the office and when I need small jobs done at the house.

When he came over to our house for the first time to put in some shelving, we sat and chatted over a beer. My wife is Ojibway, and he’s Mohawk, so naturally they started talking about their respective communities. It turns out he is from Kahnawake. He was actually one of the protestors behind the lines in Oka, when Constable Mark Lemay of the SQ was killed. That was fifteen years ago. He is still angry about the SQ, about the expropriation of their land. But he’s left the politics behind, and has been a successful contractor in Ontario for about ten years now.

It’s bad enough that I had a beer with the guy , and that I hired him after that. But what’s really inexcusable is that my wife has some sympathy for the Mohawks of Kahnawake (even though the Ojibway and Mohawks traditionally don’t get along), and she absolutely and utterly failed to sternly rebuke him for his terrorist affiliation. And of course, we’re married, so…

Sigh. There goes my retirement plan. No Rideau Hall for me.