Anybody know what this means?

PORT HOPE, ONT. — It's late afternoon in this pretty, historic town east of Toronto, and the light is getting crepuscular in the sunroom of the clapboard house that Farley Mowat and his wife, Claire, have lived in for more than 30 years.
Time, in short, for a libation.

Such is the lead for another fartcatching feature, in the G&M here, about our own literary icon - Farley Mowat. The article gets easier to read and there are lots of words containing few syllables. However the lead just got to me.

Almost as much as the report that Rick Norlock, our very own conciliator and man of many olive branches saying that he welcomes Mr Ignatieff's suggestions about the "New Harper Era". But it is reported, in the CDS, here that"He did not like Mr Ignatieff's tone, interpreting it to mean that discussions would take place "if the prime minister comes crawling" to the new opposition leader. Well (RN) has been sniffing the fetid air in the PC caucus room too long. Nobody has suggested such a thing and perhaps nobody likes the PM's tone either! It's easy to see how Norlock's EA- Tom Rittwage - can be as obnoxious as he is - he must have been sniffing the fetid air too.