Months ago Canadian bloggers began digging through the Elections Canada database and discovered that a numbered company was the largest contributor to the party. Jay Currie asked; “Who is 55555 Inc.? Why did it/they give the Liberal Party $2,974,341.20? What did they get in return.?”
Mike Brock produced a chart.
MK Braaten;
Previously, Chuck Guite testified that he recalled that he had a telephone conversation with Terrie O’Leary who told him that “Paul would prefer (Earnscliffe)” for advertising contracts. Earnscliffe is an advertising/consulting firm which has very close ties with Paul Martin and was a large supporter in his leadership bid. In return, Earnscliffe’s owners David Herle and John Webster, who are also the national Liberal Co-chairs, donated nearly 3 million dollars to the Liberal party through a container company #55555 Inc. In total, Earnscliffe has earned over $6 Million dollars in government contracts under Martin’s watch. The question remains is whether Martin deliberately diverted contracts toward Earnscliffe, which is operated by Liberal party members, who then diverted money through #55555 Inc and back to the Liberal party. A phantom company with no previous history turned out to be the largest contributor towards the Liberal party in 2003; this definitely seems odd. Why else would a container company, whose financial statements are not public, donate millions of dollars to the Liberals? Similarly, Groupaction was given millions of dollars in contracts and was used as a container company. Government contract money would be ‘washed’ through Groupaction before it was illegally returned to the Liberal party disguised as donations. When Martin was running for leadership, Shelia Copps dared Martin to reveal who donated to his leadership campaign. Mr. Martin responded that the money was in a ‘blind trust’ and he did not know who contributed. Why the secrecy?
Discussion of this numbered company has arisen previously – without doing a lot of surfing around, it seems to me that the explanation given was that it represented the surplus from Paul Martin’s leadership campaign.
Now, here’s a question I can’t answer – perhaps readers can. What are the reporting procedures on donations to party leadership campaigns? Someone have Sheila Copps’ phone number?
Kate, are you suggesting Paul Martin has something in common with his predecessor?
One word struck this reader immediately with the force of a ship’s anchor :
That word: “container”.
Among uses of this word, “container”, is used to designate containers (holders of cargo) for shipment by water, rail, etc. Containers are temporary holders of cargo while being shipped to the designated receiver of the cargo.
Canada Steamship Lines surely must use containers for transhipment of cargo?
Oh, really?
For sure, for sure, mais oui, why yes,…
Containers of money, taxpayers’ money.
PM PM, aka Mr. Dithers, Brushman, as designated by rightthinkingpeople.blogspot.com, says CSL’s (money & etc.)is all in a blind trust. Blind? who is blind? Supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada.
None are so blind as those who will not see.
The question would be, what makes Paul Martin any different then Chretian. He was his number 2 man for years, and who says the little dispute they had wasn’t stagged.
Numbered companies contributing, especially with that amount, is highly questionable.
Rob points out that Martin was Chretien’s “number 2 man for years”. In keeping with my ‘Austin Powers’ obsession, we have to ask:
“Who does Number 2 work for?”
I think the answer is clear: Earnscliffe.
So “Who is Number One?” Shades of The Prisoner.
heres a link; http://www.tribil.com which provides a backgrounder on liberal scandels.
The Monger,
LOL ……. “The Weasel” That’s good…. I was kind of thinking the reverse with Chruton as Dr. Weasel and Martin as Mini PM.
First of all, the spelling in this comment section is terrible.
Second, the amounts donated by 5555 inc were indeed surplus funds from Martin’s leadership campaign. I don’t see the problem… the sources of these donations are available for public viewing. And the blind trusts used to receive donations during a leadership campaign are used so that the candidate does not know who has contributed: THAT’S the reason for the secrecy. To prevent abuses.
The reporting procedures for leadership campaigns are identical to those for donations to federal political parties. I have Ms. Copps’ number, but I am sure that she would not appreciate me giving it to you.
Ah, hitting on spelling mistakes, the mark of a small mind.
The assumption that secrecy about money in a democracy prevents corruption is the most outlandish thing I’ve heard.
If the 2+ million dollars were surplus from the leadership campaign, then why is it labeled 55555?
Why is a 2+ million contribution so hard to pin down?
On paper Martin doesn’t know, on paper I don’t know either. If its not written down then I say we are open to speculate.
That would be like the blind trust that Canada Steamship Lines swims in? The type of blind trust in which Martin has been 12 times consulted on matters in the company?
You know… those ships are now flagged in the Barbados – a country that somehow escaped closure of Canada’s foreign tax shelter loopholes?
“Ah, hitting on spelling mistakes, the mark of a small mind.”
Ah, personal attacks. The mark of a brilliant mind.
“The assumption that secrecy about money in a democracy prevents corruption is the most outlandish thing I’ve heard.”
You need to get out more. They were only secret until the end of the leadership campaign to avoid any appearance of conflict. Now they are all public. Please tell me how that is outlandish.
“If the 2+ million dollars were surplus from the leadership campaign, then why is it labeled 55555?”
Maybe that was the holding comany for the leadership campaign.
“Why is a 2+ million contribution so hard to pin down?”
It isn’t. It came from the leadership contributions.
“On paper Martin doesn’t know, on paper I don’t know either. If its not written down then I say we are open to speculate.”
Actually, the contributions and contributors are well documented. You can look at a complete list on the Industry Canada website.
Sheila Copps has a new radio show on CFRB 1010 in Toronto called Weekends with Sheila. It’s a blast, except it’s not.
The argument over Martin’s culpability is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic — it’s pointless.
The fact — and it’s an overwhelming one — is that Martin was one of the most senior Liberal members during a decade of pervasive corruption. He either knew about it — and should be thrown from office — or he didn’t know about it, and should be thrown from office for being blind and useless.
End of story.
Dear BCL,
Forgive me for not sharing your deep and thorough confidence in the innate honesty of the Liberal Party of Canada (long may she reign!).
The fact that 55555’s “donation” reflects “surplus leadership contributions” is hardly the end of the story. Otherwise we could wrap up Gomery here and now: after all, these were all just contributions to the Liberals, were they not?
What Gomery is uncovering is a complicated network of fraudulent contributions, kicked back to the Liberals by recipients of government largesse, often by using intermediaries to make the monies look clean. Your suggestion that Martin’s donors “are all public” is therefore not quite the full story. In light of Gomery’s findings, do you understand why some of us are a little less eager to sweep all this under a rug?
I took a look at the Industry Canada website, by the way. For some reason their search function is not working… but then again, it is midnight on the west coast, so they’re probably just busy. You know how it is.
Anyway, they list about $798,000 in cash contributions, with what appears to be a cutoff of October 31, 2003. The Liberal leadership race was two weeks later, on November 14, 2003. Remember that 55555 Inc. left $3,000,000 in small bills in an envelope on a chair in an Italian restaurant for the Liberals to collect (heh). This means one of the following is true:
(a) The Industry Canada website does list every contribution Martin received… except for the $2.2 million he must have received between Oct. 31 and Nov. 14. Busybusybusy!!!
(b) The Industry Canada website does list every contribution Martin received… and when 55555 passed on the “surplus” to the Liberals, they topped it up by a couple of mill.
(c) The Industry Canada website does NOT list every contribution Martin received. In which case, who gave the rest of it?
I’m all ears. And I’m quite willing to concede that I may have missed the obvious “rest of the story” on the IC website. I’d be happy to read the whole truth, if only I could find it. Perhaps BCL could help?
Personally, I don’t think Martin was personally corrupted by this disgusting and probably criminal kickback scheme. But the Liberal Party was directly responsible. And I’ve had enough. Haven’t you?
Secret accounts
Secret numbered bank accounts? Wasn’t Baring Bank destroyed by a guy with a secret numbered bank account? Interesting…
“Remember that 55555 Inc. left $3,000,000 in small bills in an envelope on a chair in an Italian restaurant for the Liberals to collect (heh).”
This sort or pejorative is not necessary and does nothing for your point — except insult Italians.
“This means one of the following is true:”
Actually, this is faulty logic. Setting up your argument that way is fallacious.
“(a) The Industry Canada website does list every contribution Martin received… except for the $2.2 million he must have received between Oct. 31 and Nov. 14. Busybusybusy!!!”
False. It lists all contributions. Go here http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/cio/search-recherche/site.do?language=eng and do a search for “Paul Martin leadership contributions” or “Paul Martin blind trust” — they are all there.
“(b) The Industry Canada website does list every contribution Martin received… and when 55555 passed on the “surplus” to the Liberals, they topped it up by a couple of mill.”
Where is THIS coming from? Nothing was topped up. Martin raised way more that he could possibly spend. Where is the coming from? The amount you mentioned covered a period between October 7, 2003 to close of business on October 31, 2003 for a total in cash of $ 798,406. I would expect that your concern would be about the $406,723.04 or “in-kind” donations — that is free products or services supplied to the campaign. And by services, it could be staff seconded to the campaign. Sounds similar to what that thief from Groupaction was doing. Except that seconding staff to campaigns is something that everyone — including the Conservatives — do all the time.
“(c) The Industry Canada website does NOT list every contribution Martin received. In which case, who gave the rest of it?”
It does. See above for instructions to find the relevant documents.
“Personally, I don’t think Martin was personally corrupted by this disgusting and probably criminal kickback scheme. But the Liberal Party was directly responsible.”
I think that there are people who used the Liberal Party for personal criminal gain and they should be tried in a court of law. I think that to paint the whole party with that brush is unfair.
It is unfair to paint the whole party as criminals – of course.
It is not unfair to ask honest Liberal MP’s whether they can continue to support a Paul Martin government so undermined by corruption and incompetence.
Where is their integrity? Why aren’t they crossing the floor to sit as independants until they are personally assured that their party has not become a political wing of organized crime?
None of this is new information. NONE of it – Brault’s testimony is just the lurid details of what has been on the public record for years.
Actually, BCL, I wasn’t trying to insult Italians (like, er, my wife). I was trying to insult restaurants…
thanks for your point about faulty logic, although by “faulty” presumably you mean “correct”, since you have confirmed my point by agreeing that of the three choices, (c) is correct.
I’ll certainly try to run through the list of Paul Martin supporters. Perhaps Justice Gomery should as well?
Hoping you enjoy this morning’s polls, I remain, your friend.
If and when they find some liberanno gave OUR money to some other scum lieberal in a McDonalds will that personally offend clowns with red foam noses and giant shoes.
Please spell it out for me!
Did anyone else take notice that Power Corp is also making donations? If you all recall, they are tied directly to the Oil For Food program and more importantly, the PMO.
So besides stealing money from good honest folks here in Canada to win elections, they steal from good honest folks in Iraq.
Honestly folks, aren’t you tired of one province telling you how you gotta live? If people in Ontario really want to keep those assholes in power then they should pay the taxes that the feds steal from my paycheck every two weeks.
it seems to me that a huge problem is that their is no reporting criteria for Leadership bids!
I belive that Paul used this Adscam and 55555 funds to hijack Cretian’s term since he knew that his leadership funds couldn’t be traced. Had Paul done the honest thing and waited to an election, his funds would have been tracable. Seems like a inquiry to me.
Bunch of crooks!
it seems to me that a huge problem is that their is no reporting criteria for Leadership bids!
I belive that Paul used this Adscam and 55555 funds to hijack Cretian’s term since he knew that his leadership funds couldn’t be traced. Had Paul done the honest thing and waited to an election, his funds would have been tracable. Seems like an inquiry to me.
Bunch of crooks!