A story that begs an obvious question;
The Liberal party is preparing to return bags of cash purloined from the public purse.
Prime Minister Paul Martin is preparing a late-night huddle with a small circle of advisers on Parliament Hill on Monday…
What do they mean by “return”?
Within hours or days of its release, the party plans to dip into a $750,000 trust fund it recently set aside to refund taxpayers.
“We know we will have a responsibility to reimburse the government of Canada,” said the Liberals’ national director, Steven MacKinnon.
“Anyone convicted of wrongdoing – we don’t want that money. We don’t want any part of it.”
The ADSCAM cash has been long spent – some of it winning the last election. And with the donation-challenged Martin Liberals now dependant on new rules that automatically refill campaign coffers through the public purse (on the basis of numbers of votes cast), Paul Martin is going to set matters right – by paying us back with our own money.
Exactly! (Almost- he will pay us back SOME of the money stolen, with SOME of the money stolen from us in the first place.) We won’t see any of the ‘refund’- of course- he will put that money into General Revenue- so they can steal it again!
Bwaahhahaha.
It’s too late. Gomery was hired by the liberals to deflect blame from the liberals. If pouring adscam money into quebec and then pouring gomery “investigation” money into quebec is going to make them pissed off enough to leave then I hope they go as soon as possible. canada died when it re-elected the liberals 28 jun 04. Its time Alberta and B.C. went on their own.
I totally agree with Tony. The sad fact is the stupidity of the Canadian public. The Liberals just continue to rip off the tax payers and get away with it. Is it better to know the devil than take a chance on the devil you don’t know? The media continues to smear Steven Harper. How do ever get a clear picture?
Why do the Liberals get to see the report sixteen hours earlier than anyone else? Does anyone know the reason for their right to vet the results of a public enquiry?
I consider the Liberal Government beneath by even my cynical comments and not worth discussing. They turn the best into the worst and we sit by an gawk.
Canada is a country in a growing vortex that is in direct proportion to the political stupidity of Canadian public.
Someday the spoiled brats who vote for those who run this excuse of a country will see health care as the least of their worries. Not getting their asses shot off and getting food with be their knew high end priority. And by the way Canadians … don’t worry about Education … it makes no difference. Most teachers would just as soon you simply attend some union meetings anyway to save them so much instruction time.
If there was one thing Trudeau missed, it’s that governing an educated nation is far tougher than an ignorant one. Even his idea of a watered down college degree special for the proletariat was enough to have people start to read and even think a bit.
That didn’t escape the rest of our leaders and if you don’t think we have been dumbed down … Never mind “Talking to Americans” by that pinko asshole from NFL … just interview a few of college grads. Don’t bother with high schools they can barely talk at all … like like like ya know eh! Keuwwwaaaal!!!
When they talk about ‘return’ they mean money from the Liberal coiffures to the Government of Canada, or from one pocket to another. Same pants.
But maybe we will some of it. My opinion, I hope there is some money for us. If they do, I’ll take it all, cash it, and still won’t vote for those liberals. They can take that to the Bank. Enough said about that. Next. I’m not sure about Tony’s comments, Gomery is a Conservative and he’s paid to do a job. Maybe the liberals are paying him to pass the blame to Chretien and assoc…
Alberta and B.C. should not separate. We should do
everything to keep them as part of Canada. Quebec should go. Pat totally agrees with Tony, well I said I wasn’t sure, whatever, Pat is totally right
when she says ‘the media smear Stephen Harper. He’s scarry, destroy medicare, break up Canada etc. and it’s hard to get a clear picture. Well it’s the liberal media that do that Pat. Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CTV (That includes CFTO), and of course CBC, who hammered Harper in the June 2003 election. The liberals are trying to use the media to get it’s message across. Even in the 2000 election, Stockwell Day was hammered. He could be campaining all day throughout different parts of Canada, then end up on the TV show, Royal Canadian Air Farce, and on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Of course, so did Chretien, but he was never embarassed. Media may be the liberals secret weapon. It’s unfair yes so we should be careful about what news we watch. It would be really bad if the liberals used Subliminal messages to get it’s message out. That’s cruel.
EBD makes a complaint about Martin seeing the Gomery report 16 Hrs. before it’s released to the public. But here at 4:55 p.m. on Sunday afternoon
I wonder one thing. Who’s to say that he hasn’t seen it already, And been advised about what the final report will be like. Why are there two reports? Can’t Justice Gomery just do it all at once? Politics has everything to do with this report. One thing to watch for is this, The Star has an afternoon edition, so watch for them to have something on they Gomery report. It may prove that they have the inside track on the report. Just because they support the liberals.
The Liberals get the report before the other parties because they are the government. Advance release to the government is the norm with commissions of inquiry. We can certainly argue about the fairness/unfairness of the government’s decision not to release it to the other parties at the same time, but this doesn’t change the fact that it is within the government’s right to take advantage of the advance release. The Gomery Commission does not table the report directly to Parliament — it submits it to the government (which established the Commission), and the report is then tabled in the House by the government (in this case, Government House Leader Tony Valeri).
Gomery decided this is the way things will be done, and I think it is in the same spirit as the decision to send letters of notification to possibly-implicated parties. If one is going to be accused of serious wrong-doing, it is fair that there is some advance warning. After all, those with the most to lose are: 1) the implicated (at the individual level) and 2) the governing party (in the House).
Allan, I believe Gomery is actually a Liberal.
Kate (or anyone), can you clairify exactly how the liberals used sponsorship cash in their efforts to win the last election? I recall hearing of this before, but i can’t remember the particulars.
Marcus
Money for ad sponsorship contracts went to Quebec firms (for little or no work done). Some of the money was kicked back to Liberal associations in Quebec (if I’m not mistaken). It’s fair to say that at least some votes likely went to Liberals due to this (more money for get-out-the-vote efforts, for example). It’s impossible to quantify how much influence this has had from riding to riding, let alone for the Party’s overall fortunes. IMHO – the Liberals (or any party, if it comes to others sometime) elected in ridings where this happened should be forced to step down, and in the by-election, a Liberal should not be allowed to run (as a starting point).
Actually, Shane – you came close to touching on the question no one in media dares ask: the use of illegally obtained funds in an election campaign is a capital offense under the Elections Act. In other words, what we should be talking about is not whether the Liberals are giving back our money, but whether the party should be deregistered as a political party for having taken it in the first place.
The essential difference between our ‘justice system’ and that of the United States:
In the United States, you are innocent until proven guilty.
In Canada, you are innocent after being proven guilty.
Hmm… deregistering the Liberal Party of Canada? I like the idea, if it’s proven they won the election in part due to illegally-obtained money.
It doesn’t matter if they win or come in dead last. Funding a campaign with stolen money, in whole or in part, is a contravention of the Elections Act punishable by deregistration of the party.
Nothing will happen.
Their role is parent our role is child.
They are in charge, we can tantrum by writing comments, they smile and do what they want.
We have freedom to bitch and that’s it.
Life is simple in the Canadian family eh?
I recall that the government of Grant Devine also had a lot of corruption problems. Maybe the problem is that all politicians are corrupt and the whole system needs to be reinvented. Most are lawyers, maybe we should ban lawyers from holding office for 10 years and see if the corruption goes down.
OTTAWA – It all boils down to who you believe – the public servants and ad execs who blame Liberal politicians and organizers, or the Grits who finger a rogue group of public servants and greedy ad execs. (Ottawa Sun)
MORE: Chr�tien ready for a dust-up
It�s interesting that the Clerk of the Privy Council who as Head of the Public Service and is the principal link between the Prime Minister and the Public Service of Canada most likely isn’t going to be named tomorrow at 10 when the 1st report is released. – Chris.
About The Clerk:
http://www.rapp.org/url/?RRPO7NF7
via : primetimecrime.com
What has disillusioned me the most is the role of the RCMP. We are talking criminal offences yet they allow the accused to set the agenda. But what can you expect, Sheila says they were laundering money. We all know the long list of corruption in the RCMP. The system needs revamping. I have to wonder if its too late to save democracy. I fear Harper is not prepared to take up the fight.
I consider the Gomery Enquiry and the actions of the Liberal Party of Canada to be the best arguement for Western Separatism available. With all the whining from Quebec about how all their stuff is underfunded, along with the rest of the crap from the Liberal supporters, we might as well pull the pin and separate. It ain’t going to get any better.
Okay, but how exactly were these funds used specifically in the LAST election? Seeing as how ADSCAM was the biggest issue last time around, how is it that these liberals were able to use stolen funds in an election where they were being busted for ‘stealing funds’?
Is it just a matter of having recieved funds previously from the kickbacks, and still having that money around to spend on the LAST election or is it an issue of money being funnelled into the election AS it was happening?
Testimony at Gomery repeatedly showed that people who made large donations to the Liberal party would receive many times that amount back in government contracts, often for no work done.
Only the Liberals would know how the funds were used specifically — it’s not like they put out flyers explaining how it all worked. But any monkey can figure out how money helps election campagins — more signs, more phone lines, more greasing of wheels, more staff, more expert advice, more ads…
Well, Kate, who, exactly will punish the Liberal Party via deregistration? I can’t think of anyone who could stand up successfully to the awesome power of the state as we know it today. I fear too many have been bought or are otherwise for some reason terrified at the idea of taking on the Liberal regime.
This is a question no one has answered for me. It’s not like in the states, where they have a special prosecutor or something. I don’t see it happening here.
RCMP? No way. SCOC? Fugeddaboudit. Only idea I have is a replacement government implementing legislation guaranteeing the enforcement of laws against any ruling party/PM or former ruling party/PM for contravention of the laws of the land, including that against using stolen tax dollars for election campaign funding. We need a special prosecutor with absolute immunity from influence from anyone, including the Prime Minister. If this doesn’t happen, then the rule of law and Canadian democracy are myths.
The Lie-beral’s have no shortage of “Missing Money” to choose from, one just has to look at the list of Crown Corps, departments, branches, agencies and the so called Private Foundations($9 billion) that PMPM and the Lie-beral’s will not allow the Auditor General access to. Adscam is just a drop in the bucket.
Oops, I meant any party, whether they win or come in dead last, like you said.
It’s like i wrote last spring you can’t run a garden hose down a gopher hole, watch the gophers popping up out of the ground and not know that the two activities are connected. Ya may not know all the bends twists and turns the gophers dug into the dirt but the two holes are definately connected. I’m just waiting to see the liberals deregistered so we can doa proper house cleaning and find out really why it cost so damn much for basic services from the government. After all we can all ask ourselves the question why does it seemingly cost 6 times as much for the government to plow the roads as what the graders get for their drivers wage and vehicle maintenance, is it JUST beurocratic overburden or are there some unauthorised fingers in the pie.
Daryl.
Elizabeth G-G
Gomery didn’t determine that PMPM gets an advance viewing, PMPM did – at least that is what the media is reporting. In fact, many media reports suggest Gomery was encouraging PMPM to share the report with Parliament (i.e., opposition parties) ASAP.
But of course the CFO of the country at the time all this sh-t was happening knows absolutely nothing and needs some time in the privacy of 24 Sussex to determine how the spinmasters can continue to spin 38% (or so) of Canadians who apparently are willing to vote for a corrupt (or at minimum absolutely incompetent) regime.
The stolen money was spent on Liberal Party anhancement campaigns. The money is spent.
Expecting a payback would be expecting more ongoing siphoning of our public revenues.
I suggest we liquidate assets of the principal crooks involved.
First on the block… Canada Steamship Lines! TG
I know the word starts with an e. Ignore it. Editing only applies to two paragraphs or more. TG
I thought a beginning down – payment may have been a pledge to liquidate Canada Steamship Lines and return the proceeds to the public purse.
This was to be only a beginning jesture whereby a flood of other Libranos would follow Paul�s example, sell assets and mortgage homes and return the ill gotten funds to Canadian general revenues.
I�m struggling with this paltry 1.4 million. Should we collectivly laugh at this? Is this a joke?
Just the missing HP/Compaq computers for DND comes to 146 Millions of dollars and that is only one of 100 scandals.
Perspective Paul please! Perspective! TG
If only they would do that here when ever the liberals steal tax payers money for their latests reciclous ideas