I recieved this article today, with permission to republish. All the information is from sources that were publicly available prior to the publication ban on Brault’s testimony at the Gomery Inquiry.
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The Black Rod – The origin of the Usher of the Black Rod goes back to early fourteenth century England . Today, with no royal duties to perform, the Usher knocks on the doors of the House of Commons with the Black Rod at the start of Parliament to summon the members. The rod is a symbol for the authority of debate in the upper house.
We of The Black Rod have adopted the symbol to knock some sense and the right questions into the heads of Legislators, pundits, and other opinion makers.
Today’s Topic: Gomery secrets not-so-secret
The country’s press was giddy all weekend from eating of the forbidden fruit.
Details of Friday’s testimony before the Gomery inquiry had leaked into the blogosphere.
Reporters whose eyes had glazed over weeks before at the glacial pace of the inquiry were suddenly frisky as puppies over information they couldn’t use because of a ban on publication.
The word used most often to describe the not-to-be-repeated evidence was “explosive.”
Rumours had the Bloc Quebecois anxious to force an election because they now figure they can sweep every seat in Quebec. The Liberals were said to be so scared they want to force the Opposition to bring down the government over changes to environmental regulations so that they could fight an election on Kyoto rather than Korruption. The Conservatives, as usual, were eager for an election while anxious to avoid an election.
The Black Rod was among the first to get wind of the story on Captain’s Quarters, the American blog that broke the story. And what, we wondered, was all the excitement about?
Sure the details are outrageous. But no more so that anything we’re heard for weeks now.
We suspect that its suddenly big news because the players are all ‘names’ in Quebec and the reporters can now describe the kickback scandal in human terms rather than by company names.
Imagine how electrifying it would be in Manitoba if an Inquiry found that, say, as an anology, adman Allen Gregg was being strongarmed by Liberal backroom boy Ernie Gilroy to make “contributions” to MP Reg Alcock and put stalwart Liberal footsoldier like John Angus on the payroll.
How the Liberal Party was funnelling money through its secret Sponsorship Program through Quebec ad agencies, and how some of that taxpayers money found its way into Liberal Party coffers, is being described day after day at the Gomery Inquiry.
But the Liberals were literally pouring multi-millions into the ad agency gullets and, according to the evidence, were getting it back in eeny meenie dribs and drabs. Why spend so much for so little. That’s the mystery. It defies reason, yet there had to be a reason.
The secret testimony of Groupaction boss Jean Brault doesn’t provide an answer. But before going into what Brault told Judge Gomery, let us refresh your memories of what’s already known about the kickback scheme run by the Liberals in Quebec, as revealed in evidence on the record.
* 1997
– An election is called. Groupaction receives more than $10 million in contracts in 1997
– Jean Chretien’s older brother, Gaby Chretien (he was 79), collects a cheque for $5,000 from Groupaction for the campaign of Liberal MP Yolande Thibeault in St. Lambert. He has another cheque for $5,000 from Groupe Polygone. (Both firms are currently being sued by the government to recover Adscam money.)
– Eight employees of Lafleur Communications (another company being sued) fork over contributions of $1,000 each and are reimbursed by the company that earned millions from the Liberals.
– Jean Lafleur, the owner of the company who personally earned millions from the Liberal sponsorship contracts, says he was encouraged to get involved in fundraising for the Liberals through golf tournaments and cocktail parties by Joe Morselli, a political organizer for then-Public Works Minister Alphonso Gagliano, the minister reponsible for the sponsorship program.
* 1998
– Gilles-Andre Gosselin, who sold Gosselin Communications to Groupaction that year, contributed $5,400 to the Liberals after being told he was the only one who hadn’t coughed up yet. Gilles-Andre Gosselin dispersed $20 million of sponsorship money and kept $8 million, in just two years.
– Alain Renaud, a Liberal fundraiser who also worked for Groupaction, made a $50,000 donation to the federal Liberals. On top of another $13,000 he donated later, he became the seventh biggest donor to the Liberal Party of Canada in 1998, ahead of some banks.
* 1999
Gilles-Andre Gosselin discovers he has made a $10,000 contribution to the Liberals. He learns the news from Jean Brault, who adds that the donation was covered by Groupaction. Gosselin said Brault sent the $10,000 cheque to the Liberals on his behalf and against his will.
* 2000
Jean Brault launders $20,000 to the Liberal Party through a company owned by a Groupaction employee, Bernard Thiboutot. so that it doesn’t show up on the Groupaction books.
– It is illegal to donate to a political party on behalf of a third party, but any prosecution must take place within 18 months of the donation. The statute of limitations has passed, thanks to Liberal Party stalling.
– Thiboutot submitted invoices for “professional fees”, and got paid back by Groupaction.
– Groupaction also has a secret $50,000 political slush fund.
– Brault has Groupaction executive Bernard Thiboutot make out cheques to five Liberal Party organizers–Michel Monette, Jacques Roy, Guy Bisson, Franco Iacono and Louis Pichette– through Thiboutot’s private consulting company.
– The payments went through Thiboutot’s company the week former prime minister Jean Chretien called a federal election.
– Thiboutout received invoices from the five Quebec Liberal organizers and paid the invoices. He then invoiced Brault for “research and analysis” work and was paid back.
But what was the money really for?
Well, one cheque for $6,400 went to Guy Bisson, which is the name of the co-president of the Liberal Party’s seniors commission. Mr. Bisson said he remembered being paid about $6,000 by a company located in Quebec City for a poll of three Liberal ridings in western Quebec before the 2000 election.
Mr. Bisson said he was picked by the former director-general of the Liberal Party’s Quebec wing, Ben�it Corbeil, to get information on the voting intentions of 1,200 people in the Outaouais. Mr. Bisson said the objective was to see whether the then-Reform Party was gaining ground against the Liberals.
Another cheque went to a Franco Iacono, a former aide to Liberal ministers Alfonso Gagliano and John Manley, who received $9,200. That is Mr. Franco Iacono, who was a special assistant to Mr. Gagliano.
Okay, then, back to the Gomery leak. What did that American blog say?
Well, instead of the answers, we suggest you look at the questions. Look at what’s on the public record and ask youself what questions would you ask Mr. Brault?
And you will have your answer.
What we can’t answer, yet, is why the Liberals poured so much money into these ad agencies.
Unless the answer is so simple it’s staring us in the face–we have somehow slipped from being a democracy into being a kleptocracy, a nation where the leaders are so intoxicated with power that they are driven by an uncontrollable impulse to steal as much as they can.
careful,you might be spending weekends in P.A.
the T.V. is fuzzy in their and you only get C.B.C.
thats punishement itself.
Could it be that some of the dirty money was spread into the Bloc as well to calm split allegiance ad firms customers — BLOC? It may well be that they might not come off smelling too sweet in this mess either.
More Canaries
A lot of shady goings on and possible links to organized crime. I think we may need to review Strippergate and see if connections exist. Remember Strippergate? …
I’m a Quebec federalist who supported the Liberals as the only strong federalist party in Quebec. Also, like a lot of Quebeckers, I can’t stand the NDP and I’m suspicious of the Conservatives.
It’s not just the theft and fraud, though that’s a big scandal on its own. Some federal Liberals (Quebec branch) chose to abuse just about the sensitive issue in Quebec — the federal government sponsoring federalism.
This clique, this cynical corrupt clique, has betrayed the political trust of every honest federalist and every honest Liberal rank-and-filer.
That hurts.
My sympathies on your pain, simoner. Were you equally hurt when a “small corrupt clique” sent money who-knows-where during the HRDC scandal? Did you hang your head in shame when a small incompetent clique piddled away a billion dollars registering long guns? How about that smallest of cliques, composed solely of M. Chretien, who got a BDC president to reverse his loan rejection in the Grand Mere affair?
How many members must a clique have before we can call it a Party?
More links about that testimony (continuously updated)
1989 Apr. 6 – To people reading blogs for the first time, please realize that when we write cautions about unverified stories it’s not some kind of wink wink nod nod thing at all: we really mean it and…
I think a lot of people had their pain repeatedly assuaged when Crouton used to stand up and say “I will not apologize for [insert your favourite instance where your tax dollars went past GO and straight into Shawinigan].”
Will Uncle Paulie have the brass balls to do the same? I doubt it.
front page of toronto sun is interesting
ADSCAM: Oh, Canada!
Canada’s Attorney General is now determining how to go about cracking down on bloggers: So instead of chasing down felons or prosecuting violent criminals, or perhaps investigating government corruption, the AG intends to start delivering contempt cita…
And when will Revenue Canada audit the returns of these rogues to ensure they did not claim tax relief for their “political donations”.
Just asking.
P.Q. denying having recieved any monies via groupaction.
source,chqr77am, on your dial
“Why spend so much for so little.”
Maybe they thought it wouldn;t be so likely to be noticed. Corruption is 100% profit – it’s not like they were investing their own money to get back something.
My opinion is that most of the money was funnelled from the taxpayers to the Liberal Party, via ‘paying for sponsorship work’, BUT, the payments were not for sponsorship work but for work, actual work, done within Liberal ridings, to ensure that these ridings would be re-elected Liberal.
The money that was kicked back to the Liberal Party in the form of ‘donations to a political party’ is peanuts.
Most of the money spent was for Work Done. The catch is – the work wasn’t done by these agencies for sponsorship programmes; it was for election campaign work and it is hidden under the guise of ‘services for X-sports gala’, ‘services for Y-home baking gala festival’…These events were trivial. The big bucks were spent to get these ad agencies to work, work, work…on getting Liberal re-elected in Quebec. Chretien, after the referendum, was worried that HE would lose his job as The Don.
This sort of thing actually pisses me off, more than I thought possible. I don’t believe there is a politicial party in Canada worth voting for anymore. All parties have good and bad qualities! If the Liberals are booted out, who does that leave running our country? I am suspicious of all parties running in elections, I have no personal favourite at this point, and feel that both the Conservatives and NDP have serious issues that should be “nipped in the bud” before giving them the post of leader. Find me a party who is actually looking out for the good of Canada, instead of their own pockets and pensions! In all honesty I hope that Gomery really sticks it to them.
I said this before the election last time:
Paul Martin declared he was unaware of the theft of funds and fraud….
This means he was either a liar, or he was asking the Canadian electorate to return power to the hands of unknown criminal elements in the government.
Some advice for Ontario voters: stop, please stop, taking your news from the Star, the CBC and CTV at face value. Pay attention to how the news reports during elections are FRAMED. And why certain questions keep getting asked over and over again.
Those questions about “social agenda” are the media agenda items – a media whose top elite are as close to the Liberal party themselves as the hair on a rat’s ass.
Trace:
We’re well and truly screwed. All the major parties have severe issues, whether corruption (Libs, Bloc) or outright incompetence (PC, NPD and all the rest). Starting a brand new party is almost impossible, given the entrenched interests of all the above.
Our electoral system doesn’t count “blank” or cancelled votes, so you cannot vote “I don’t like any of these guys, gimme a new slate of candidates.” You have to vote for someone.
What do you do when you have to settle for the lesser evil?
V-Man:
I wish it was as simple as choosing not to pay into Income Tax any longer. Wouldn’t that just be wonderful if a person had it within their “rights” to say, “no, I don’t appreciate how you waste my tax dollars, so i am going to quit paying income tax.”
The lesser evil leaves a pretty nasty taste in my mouth at the moment. I haven’t followed politics closely for very long, you could say I was happily “ignorant” up to this point. What has involved me the most, is what is happening to our government for future generations. I only started voting less then 10-years ago, and already I’m suspicious and un-happy with the government. My solution, elect Dictatorship. Why give us the opportunity to vote for a party based on what they promise if elected into office, when in the end, none of the election promises are going to be met anyway.
Trace
“I am suspicious of all parties running in elections”
What do you believe in?
“Find me a party who is actually looking out for the good of Canada,
What do you mean by “the good of Canada”?
” My solution, elect Dictatorship.”
We’ve had a PM from PQ for 35 out of the last 37 years. Given the amount of power a Prime minister has, to run things as he sees fit, is that not close enough to dictatorship for you?
” I only started voting less then 10-years ago,”
For crying out loud, you must be at least 28 years old. It’s time to throw in the towel about pretending your still a child.
“This sort of thing actually pisses me off,”
Hey, maybe you are growing up.
Remember, the believers will win.
The wobblers will just stay queasy and wobble some more.
Why is everone so shocked at the notion that the federal government flooded Quebec with money in response to one of its periodic separation threats?
If Quebec is a “nation”, as it claims to be, then these periodic threats are its most profitable national industry.
Kickbacks for Liberal and the Blockhead parties in Quebec; involvement in drugs sales; skimming off the Iraq “Money for Food” program; and the Gun Registry. Now the Blockheads in Quebec are gaining support from separatists. The arrogant former prime minister Mr. Creeton deserves to be thrown in jail. Lastly, this time I will not be making a phone call to my family in Quebec asking them to please vote in order for Quebec to stay in Canada. I say let the separatists go, carve out their small piece of Quebec, build a big wall around it, and build a highway through the Northern Quebec First Nations land. First Nations stated during the last referendum that they will not separate, nor will the separatists get the huge hydro electric damn that sits on First nations land.
Holy moly, the Liberals have now even pi**ed off the Hells Angels….
As manipulative as ever…. the strategic reason why the Liberals’s launched a tiral against these three men in the middle of the Gomery as there was no pressing need to start the trial till after. How soon we forget. Back in 1998, Mr. Creeton, our corrupt former PM shut down the Somalia Commission early, and everyone on the commision received a nice pension for going away and shutting up about what really happened there. And like Creeton, the current Liberals chose to do this so that they could cover up the testimony by implementing this media ban. Canadians unit, they can’t charge all of us if we band together and finally revolt.
…and don’t even get me started about the going ons relating to the HRDC scandal. Everything that came out in public about it’s mismanagement are true. I know because I applied for the grant and went for retraining… I was apalled that the course cost $14,000. and the teachers were inept, inferior and had absolutely no credentials to teach. And at National Defence, where work experience students were hired to get experience but were really doing the work of the employees, some of whomo were running their personal businesses from their offices. Or Veterans Affairs, my WW2 dad is on a fixed income and do you think he can get anything from them? It’s all about empire building… so come and get me boys, I am up for a public fight!