The Fraser Institute has released a summary of federal government waste, mismanagement and outright misrepresentation based on Auditor General reports from 1992 to 2005;
20 separate instances in which contract or parliamentary rules were broken, similar to the current circumstances surrounding the sponsorship scandal. 11 instances of government failure dealing with sensitive information such as Social Insurance Numbers (SINs) and immigration information. For example, more than half of current SINs have no supporting documentation and there are 5 million more SINs for Canadians over the age of 20 than there are people in that age group. 22 problems were investigated at the Department of National Defence (DND), more than any other identified department. One example of the many problems at DND was the department?s eight year development of a $174 million satellite communication system, which DND concluded was less efficient than the commercial system it had already been using.
A more recent example is a $220 million radar system, originally estimated to cost $43.1 million, which only works during daylight and calm weather.A startling 65 examples were found amongst the 284 cases of government failure involving some type of capital misallocation, indicating large-scale inefficient use of resources.
The full report is here. (PDF)
It’s not just the Fraser Institute digging. At Black Rod they’ve discovered this intriguing passage from “Money on the Run-Canada and How the World’s Dirty Profits are Laundered” (Penguin) by investigative reporter Mario Possamai.
“On April 19, 1970, a handful of Canada’s most powerful businessmen met privately at the elegant Montreal home of financier Paul Desmarais. What brought them together was the worrying rise of the Parti Quebecois, a growing force in the Quebec provincial elections that were about to be held.”
“Within days of the gathering, a secret anti-separatism fund was up and running. It was controlled by a trusted Liberal Party bagman. The fund came to light more by accident than design – as a result of theft charges laid against the bagman. It briefly illuminated a usually murky side of Canadian politics-how confidential pools of money are (often legally) raised, laundered, and spent.”
The group raised $55,000, “a hefty sum in the days before the inflationary ravages of the lates 70s and early 80s.”
“The money did not go directly to the separatist-fighting Liberal Party or into its regular account at Montreal Trust. Instead the money went to veteran Liberal bagman Louis de Gonzague Giguere, Pierre Trudeau’s first Senate appointee.”
Giguere was known (affectionately, they say) as “Giggery Bill” on account of his backroom skills. He was Chief Liberal Party Organizer for Quebec in the 1963, 1965 and 1968 elections. He was eventually charged with influence peddling and with theft of left-over slush fund money. He was acquitted, reluctantly, by the judge who said he couldn’t be sure who, if anyone, had been defrauded. (Watch for that defence in Adscam.) Giguere died in June, 2002 at the age of 90.
“According to Giguere, the contributions stocked a secret fund to “fight separatism in all its forms.”
Within days of getting the money, he quickly began dispensing it.
“On April 27, 1970, a cheque for $3,000.50 went to JEAN CHRETIEN, then a federal cabinet minister.”
Think of it as the “Sponsorship Scholarship”.
Read the rest.
Our faith in government is gone
By Hartley Steward
Future governments in Canada — at all levels — will pay dearly for the careless stewardship of our current federal government. Indeed, so will the rest of us.
The fallout from the sponsorship scandal may pose a short-term re-election problem for Prime Minister Paul Martin and his Liberal party, but the real consequence of their cynical politics and wanton corruption will be felt when, and if, they get back to running the country.
They’ll face a nation that no longer has faith in the integrity and honesty of those in political life.
To say we’ve lost our innocence in the last decade is not to overstate the case. A series of horrific scandals, revelations of avarice, breathtaking incompetence and embarassingly juvenile minority government politics, have left the country numb.
The image of our nation as a country ruled by law and governed by people with noble ideals and altruistic notions died at the hands of politicians to whom politics and its rewards came to mean everything.
It has become difficult for many of us not to think of the government — and its attendant bureaucrats — as the enemy. To think of them as some conspiratorial cabal, united against us, dedicated to their own preservation, and a luxurious lifestyle funded by their access to our money.
Imagine trying to govern the face of a total lack of faith on the part of the governed. How do you undertake the necessary initiatives when every motive applied to you is base and self-serving, when you have neither the trust nor respect of the people?
The move by the federal government to overhaul Canada’s antiquated wiretap laws is a good case in point. >>>> more
http://www.rapp.org/url/?5EJXZJ0E
torontosun.com
This is an interesting and enlightening topic. Might we soon see Cameron, Don and that idiot McClelland come out from under their rocks and start making lame excuses for their beloved LPC? I’ve often thought these three guys are one and the same.
Re: the $200 million radar system that only works during daylight and calm weather….
Wow! That’s an expensive set of binoculars.
Is it coincidence that Desmarais or one of his corporate flunkies always ends up at the center of scandals where government monies are misappropriated? For that Matter we have seen that the federal liberal party and particularly the Quebec wing are an open criminal cartel.
In answer to Hartly Stewart’s musing, I can say that my faith in federal government has been steady dwindling with each scandal that breaks over the past 20 years to a point where nothing less than the indictment and incarceration of conspiratorial parties who breech public trust and userp parliamentary authority woll restore my trust.
Federal government, as it is now, is nothing but a network of unapprehended criminal cartels which operates to enhance it’s members own best interests…we should treat them accordingly.
And now another scandal where another government department has ripped off the taxpayer. This time the Fisheries Dept. Is there no end to it all?
Isn’t it about time Canadians got really pissed at these guys? Yeah right! I just hope I live long enough to see the day.
My Canada includes Latvian helicopters–kind of makes your heart beat faster, don’t it? Now if only we can get the destination right.
“Grim earthquake toll greets DART”, Globe and Mail, Oct. 17″
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051017/QUAKEMAIN17/TPFront/TopStories
“…two Latvian helicopters rented by Canada are expected in Islamabad today, and will likely start running missions into the mountains early this week. Canadian officials had hoped to start operating the helicopters on the weekend, but they were delayed by a delivery mix-up that sent them to the wrong city in Pakistan…”
I.Am.Latvian.
Mark
Ottawa
A friend just reminded me that nothing on this thread has to do with public health care. You know, the system that allows you to suffer and die while Paul Martin attends private health care clinics. He’s right! This thread shows how much we are being ripped of and Canadians go ” oh, well, that’s the government for ya”. We are a brainwashed bunch of sickos for letting one Party and their followers do this to us.How did we get so one-dimensional that a political party can run on one issue and , after being elected,be permitted to steal, lie and cheat and suffer no repercussions?
Same old, same old, sigh. Just when is the electorate going to realize what is happening? Unfortunately, during my last trip to the homeland, most people I talked to have already made the decision that “Liberal, Conservitive or other, polititions all are crooks so it makes no matter who you vote for”. Seems that people don’t feel like doing a Don Quixote against corrupt government.
Canada is, for intents and purposes, a benevolent dictatorship. With the exception of North Korea, Cuba, and Elbonia, I can’t think of too many governments where one person has so much power and influence over the three branches of government. Remember the notion that the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government were meant to be separate so as to ensure “checks and balances” and “separation of powers”?
And the MSM goes on about how Canadians want a charismatic leader. If that is the case then I vote for Pamela Anderson. Seriously, she took what she had and is making a fortune. It is just a pity she doesn’t eat Alberta beef.
Canadians got all the charisma we could stomach in the form of Pierre Trudeau and we are still reeling from the fallout, now just some good old fashioned honesty would suit the bill just fine.
Texas Canuck,
So all politicans are crooks,eh? A popular opinion but not quite true. I would agree that ALL political parties have SOME crooks.
Well, how about this. We could vote for the Party that has the lower number of crooks. That way we could lessen the amount of corruption in the next government. It’s a start,right?
Resign, Minister Regan. Resign. Now.
The wea$el$ have sucked the eggs dry. Resign, Regan. Librano$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Grits under fire
Canadian Press via Sun Media ^
Posted on 10/17/2005 2:55:51 PM PDT by Clive
OTTAWA (CP) – A spending scandal in the federal Fisheries Department has claimed two casualties.
Two civil servants have been fired, and others face disciplinary action for inappropriate activities, a spokesman for Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan said Tuesday. The minister declined to provide more details, citing privacy laws. “You should know that over the past year and a half there have been disciplinary actions taken, and in fact there have been cases where people have been fired for inappropriate expenses,” he said.
A new audit at the department, first reported by The Canadian Press, found a litany of problems in hospitality and travel expenses, including exorbitant prices for airfare and travel claims with no evidence of any work having been done.
One staffer charged $6,000 in hotel bills and meals so he could be with his spouse for a birth.
Regan said the findings result from audits that were part of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s overhaul of spending, and that improvements have been made.
“We are examining in detail the report that’s been done and have tasked my officials to come back within a week,” he said.
“Where appropriate, monies will be recovered and disciplinary will be taken but in fact this audit did not in fact indicate that any actions were fraudulently taken.” >>>>>
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1504163/posts
As in the Dingwall case, nothing was advanced by the Liberals about expenses or firings until they got exposed.. AGAIN!
So why do Canadians keep supporting this Party?
And, if you’re going to answer my question, (ANYBODY),Please don’t give me that crap about no viable alternative. Stop listening to your LIEberal masters and feel how much thinner your wallet is getting with each passing day.When you listen with your pocketbook, you’ll be surprised how attractive the alternative is!
Am I the only one getting ever more terribly sick and tired of Liberal government waste, corruption and selfish, hedonistic uncaringness? How do they get away with this?
While y’all are thinking about the question, y’all might as well read this latest post of mine tying Liberal waste into their worthless policy of redistributing income from haves to have-nots in a manner that doesn’t help either, nor the federation as a whole. It’s quite a devastating analysis I launched into while discussing a recommendation made today to the Ontario government.
http://thecanadiansentinel.blogspot.com/2005/10/tax-relief-not-transfers-for-have-nots.html
Vincent Lacroix 2004 Individual Liberal Party $2,500.00
Vincent Lacroix 2004 Individual Liberal Party $2,500.00
http://www.boundbygravity.com/SEC/ECSearch.aspx
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ????
Vincent Lacroix? RCMP? AMF? Norbourg? Quebec? Massive embezzlement of client funds? Liberal party donation $5,000.00 in Year 2004? Montreal??????????????????????? Any questions? No charges laid? Why/why not?>>>>>
MONTREAL – It’s been more than seven weeks since the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF), Quebec’s investment industry watchdog, and the RCMP raided Norbourg’s offices and the homes of chief executive Vincent Lacroix, who the AMF accuses of masterminding a massive embezzlement of client funds. Those raids followed six weeks of investigation by the Mounties and months more by AMF officials. And still no one has been charged with a crime. (The Gazette)
http://www.primetimecrime.com/
Oct 3, 2005
The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) is pleased to announce that John Williams, FCGA, M.P, is the recipient of the Association’s John Leslie Award for 2005. Mr. Williams is the Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Edmonton-St. Albert, Alberta…
…As the author of THE WASTE REPORT, a periodical that highlights mismanagement and a lack of accountability in government, Mr. Williams has been an ardent critic of government waste. He is also the founder and Chair of both the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), an international organization that promotes good governance, accountability, and transparency among parliamentarians around the world, and the Canadian chapter of GOPAC, Canadian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (CanPAC)….
http://tinyurl.com/dec8z
The Waste Report (read it & weep)
http://tinyurl.com/9wdxb
Congrats Mr. Williams. You certainly have your work cut out for you!
Hey Squid,
Better clean the barnicles out of your bifocals… I said most people I talked to said “why bother, they are all crooks”.I don’t have that opinion. My point (besides the one on my head) is that somehow the public have to be motivated to make a change in government and not accept the Liberano$ as the one and only.
With the Apathy Index up and the Give-A-Fark Factor almost as high, the Conservatives have a long uphill battle to get Joe & Jane Canuck to change their vote or even to vote at all.
Even in Alberta, Ralphie boy is turning into either a ‘red tory’ or just doing a Cretien style swan song, i.e. not much of anything except keeping a chair warm. In my humble opinion, Premier Klein has backed down whenever his bluff was called so the bark is being ignored in Ottawa because they know there is no bite.
Maybe if Steven Harper makes a movie with Arnold… Terminator Tory!! Yeah, I like that.
>>>>>
“Desjarlais says she could be sitting as an independent as soon as Tuesday.”>>
Churchill MP loses NDP nomination
Last Updated Oct 17 2005 05:55 PM CDT
CBC News
A Manitoba MP says her stand against same-sex marriage has cost her the NDP nomination in the next federal election.
Bev Desjarlais, who has been the MP for Churchill since 1997, was the only NDP member to vote against the same-sex marriage bill earlier this year. She told CBC News she expected her nomination to be challenged, and she plans to run again as an independent.
“It’s cost me in the sense of there was a challenge and I lost the nomination. It hasn’t cost me in the sense of feeling comfortable in where I am on making a conscience decision,” she told CBC News.
“Hopefully the people in the Churchill riding will recognize that they have an MP who will stick to her word, will do the job and will be honest and upfront. That’s what I’ve offered for almost nine years now, and hope to continue offering after the next federal election.”
Desjarlais says she could be sitting as an independent as soon as Tuesday. She says she’ll decide how to vote on confidence motions in the House of Commons on a case-by-case basis.
Niki Ashton, 24, will run for the NDP in Churchill in the next election. Ashton, the daughter of Thompson MLA Steve Ashton, was born and raised in Thompson. Two other candidates also ran for the nomination.>>> cbc
What is new. I was in the RCN from 63 till I was forced out in 77 and saw what bean counters could do first hand and felt what shysters could ever since. How about multi m$ spent on a new sonar system, probably the best in the world only to have its preformance cut in half because the bean counters made the RCN cheap uot on the sonar dome. Makes one become a raceist, makes one hate all bean counters. I have an hororable discharge and a certificate suitable for framing (someware in the back of the closet) to prove it.
Oh goody. I can hardly wait.
We’ll be robbed again – Think-tank sees future AdScams
…unless the Liberal government toughens rules and PUNISHES PUBLIC SERVANTS who break them, another AdScam will happen “with predictable regularity,” warns the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute, which highlighted 284 boondoggles in its analysis…
http://tinyurl.com/cgtjl
Canada falling, falling behind in OECD
The Gazette
October 18, 2005
…Canada ranks LAST among the 12 countries rated in the overall economic indicator, which combines GDP per capita, inflation, employment growth, unemployment rate, and other measures. (Norway was No. 1, the U.S. was tied for third). Being No. 12 in the OECD elite is not bad, except that a year ago we were SIXTH; a year before that, THIRD…
http://tinyurl.com/bmhtz