Steve Janke’s baby is back in the news – Peter O’Neil from the Vancouver Sun;
The Paul Martin government, bracing last fall for Justice John Gomery’s scathing sponsorship scandal report and a possible snap election, played down opposition questions suggesting the emergence of another potentially explosive federal ethics controversy.
The questions related to media coverage of an obscure government employee named Frank Brazeau, suspended after contracting irregularities were uncovered by auditors for KPMG – an international accounting company – including contracts improperly let to the family company of Quebec Liberal MP David Smith.
The documents, and subsequent interviews, show the issues linked to Brazeau triggered two police investigations since 2004, $655,000 worth of forensic reviews by KPMG Canada, and a number of disciplinary actions against federal bureaucrats -including three firings.
Janke joins the long list of critics questioning Bernard Shapiro’s competency – if not his credibility;
Now remember how the Ethics Commissioner decided that David Smith had never acted unethically? Moreover, that during his “investigation”, the Ethics Commissioner did not uncover the fact that David Smith and Frank Brazeau were cousins?
I knew they were cousins. I reported it on this blog. I also sent an email to the Ethics Commissioner after the investigation was announced, though apparently that was ignored.
But apparently, this was not news. If the Ethics Commissioner had accessed the KPMG investigation into Abotech as part of his investigation, he would have known this:Among the contracts looked at by KPMG were 15 – valued at a total of $1 million – that went to the family company of Liberal MP Smith.
Public Works wasn’t aware until the KPMG probes that Brazeau and Smith are cousins who grew up together in the same small Outaouais town of Maniwaki, and that Brazeau was secretary of Smith’s Liberal riding association from December 2004 to August 2005, according to department spokesperson Pierre Teotonio.
Nice work, Steve – be sure to read the whole thing. (Interesting entry pertaining to one Elisabeth Nadeau in the comments section, too.)
Steve makes the point in the comments section, that all the evidence points to Brazeau, but it does seem there are deeper implications, and that they need inside info! Blogger’s unite!!!
Good job, Steve! It’s great that you orginally smelt a rat in all of this. But what is better is the fact you haven’t given up.(It still smells like a rat!) With you, kate and other bogger’s, I believe that we are finally going to start getting some answers…hopefully.
Oops! Bloggers!
It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, shakes out of this. Good work, Steve!!
Angry had this blatant conflict of intrests up on his sight long before the last election. Still people voted for the crooks (liberanos). What were they thinking? Maybe that they, too, could get a ‘piece of the action’? The Liberanos still ‘left over’ will leave the Aboteck boys out swinging in the wind. Never get into a thug ring if you care about your life, there is no honor among criminals that commit such low forms of thievery – like robbing from taxpayers. It is the lowest form of robbery because their is no courage involved – you need never expect a coward to defend another coward – it is not in the DNA of either one.
I cheer LOUDLY once again for the courage and tenacity and the dogged determination of Angry in the Great White North. Thank-you, Steve.
I still believe Liberal scandals uncovered so far are just tip of the iceberg.
How else can you explain the rush for the leadership{NOT).
Anyone with any sense would give the Conservatives time to uncover these possible political landmines before they invested the time and money required for a leadership bid.These are interesting times indeed.
Good work bloggers however I am seriously saddened by the MSM’s lack of interest.
Can Ob:
I think you are spot-on with the “tip of iceberg” thing. Those in the know, know a grenade when they see one and leave it alone. Will be interesting to see how many ways that useless piece of sh*t Shapiro can be roasted. Hopefully PMSH and co. will make ALLLLLLL Shapiro’s biased hits and misses known to the public when Shapiro is replaced, for reason’s of clarity. Would tie in nicely with “Abotech”. One has to wonder… just how many truckloads of shredded papers will never be read on this one alone, never mind the rest of them. Leads me to think… how many people in Vanc/kingsway will be voting liberal once the “bodies” are located.
The Wet Noodle Really Sucks..Chat It Up.
Author: Harper is Right:
Tue, March 7, 2006
Watchdog won’t hunt
One year into his job, Bernard Shapiro has failed to impress all four political parties
By GREG WESTON
OTTAWA — At exactly 5:57 p.m. last Friday, most parliamentary reporters were already sipping their first fruit juice of the weekend when their computers and Blackberrys were suddenly hit with an extraordinary late-breaking rocket from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The fiery missive was from PM Stephen Harper’s new communications director, Sandra Buckler, a no-nonsense PR pro who spent the election in the Conservative war-room, e-mailing reporters an hourly supply of fresh hot pokers to stick into the Liberals.
Let’s just say Buckler hasn’t lost her edge.
The target of her Friday-night missile was a decision by federal Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro to investigate Harper’s conduct in the political defection of David Emerson from the losing Liberals to the Conservative cabinet.
Responding to predictable requests from a couple of Liberal and NDP MPs, Shapiro has agreed to probe whether Harper offered an “inducement” to Emerson to cross the floor.
While he’s at it, Shapiro said, he is going to decide whether Emerson broke the rules by accepting an inducement — things like higher cabinet pay and a limo.
Harper’s attack dog went straight for the throat. “This Liberal appointee’s actions have strengthened the prime minister’s resolve to create a truly, non-partisan ethics commissioner who is accountable to parliament,” Buckler wrote.
Translation: If the new PM has his way, Canada’s first ethics commissioner will soon be the first retired one. … +
http://www.voy.com/178771/2296.html
Snookie…Thanks,your points are also “spot on”.
“… how many people in Vanc/kingsway will be voting liberal once the “bodies” are located.”
The thing that still bewilders me is that almost 1/3 of Canadians still support the Liberals!!!!!!
I’m STILL incensed and disgusted with both Mr.Dithers’s and his party’s conduct the last 2 weeks of this past election campaign.I mean really….from “soldiers in the streets with guns’ to their threats to the east of”you don’t want to be ruled by Calgary do you?”
We all deserve an apology from this man!!!!
Until then, F U Paul Martin
Thanks,I feel better now.
Snookie
how exactly is Shapiro going to be replaced?
He is a Parliamentary appointment and as such will serve at the pleasure of THE MAJORITY which isn’t Conservative.
In fact, Harper should have cooperated fully with Shapiro until this thing was over and then approach parliament with a suggestion to replace him. According to Ed Broadbent, everyone is disappointed with Shapiro. They were so keen to hire someone neutral they forgot how important it was that the appointee have intimate knowledge of parliamentary proceedure.
Now with Harper looking mean, angry, uncooperative the opposition is liking Shapiro a lot more. So I think Harper has dug himself into a hole and he is the only one to get himself out by reversing his himself regarding cooperating with Shapiro. Otherwise, Shapiro will be there until 2009.