Thanks to the still-imploding Conservatives robocalls scandal, the end of the age of innocence in Canadian politics has begun. The scandal is being described in the kind of terms common in authoritarian countries. Only Federal …Read More
Continue readingTag: RCMP
Impolitical: RCMP on the robocalls case
The lead story on the CTV national news last night was this: “RCMP investigates voter fraud allegations.” Interesting video report at the link where, among other things, a friend of former Conservative staffer Michael Sona is quoted. Yesterday Postmedia had details on a search warrant issued in November requiring production
Continue readingElection Fraud
Interesting. When I think of Election Fraud, I think of Saanich/Gulf Islands campaign in 2008. Gary Lunn v. Briony Penn. Briony was a charismatic candidate for the Liberal Party, she was Lady Godiva, a candidate for change. This lady went out on a limb to represent the people. Shortly before
Continue readingImpolitical: Elections Canada investigates Conservatives redux
Big report by Postmedia last night: “Fraudulent election calls traced to Racknine Inc., an Edmonton firm with Tory links.” Some of the details and then a few thoughts below: Postmedia News and the Ottawa Citizen have found that Elections Canada traced the calls to Racknine Inc., a small Edmonton call
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Indulge me for a moment while I become hysterical
Much of the establishment media coverage of the public reaction to Bill C-30 — and Vic Toews initial comment on it in Question Period — has been annoying, to say the least. Did you know it’s naive of us to be outraged at Toews claim that opposing the bill is
Continue readingVancouver top cop: Occupy Vancouver like Stanley Cup riots
One of the biggest wastes of taxpayer money during the past year was the needless occupation of a heavy police force, supplemented by the RCMP, around the non-violent Occupy Vancouver gathering at the Art Gallery. So vexed was the police chief, he begged the province for funds to bolster the
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: RCMP change not welcome after all
Almost two months ago, I wrote Rewarding incompetence and stated my hope that, under its new leader, RCMP had turned a corner toward an era of accountability and respectability: “That [William] Elliott’s tenure was a costly failure is made clear by comments to the Globe and Mail by his replacement,
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: China Must be Called to Task Over Human Rights Violations
Stephen Harper is visiting China for trade talks, and many believe that as the heads of the two countries meet, human rights issues must be addressed. Warning: These stories may be disturbing. – A vocal opponent of the government and an advocate for human rights, is routinely questioned. They also target his
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Undue undiligence
On Friday, CBC News highlighted another example of the Harper Tory Government not sharing publicly available information with Parliamentarians. In this case, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews’ written response stated that the RCMP uses 12 fixed wing aircraft for surveillance but that he could not release any further data about
Continue readingRCMP Call for submissions…into Workplace Harrassment
Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP c/o Public Submissions, File 2011-3791 PO Box 1722, Stn B Ottawa ON K1P 0B3 To Whom it may concern, I am writing this email in response to your call for public input into this problem of workplace harrassment
Continue readingOccupy Ottawa: A Whistleblower’s Open Letter to the Citizens of Canada
Prime Minister’s Office Tries to Silence Pipeline Critics; Labels Environmental Group “Enemy of the Government of Canada” and “Enemy of the people of Canada.” My name is Andrew Frank. I grew up in a small …Read More
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Harper Tories release suppressed gun control report: Report leaves more questions than answers
Five days after the Minister of Public Safety tabled the overdue 2010 report of the Commissioner of Firearms, the government finally got around to providing it to the rest of the country. Sensible Canadians should be concerned that the report took so long to be made available. Judging from it’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 21, 2011
Monday, November 21 featured the final day of debate on the Harper Cons’ omnibus budget bill. The Big Issue Not surprisingly, the final day of debate on budget legislation gave rise to plenty of clash, with Peter Julian offering up the best summary of the contrasting positions: What the Conservatives
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to end your weekend. – As Thomas Walkom notes, it’s an open question as to who will take up the cause of defending universal public health care in Canada – but easy to figure out who poses the greatest threat to it: Writing in The Globe and Mail
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Ground Zero of the Cold War is right in Stephen Harper’s ’hood
Your blogger gets ready to go through the door at Ground Zero of the Cold War. Since Igor Gouzenko is no longer in residence, he thought he might look for law-abiding gun owners. (Joke.) Below: Igor Gouzenko and a couple of shots of the dingy building on Somerset Street. The
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Police Squad – from the Encyclopedia of Wildlife
Another replay, recycled from April 2010: Police are an extremely social animal. They exist as a social unit called a squad. Police travel and hunt in a group and perform almost all other activities in the company of fellow police. The squad, basic unit of police social life, is usually
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Coming To An Institution Near You
I have long held a very critical view of institutions. Whether they be political, educational, religious, charitable or protective, I believe the effectiveness and integrity of any organization declines with age as self-interest, self-promotion, and lust for power and control supplant the original purposes of serving the common good. Two
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Rewarding incompetence
William Elliott was the first civilian Commissioner of the RCMP. An abject failure while heading Canada’s once esteemed police agency, Elliott departed recently. Like disgraced predecessor Giuliano Zaccardelli, this man with little police experience is headed for an Interpol sinecure. The RCMP is further punished by having to pay the salary
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Department of nothing much changes
BCCLA files complaint after RCMP Detachment Head comments “The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is filing a complaint after the head of the Langley RCMP made comments that could interfere with the independent review of the police shooting death of Alvin Wright. Wright, who had no criminal record, and no history
Continue readingImpolitical: Contrasts
Here in Canada we have media reports on Rahim Jaffer breaking the lobbying rules but there being absolutely no consequences. Shepherd says she sent the file to the RCMP because she had reasonable grounds to believe Jaffer and Glémaud broke the rules, and the RCMP decided not to proceed. “The
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