This and that for your Thursday reading. – Plenty more commentators are weighing in on the Harper Cons’ enemy list, including the Star, the Globe and Mail, and Lawrence Martin. But Robyn Benson makes the most important comment about the Harper with-us-or-against-us mentality that’s being applied to the federal government
Continue readingTag: Senate
Impolitical: Noted in the RCMP affidavit on the Duffy matter
Interesting pickup by Alison at Creekside on the RCMP sworn information in relation to “Project Amble,” the Duffy Senate matter: According to RCMP Corporal Greg Horton’s excellent summary : On June 21, 2013 my office received a letter from Peter Mantas, which I have read, advising that Mr. Wright recalls
Continue readingImpolitical: Noted in the RCMP affidavit on the Duffy matter
Interesting pickup by Alison at Creekside on the RCMP sworn information in relation to “Project Amble,” the Duffy Senate matter: According to RCMP Corporal Greg Horton’s excellent summary : On June 21, 2013 my office received a letter from Peter Mantas, which I have read, advising that Mr. Wright recalls
Continue readingImpolitical: Noted in the RCMP affidavit on the Duffy matter
Interesting pickup by Alison at Creekside on the RCMP sworn information in relation to “Project Amble,” the Duffy Senate matter:
According to RCMP Corporal Greg Horton’s excellent summary :
On June 21, 2013 my office received a letter from Peter Mantas, which I have read, advising that Mr. Wright recalls that he told the following people that he would personally provide funds to repay Duffy’s claimed secondary residence expenses:
a. David van Hemmen (PMO)
b. Benjamin Perrin (PMO)
c. Chris Woodcock (PMO)
d. Senator Irving Gerstein
“Would” is future tense, seeming to indicate they were all advised before Wright wrote Duffy the cheque on March 26.
According to the affidavit then (para. 37), just to emphasize a point, Wright advised the RCMP that he told the above four individuals, in advance, that he would write the cheque.
Further, this group included Benjamin Perrin, the Prime Minister’s former legal advisor.
Recall Perrin’s statement:
I was not consulted on, and did not participate in, Nigel Wright’s decision to write a personal cheque to reimburse Senator Duffy’s expenses.
I have never communicated with the Prime Minister on this matter.
The RCMP affidavit notes at the end that Perrin “cannot meet investigators until after July 5th.” Presumably the above two versions were or will be put to him, whenever that meeting happens.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Robert Reich asks a few impertinent (but important) questions about plutocratic encroachment on the U.S.’ political system. – Catherine McKenna explains why it’s important to try to make a difference in our political system. But Chris Cobb reports on what happens to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Cons’ abuse of supporters’ donations can only stoke cynicism about the value of participating in politics – but how the limited number of people currently involved in politics creates a huge opportunity to change the system. For further reading…– Samara’s poll and analysis on public participation
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Context, Tory MP Russ Hiebert’s shifty campaign for Bill C-377, and me
The Parliamentary trolley, on its way back from the Senate, stops in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in the Langevin Block. The dog at left was never owned by Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King, who was well known in his day as a labour expert, although it clearly does
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: PM maintains ex-chief of staff acted alone
Inspired by this headline: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/07/pol-cp-harper-duffy-wright-rcmp-court-docs.html
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Joseph Stiglitz makes the case for free trade talks to be based on the public interest rather than the further entrenchment of corporate power and siphoning of wealth to the top. But there’s little reason to expect a meeting of corporate and government
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The death of plausibility
“It doesn’t have to be true. It just has to be plausible.” Tom Flanagan’s unusually candid statement about the Harper Cons’ view of politics received plenty of attention. And rightly so, given how it signals a party and government with absolutely no interest in anything approaching honest discussion or debate.
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Senate Is a Cartoon
I’ve been cartoon-ified by Jim Sadlemyer! Larry and I unintentionally wrote a joke used in ParlimANT Hill. Duffy’s PMO scandal with Nigel Wright just gets more filled in, and bigger as time goes by. Harper’s really wearing this crime heavily now, after skating away from Cadscam and Penashue’s campaign pay-off.
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: SenANTor given $90,000 after party balks
Heavily inspired by Larry H. and Saskboy! and this story. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/04/pol-duffy-conservative-expenses.html
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: The Devil is in the Details
Another day, another chance for us to talk about the Conservatives and the ever deepening hole they continue to dig for themselves. When it came out that the RCMP was officially investigating the Duffy-Wright scandal, a lot of Canadians hoped it would be the chance for the truth to come
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On single battles
There’s been plenty of press this week about the Senate’s amendments to the Cons’ odious anti-union legislation (dressed up as a private member’s bill to avoid the scrutiny that would come from honestly-labeled government legislation). And it’s certainly a plus to see C-377 delayed and amended. But it’s worth both
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Vancouver Sun Letter
A letter of mine found its way into the Vancouver Sun today. This one comes in response to a piece last week by Senator Mobina Jaffer about the role of Canada’s Senate in protecting minority rights. In my letter, I argue in favour of abolishing the Senate and ensuring fair
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Eric Dolan discusses Paul Piff’s research showing that wealth tends to lead to antisocial behaviour – and that even the beneficiaries of a rigged Monopoly game are quick to take on an air of entitlement: Across multiple studies, researchers at the University of
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Wallin Says Sorry, But Doesn’t Step Aside
Maintaining her power over Canada, doesn’t seem like the best way to apologize for ‘accidentally’ cheating Canadians out of tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not entitled? How many ppl get invu'd on @CBCTheNational by former coworker abt our "responsible but not @ fault" mistakes? #cdnpoli #Wallin— David Paterson
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Doreen Massey observes that our political vocabulary has largely been hijacked by corporatist language: At a recent art exhibition I engaged in an interesting conversation with one of the young people employed by the gallery. As she turned to walk off I saw
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: “Leadership” “Stealing”
Conservatives have created a new idea. It’s Leadership Stealing. You can Steal, like a Leader. “How can the Liberals actually, with a straight face, pretend to stand up for the middle class, when Liberal senators are stealing money from taxpayers?” – CPC Minister Moore “Conservatives praise Duffy’s ‘leadership’ in Senate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Deborah Gyapong discusses CMA President Anna Reid’s presentation to the federal All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus, with the positive response of MPs from all parties looking like a particularly noteworthy development: The CMA put forward seven recommendations for governments at all levels to examine
Continue reading