Month: May 2010

The Conservative Party of Canada's national council decided, yesterday, to strip MP Helena Guergis of the right to run as a Conservative in her riding of Simcoe-Grey. Guergis first won that riding in 2004 by just over 100 votes. IN 2006, voters gave her a 12,000 vote cushion and boosted that again to 18,000 in 2008.

Now, because of her party's decision, the only way those in her riding can cast a ballot in a federal election again is if she runs as an independent.

She says the party's decision is wrong, that the governing national council “should be respecting the wishes of the grassroots electors and allowing due process to take course.”

Here's the text of her letter of appeal (it is addressed to Dan Hilton, the party's executive director):

Dear Mr. Hilton,

This letter is in response to your correspondence dated May 5, 2010, advising me of the decision The National Candidate Selection Committee (NCSC) of the Conservative Party of Canada has taken to remove me as the candidate of record in the Electoral District of Simcoe-Grey. Please be advised that this letter is notice of my intention to formally appeal the decision of NCSC.

Your letter refers to recent events as the reason that this decision was made; perhaps you could highlight for me what I have done to justify this drastic measure. Specifically, I ask that you please provide the details of what led the NCSC to make this decision, especially at a time when no election is imminent.

In recent weeks, in essence, I have been charged, convicted, and sentenced without any due process or knowing what I have done wrong. There have been endless rumours and allegations unfairly levelled against me, but to date I have not been given a specific reason for my removal from caucus nor has there been any investigation launched, let alone concluded.  

I am confident that I have done nothing wrong and will be exonerated of all the baseless accusations in the media. It is unfortunate that I have been left in a situation where I am not able to defend myself appropriately and am waiting for the RCMP to make a decision on information that has not been made privy to me.

I have dedicated over six years of my life to advance the cause of our Federal Party and am grateful for the opportunity to have served both in the House of Commons and in Cabinet. I have also represented the constituents of Simcoe-Grey to the best of my ability and have been returned as a result as the Conservative Member in three separate elections. I should at least be given the opportunity to honour this record. The Party should be respecting the wishes of the grassroots electors and allowing due process to take course.

In conclusion, I humbly ask that the NCSC reverse its decision in order to give me the opportunity to clear my name and rejoin the Conservative Party of Canada caucus.

Hon. Helena Guergis, PC. MP.
Simcoe-Grey   

The Bank of Montreal alleges in court documents filed this week that it is the victim of a massive mortgage fraud, believed to be the largest such fraud in Canadian history.

BMO is suing hundreds of people who it believes helped perpetrate the fraud on the bank, a fraud which the bank says cost it $30 million.

One of those named by BMO in the court documents is Devinder Shory (left), the first term Conservative MP representing Calgary Northeast. The bank says Shory was the lawyer of record for four of the transactions the bank claims were fraudulent.

None of the claims have been proven in court.

I tried to speak to Shory about this claim this evening. Shory was in the House of Commons for several votes at about 5:30 p.m. but he took a route into and out of the House of Commons that allowed him to avoid me and other reporters who wanted to talk to him about this.

Later this evening, his office issued this statement:

“Through media stories, it has come to my attention that I have been named in a civil matter.

I want to state that I have not yet been served with a statement of claim. When I am, I will defend myself vigourously against these accusations. I have done nothing wrong.

As the matter is before the courts, I have no further comment at this time.”

[IMPORTANT UPDATE: The department of Natural Resources has a response to this post.]

Conservative cabinet ministers Lisa Raitt and Christian Paradis have been asked by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates to testify about what, if any, contacts they, their staff, or their bureaucrats had with Rahim Jaffer or his business partner Patrick Glemaud.

A documentary record has been supplied to the Lobbying Commissioner that Jaffer had extensive contact with politicians, aides, and staff in several departments but, so far, nothing has turned up to show that Jaffer had any contact with anyone from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Raitt, until earlier this year, was the Minister of Natural Resources and Paradis succeeded her in that job.

Opposition MPs contend that, because the Minister of Natural Resources was responsible for the administration of some “green-tech” funds, they believe Jaffer would have reached out to some in that department, as he had in others, for “green-tech” program information.

But both Raitt and Paradis yesterday submitted letters to the Government Operations committee in which, according to the Liberals, they both say:

“My office has searched for relevant records an no records were found.:

But…

On April 16, the Opposition Leaders Office submitted a request to the Ministry of Natural Resources asking, under federal Access to Information laws, for all “records of communications your department may have had with Rahim Jaffer, Patrick Glemaud or any representative of Green Power Energy Generation COrp. (sic).”

The ATI co-ordinator at Natural Resources has replied to the OLO saying:

“A preliminary review of the requested documents indicates that consultations with other government departments and third parties will be required,” before any records can be released.

So that means that the ATI office has, in fact, found records that Paradis and Raitt say cannot be found.

Calls are in to Raitt's and Paradis' office to get clarification on this matter.

[IMPORTANT UPDATE: The department of Natural Resources has a response to this post.]

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley says her political staff approves everything government bureaucrats are allowed to say to reporters, a statement that brought charges of abuse of power from her political opponents.

Conservatives defended Finley's close scrutiny of the civil servants in her department as a “prudent” example of political oversight that helps to improve transparency and accountability.

And yet, a parliamentary committee was forced Tuesday to issue a subpoena to one Conservative aide who refused to answer MPs questions about the government's communications policies and it threatened to issue a subpoena to another aide unless that aide volunteered to testify.

…

Finley conceded that bureaucrats in her department who receive a media request must provide a copy of that request to her political aides. She told the committee that her political aides re-wrote or otherwise amended bureaucrats' responses about 20 per cent of the time.

“If this is what passes for scandal these days, I think we've come a heckuva long way since the previous government. Information was sought and, within three weeks, it was provided,” said Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre.

But Paul Dewar, an NDP MP from Ottawa, said Sparrow's action is part of a broader pattern by Conservative aides of interfering with the work of government bureaucrats.

“People in this town are worried about that. I've heard from them. Trust me,” said Dewar. “It's an abuse of political power to make sure that every single missive that goes out has the blessing of the minister's office. People shouldn't have their questions laundered by political staff.”

[Read the rest of the story]