Correction, Insecurity Examples, Links of Interest & Gomery Inquiry, Corriveau, Mosaicultures, ex-PM Chretien & Your $$$

Note: Other commitments have interfered. Whatever is posted will be simply items that were meant to be posted earlier but they are of use to anyone researching background articles.


Correction

Mea culpa. I have made an error. I wrote on Apr. 20 or 21 that Scott Brison was a greenhorn to Parliament; actually, "Mr. Brison was first elected to the House of Commons in the June 1997 general election and elected again in November 2000 and June 2004." He is more practised at Question Period than I thought.

"Mr. Brison was sworn in as Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and Receiver General of Canada, on July 20th, 2004. He was also appointed to three cabinet committees including Treasury Board, Domestic Affairs and Expenditure Review. Mr. Brison is currently the youngest member of Prime Minister Paul Martin's cabinet."

In crossing the floor of the House of Commons to the Liberal Party after he lost a leadership contest to Stephen Harper, Mr. Brison has been given several duties besides fronting for Mr. Martin during Question Period. All the following started, note, just over a year ago.

"In December 2003, Mr. Brison was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Canada-U.S. Relations. Mr. Brison is also a member of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group and has served as the vice-president of the Canadian group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In this role he has participated in Inter-Parliamentary Union conferences in Moscow, and New York. He also served as a member of the Canadian delegation to two annual meetings of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London."

My apologies for not checking further before my post PWSGC Selling Canadians' Public Properties, was based on Ottawa shops properties -- Selling at top of market: Bay Street help sought in structuring deals Paul Vieira and Garry Marr, April 19, 05, Financial Post

These are the paragraphs in question from my previous post:

* Would you trust PWGSC Minister Scott Brison to make the best deal, given his inexperience as an MP, let alone a Minister in Canada's Parliament?

* This is Scott Brison, a man first elected to Parliament less than a year ago [error -- see above], a shiny new turncoat from the Conservative Party of Canada who lost to another leadership contender and who subsequently, received what appeared to be a quid pro quo from the Prime Minister. Brison was given a ministerial position as head of PWGSC though he is even now listed on the PWGSC website as a PC, not a Liberal.

I should have checked; even I know that, just because I had heard little of him, did not mean that he had not made a huge mark somewhere, a mark large enough to allow him to become the Minister of PWSGC once he joined the Liberal government and left the Opposition. I apologize for this. I simply should have checked. It was remiss of me.

As to whether Mr. Brison is qualified to sell property worth $3.3-billion belonging to the taxpayers of Canada, I think not. Brison is so newly minted as a Liberal that he must have advice for this sale from long time Liberals and the civil service, the majority of whom were hired under Liberal governments. Given the revelations from the past several weeks and the Gomery Inquiry, to whom would Brison turn for sage advice? Whom would you trust?

I still think Brison is too inexperienced to be selling off government properties worth $3.3-billion, particularly when transparency in so many areas of this government is and has been a problem. As well, he is part of a government which should not, at present, be handling Canadians' business at all -- in my opinion. There are too many clouds--or is it smoke?--over this government. It should just resign.





Examples Canada & Security: Personal Security in Canada, Border Crossing, Sales to Undemocratic Nations

Border Crossing -- How is this for casual?

My experience in driving to Campobello Island on April 10,2005 is as follows:

Crossing the border from St. Stephen to Calais, the American Customs asked to see our passports, asked how long we were going to be in the States and what the nature of our trip was. I responded we were going to Campobello for [a family celebration]

At Campobello Island Canadian Customs asked how long we were in the States; we replied 1 hour. Were we Canadian: yes. How long were we going to be on the Island? The day. They did not ask to see I.D.

At Lubec, after the party American Customs asked for passports, keyed our ID numbers into their computer and waited for clearance for each of us. How long were we going to be in the States? Until we got to St. Stephen’s.

In St. Stephen’s, Canadian Customs did not ask for ID. Asked if we were both Canadian and did we have anything to declare? We responded yes and no, yes to citizenship, no to declaring. We were told to have a nice day and let through.

Questionable Sales to Other Nations

Khan-duh fallout will expose Canada's nuclear façade Feb. 4, 2004. Note the date.

HATE TO SAY IT.

BUT WE TOLD YOU SO!

[. . . . ] On February 2, 2004, Pakistan fires Dr. A. Q. Khan from his government job after investigators concluded he made millions of dollars from the sale of nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and other countries. Several other scientists and individuals are investigated for being part of a clandestine nuclear K-mart. The fallout exposes the global nuclear program to damaging scrutiny. Khan this week in a 11-page confession said he shared nuclear know-how with Iran, Libya and other countries to further the Muslim cause.

ANALYSIS

Asian Pacific Post

Feb 5, 2004

The sacking of Pakistan's nuclear godfather, Dr A.Q. Khan from a government job after investigators concluded he made millions of dollars in the nuclear blackmarket should trigger an inquiry into Canada's secretive nuclear program.

Khan and dozens of other Pakistani nuclear scientists were trained and hosted by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, (AECL) - a 40-year-old Crown corporation that hoovers up C$100 million in taxpayer money every year to make and sell Candu reactors.

[. . . . ] AECL's standard line that Candu reactors worldwide are subject to stringent international inspections to ensure byproducts do not end up as ingredients for a bomb-in-a-box, ring hollow in the wake of Khan's descent from hero to zero.

Its mantra that AECL's civilian programs are in no way involved in the nuclear proliferation problem, is anemic. [. . . . ]

Security of the Individual

Triads, tycoons and a talk show host casts shadows on HK future May 18, 2004, Asian Pacific News Service via Prime Time Crime

After free speech advocate Albert Cheng left Vancouver for his homeland he opined in the media that people feel safer in Hong Kong after hearing of car hijackings, break-ins, home invasions and kidnapping incidents around the Lower Mainland.
In a published interview, Cheng, Hong Kong‘s most popular radio talk show host and pro-democracy champion said: “Nobody wants to go there, not even retirees. If it‘s not safe any more, who wants to go there? Vancouver is no longer attractive for Hong Kong people except as a vacation destination.‘‘ [. . . . ]

Gomery Inquiry, Corriveau, Mosaicultures, ex-PM Chretien & Your $$$

Taxpayers paid $4M for Montreal 'moss art' show -- Chretien friend Corriveau wrote PM requesting funds Glen McGregor, Apr. 23, 05, The Ottawa Citizen

The agency responsible for promoting economic development in Quebec gave $3.2 million to sponsor an exhibition of plant-covered sculptures after a longtime friend of former prime minister Jean Chretien wrote to request funding.[. . . . ]

Search: Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions , Mosaicultures , Communications Canada , Department of Canadian Heritage , CED-Q official , Jacques Langelier , "employed Mr. Chretien's son, Michel" , "City of Montreal, VIA Rail, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Loto-Quebec and SNC-Lavalin."




Investigators resigned over oil-for-food inquiry 'cover-up' Apr. 23, 05, Charles Laurence in New York and Henry Samuel in Paris

The two senior investigators on the Volcker commission, appointed by the United Nations to investigate the oil-for-food scandal, resigned last week because they feared a "de facto cover-up" over a report into Kojo Annan's business dealings.

[. . . . ] Last night, in the most explicit criticism so far directed at the report, Robert Parton, one of the senior investigators, told a lawyer involved with the Volcker inquiry that he thought the committee was "engaging in a de facto cover-up, acting with good intentions but steered by ideology".

The lawyer, Adrian Gonzalez, told The Sunday Telegraph that he believed the committee, headed by Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was determined to protect the secretary-general.

According to Mr Gonzalez, Mr Parton felt that the committee had effectively divided the body of evidence relating to the oil-for-food scandal into testimony that it did want to hear, and testimony that it did not.

While the "field teams" led by Mr Parton and Miranda Duncan, who has also stepped down, were coming to one conclusion, he said, committee members appeared to want to draw a different conclusion to protect senior UN officials. [. . . . ]

Links Worth Checking

More Money Than Brains Posted by Kate McMillan on April 23, 2005 at 03:18 PM

the latest developments

First "Sponsored" Judge Named Posted by Kate McMillan on April 23, 2005 at 02:32 PM

Do not miss

Everything you ever wanted to know -- or Has the first judge been fingered?

with several links

Questions about judicial appointments -- Do not miss.

Check MoreAndrew Coyne: Judgescam Judge used fake address, April 23, 2005. In that, do not miss reading the ADDENDUM: with a link to the Ottawa Citizen

With Friends Like Strong Posted by Kate McMillan on April 23, 2005 at 07:30 AM

In A Memo Marked "Secret" Posted by Kate McMillan on April 23, 2005 at 07:04 AM

Links to:

CBC and Coyne

Press Play Posted by Kate McMillan on April 22, 2005 at 08:46 PM

Links to:

Video -- Austin Bay, Roger L. Simon and Claudia Rossett

He Knew He Put It Someplace Posted by Kate McMillan on April 22, 2005 at 08:23 PM -- via M.K. Braaten

Missing sentence found!

Adscam And UNScam: The Stars Align Posted by Kate McMillan on April 22, 2005 at 07:27 PM

Links to:

"star bagman of Koreagate suggests seriously odd judgment."

Do not miss My Heart Will Go On from

www.lecornichon.qc.ca