“ Everybody?” With all due respect , even if it was true, which we all know it is not , that doesn’t make it right still. The Conservatives often say that “Everybody has done it, everybody is doing it ” is firstly still basically, really not true for I am not doing it. Many of us are basically cynical now about the politicians and the political games they play. For example, they always promise not to play games and promise to keep all of their promises too . In reality Prime Minister Stephen Harper has no valid job creation, economic recovery vision and is instead using public funds to secure Tory seats. Prime Minister now also acts like a Liberal, talks like a Liberal and spends money like a Liberal, so really what is he ? A non Conservative.. but meanwhile the Conservatives say that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, will raise taxes if he is elected and so next what is the difference anyway now under Harper, who in spite of whatever he say will have to cut back on our social programs and raise our taxes sooner or later.. so which federal leader “is on the right track to keep taxes low? reality, none of them..” And based on the present actual economic recovery it is very unlikely the economic growth will be enough to pay off the deficits.. As fixated as politicians are on balanced budgets, no Canadian political leader, not even Stephen Harper, is going to be able to keep from raising taxes with a projected $100-billion federal deficit” It is time the Conservative politicians, all those other Conservative MPs who, at photo-op cheque presentations have repeatedly given the impression Government of Canada economic stimulus money is coming from them personally, and not the government, and including Prime Minister Stephen Harper started coming clean and honest with all Canadians. For to make sure Canadians know about their poor in reality “economic action plan,” the Harper Conservatives have now even wasted millions of dollars – millions of tax dollars – on a massive advertising campaign, including TV commercials and billboards. “ These ads, of course, do not change the reality that tens of thousands of Canadian workers are running out of employment insurance benefits, their workplaces closed down and their pensions gone up in smoke. ” Despite the Conservatives Government claiming to be good fiscal managers, and now still next best qualified to manage the economy. Billions of dollars in past Liberal surpluses evaporated under Harper – even before the real recession hit Canada. Reality “This government’s stimulus package has failed, “Stimulus funds are not going into areas that need it — the forestry and manufacturing sectors and into places with high unemployment”, for ”what they wanted to do was keep the money up in Ottawa and dole it out to Conservative ridings and their friends, “says Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff too.
And will the Western Conservatives outrage falsely be be muted, because this time around, the Conservatives are the ones mainly benefiting from the false political games being played with public money? http://www.kelowna.com/2009/10/24/if-it-walks-like-a-liberal-talks-like-a-liberal-and-spends-money-like-a-liberal-what-is-it/
The alleged mafia has been doing it’s business for decades under the various governments noses, both under Conservatives and Liberals., so why should it be stopped now? Better late than never!
OTTAWA – The Harper government risks being sucked into a political scandal raging in Quebec with the revelation that a top Conservative organizer and senator had ties to key players. The Canadian Press has learned that Tory Senator Leo Housakos worked politically with now-disgraced Montreal politician Benoit Labonte from about August 2008 to February 2009. Labonte has alleged that there was an elaborate kick-back scheme to finance Montreal municipal political parties. He insists he never did anything illegal, but acknowledged he made ethical lapses while in city politics. There is no suggestion Housakos knew of any wrongdoing, but he has now been linked to Labonte and controversial construction magnate Tony Accurso. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091026/national/senator_montreal_scandal
OTTAWA — The Harper government says there was no political interference in a $1.4-million contract that was awarded last month to a consortium that included a firm which employed a Tory fundraiser and senator. But the government was forced to defend itself on Monday as opposition politicians went on the attack over new revelations about the contract, awarded on Sept. 22 for a preliminary study about replacing Montreal’s Champlain Bridge. The Crown corporation that manages federal bridges says the bidding process was strictly done with outside observers, but it will still examine why two of its directors, Paul Kefalas and Serge Martel, attended a cocktail event that preceded a Conservative party fundraiser last May with members of the firm and the consortium. http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Tories+deny+political+interference+Montreal+bridge+contract/2121007/story.html
Stimulus dollars could be lining Mob pockets London Free Press - Even as Stephen Harper and his ministers are racing around the country showering public funds on just about every project with a cement mixer, …
Quebec now is Dealing only with one leaking hole of many in a bucket full of holes even Canada wide .. issues of ethics, integrity and just who is calling the shots at ALL city halls, provinces, and what about the rest of the iceberg too… Ongoing Cover ups -Construction firms colluded to boost prices: report , http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/transport-canada-stealing-taxpayers-money/
No role for Ottawa in Quebec Mafia investigation: Nicholson OTTAWA – The buck passing Ostrich Justice Minister Rob Nicholson insists the federal government will not get involved in Quebec’s investigation into Mafia corruption in the construction industry. The Prime Minister is still Canada’s chief Justice Minister.
Just a Small Detail.. CBC contacted the office of Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt to ask about the lobbyist who helped organize a fundraiser on her behalf on Sept. 24. Michael B. McSweeney is vice-president of the Cement Association of Canada. Both he and the association are registered with the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. And a search of the registry shows that on Sept. 24, the Cement Association reported having lobbied Raitt directly. In an email to Raitt’s new communications wrangler Jocelyne Turner, CBC News asked for more information about McSweeney’s involvement in the fundraiser, as well as whether McSweeney was paid for his services. “Minister Raitt is committed to working with the Ethics Commissioner and is cooperating fully. The Minister will abide by any ruling by the Commissioner. “The issue is now being examined by the Ethics Commissioner and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further.” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/politicalbytes/2009/10/just-a-small-detail.html
and is this related to the Quebec, Constructions corruptions scandals going on presently as well.. after all some of the biggest cement companies are in Montreal.. Lafarge Cement included.. and is this why the Conservative federal government does not want to get into Quebec’s legal affairs too?
Ignatieff rejects calls for public inquiry into Quebec construction scandal Tue Oct 27, 2:34 PM MONTREAL – Michael Ignatieff is the latest politician to brush off calls for a public inquiry into an alleged corruption scheme involving politicians, construction companies.. and now what are they all hiding, covering up in reality, kickbacks of course..
Quebec’s auditor general pours fuel on construction-scandal fire QUEBEC – Quebec’s auditor general lambasted the province’s handling of the construction industry Wednesday, fuelling a scandal that has already prompted numerous demands for a public inquiry The public watchdog accused the government of several shortcomings – like not properly vetting contracts, not following up on apparent industry collusion, and not doing enough to improve a shoddy tendering process. Those failures are all part of a system wrought with cost overruns in public-works projects, Renaud Lachance declared in a report tabled in the national assembly on Wednesday. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091118/national/que_transport_contracts
The federal government preaches accountability, but is being only selectively transparent about its own spending activities. Compare this cloaking to Stephen Harper’s boasting about his stimulus package. Even here, there is less transparency than meets the eye. Considerable work by opposition parties and the media, including this newspaper, have shown patterns of spending to favour Conservative ridings, and suggest that less money has flowed to actual construction projects than the government would like the public to believe. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/keeping-secrets-hurts-democracy/article1337775/
The parliamentary ethics commissioner will formally look into opposition complaints about Tory MPs putting their own names and party logo on economic stimulus cheques. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ethics-czar-to-investigate-stimulus-cheques/article1331184/
Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Weil said last month she is also looking at the possibility of initiating civil action against the ex-Quebec lieutenant-governor Lise Thibault who pleaded not guilty to fraud. Thibault had said she spent the money on security and transportation had a lso said it was natural for taxpayers to foot the bill for her personal trips, meals she had with friends, office parties and the ski and golf lessons.
Vaunted reforms to fast track skilled immigrants and quickly plug gaps in Canada’s labour force have not lived up to advance billing, says Auditor General Sheila Fraser. When the Harper government introduced the controversial reforms in 2008, it argued they were necessary to eliminate the backlog of more than 600,000 skilled-worker applications and reduce wait times of up to seven years. But in her latest report, Fraser says the changes have done little to cut the number of new applications pouring in or put a dent in the backlog. Moreover, she says the majority of occupations chosen by the minister for priority treatment are regulated professions. Yet she points out that immigrants admitted to fill professional occupations often find their foreign credentials are not recognized in Canada. As part of the efforts to streamline the process, the government set up centralized intake office for skilled worker applications in Sydney, N.S. It was to receive and pre-screen initial applications, collect processing fees and forward eligible applications to Canadian missions abroad for more detailed processing. Fraser questions the relevance of the centralized office given that most applications so far have wound up being forwarded to missions for processing. Fraser’s annual audit also looked at the temporary foreign worker program and found that it is open to abuse. There is no systematic assessment to ensure the jobs being offered are genuine or that employers live up to their commitments to provide adequate wages and accommodations, Fraser says. “The issues … pose significant risks to the integrity of the program and could leave many foreign workers in a vulnerable position, particularly those who are physically or linguistically isolated from the general community or are unaware of their rights.” http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091103/national/auditor_immigration
do see also
