scribblet

Good luck trying to bring some sense into this, speculation and innuendo is always 'better'. There's a piece here that explains the RBC loan.. http://o.canada.com/2013/05/16/nigel-wright-will-not-resign-as-stephen-harper-backs-his-chief-of-staff/ Wright dipped into his personal funds to help Duffy repay the cash the senator had claimed against his home in an Ottawa suburb because, Harper’s office said Wednesday, “Duffy was unable to make a timely repayment.” Wright wrote the personal cheque, Harper’s office said, so Duffy could repay the approximately $90,000 in living expenses he had claimed over more than three years in the Senate. A senior official told Postmedia News on Thursday that Wright gave the personal cheque to Duffy’s lawyer to be held in trust. However, Duffy also took out a loan from Royal Bank to cover the cost of repaying his Senate expenses, according to a Senate source with knowledge of the financial arrangement. Duffy told CTV in an email Wednesday that he dealt with the bank alone and Wright was not involved in that transaction.

Good news. I've read about other achievements which don't seem to make headlines..

There is too much speculation and not enough evidence yet. It appears that if Duffy can establish he was friends with Wright, it's okay. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2013/05/confusion-swirls-over-which-gifts-a-senator-can-and-cant-accept.html Well, if Wright and Duffy can demonstrate that they were buddies -- gift-exchanging buddies, even -- both before and after the latter's ascension to the Upper House, a six-figure cheque could be deemed acceptable -- in every sense of the word -- as it would not relate to Duffy's position, and, as such, would not be covered by the rules . He wouldn't even have to include it when he files his next annual disclosure statement. If, however, such a friendship could not be established, the cheque itself would almost certainly fall under the general prohibition laid out in 17(1), which could mean that it would have to be repaid, in full, lest the senator run the risk of breaching the Code.

I have little trust in the consensus media and hope that facts will come out on which I can make an informed judgement. I believe it’s CTV’s Robert Fife making the accusations. Fife said Wright worked out a “scenario” where all of his claimed living expenses would be covered, including “cash for the repayment.”… He’s wrong, there was no cash, Duffy was given a personal cheque. What else do the media have wrong.

Nigel Wright is a personal friend of Duffy, has been for a long time, he's also very rich. Duffy may have tried to scam I'm not sure if he did or really thought the rules weren't clear, even the auditor said they were not (clear). I'm inclined to think Duffy should step down, but as far as the cheque goes, it was a gift which he might have to pay tax on, not sure but the taxpayers got their money back. The other two senators are fighting the repayment. I also believe that the PM should speak to this issue very soon before it goes any further. The problem with these things is nothing is explained and the media et al continue to run with whatever narrative they are putting forward.

They should push for the legislation of course, but are still waiting for a answers to the legal questions from the courts before going ahead with it. I don't think there's anything stopping a friend from helping out another friend financially, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's amazing how it can be turned into something else. Nigel Wright had nothing to gain from helping out Duffy financially, it was friend to friend.

The PMO's office did not pay for it, that is just not true. Nigel Wright is a personal friend of Duffy so cut him a personal cheque to pay for it. I agree the optics aren't good, but he knew Duffy was having financial problems so gave or loaned him the money.

I don't think it does reset the clock. Can you confirm that, because if it does I know a few people who would do that.

I actually don't see how it's going to help snowbirds because if they stay longer than so many days, they lose their health care. I think in Ontario it's 182 days.

'Harb' has left the Liberal caucus and is sitting as an independent because he's hiring a lawyer to fight it. Considering the RCMP et al are all saying the rules are unclear, I don't blame him.

I never 'fabricated' anything, your accusation is a fabrication. I gave you links in the first few posts as to where I got the info. from and a link to the actual document. If you don't like it too bad.

Sorta like the dumb thing the Florida legislature did when they passed a law requiring international visitors to have a foreign driver's permit. After the big uproar and a run on CAA for the forms, they rescinded it.

As an aside but not really off topic, I just saw the verdict in the Philadelphia abortion case. It's a tragic isolated case (I hope) but no doubt will be used by the anti abortionists on both sides of the border in attempts to restrict women's choices.

But an American like yourself with an agenda would know of course all about Canadian conservatives <rolll eyes> Nothing like getting in a few drive by smears. Guess things are pretty boring elsewhere.

True, and that is part of the problem. We are not being given all the data, they are blocking it's release. Currently, two provinces (Ontario and British Columbia) have laws that serve to block the promulgation of abortion-related statistics. Indeed, as of 2010, Quebec has stopped submitting data to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. These jurisdictions ensure that any data pertaining to abortion falls outside the parameters of the Freedom of Information Act.

I think I posted the wrong link IMO the issue is heating up and is not going away, I think we will see more and more attempts to open up the debate. http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/05/02/schouten/ "Last month, for instance, pro-life blogger Suzanne Fortin wrote about an interview conducted by Montreal talk show host Isabelle Maréchal of 98.5FM, with a caller identified as Karel. It came during a segment entitled “Is abortion too trivialized?” Karel indicated that she is 33 years old and has had five abortions. That alone is disturbing. But even more disturbing is what Karel said about her fifth one, which she says took place at the CLSC de Faubourgs on Rue Sanguinet in Montreal when she was 26 weeks pregnant. When Ms. Maréchal asked Karel if this abortion was a result of a high risk pregnancy or if her life had been in danger, Karel replied, “No, I had no problems.”

From the link in my previous post.

Not quite. The 500 'live births' are part of the 400 per year between 2000-2009. The usual reason for this type of thing is when the baby has a major abnormal defect such as fetal encephalopathy. The fetus would not have lived anyway, but I don't think bothers the radicals. Although there are professional guidelines and supposedly no physician in Canada can or will terminate a pregnancy over 24 weeks without serious indications that the life of the mother is at risk or that the fetus has very serious malformations, it is happening. There is enough evidence out there for me support actual legislation banning abortions after 20-24 weeks because it's evident that the guidelines are not always adhered to. Again, the problem with this is it opens the door for the radicals to push for lowering the no. of weeks until it becomes 0. http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/06/incompatible-with-life-one-mothers-account-of-her-difficult-decision-to-request-a-rare-late-term-abortion/

Best to ignore those two drive by smears unrelated to the discussion. CBC is supposed to report in a neutral manner, they are not the gov’t but a body supported by tax dollars and should represent all the people. IMO they should not be keeping dossiers or McCarthy style blacklists on other media outlets. Before the election the CBC were on a campaign to stop a Harper majority using that old radical left hippy Milewski. After the election and the budge, if you thought the CBC was a biased news-twisting Official Opposition wannabe before then, there was no doubt after the election and budget. However, I don’t want the CBC done away with it as does provide a service and some good programming, I just feel they are not in the business of trying to blacklist other news media. Maybe it should exist as a PBS type service.

I don't see a need to bring in the RCMP as no law has been broken. However, this confirms my previous post that late term abortions are being performed, more than what I actually had thought. http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=4780 Tory backbenchers are asking the RCMP to investigate later-term abortions. They say almost 500 abortions performed in Canada between 2000 and 2009 should be investigated as homicides because they took place after the 20 weeks gestation and resulted in live births.

We need more information ads giving us more information, meat and potatoes, not the continual anti Harper narrative. good news on the seniors' health care front e.g. • doubling the pension income credit from $1000 to $2000, helping 2.7 million seniors and taking 85,000 pensioners off the tax rolls • increasing the age credit by $1000, from $4,066 to $5,066, saving seniors hundreds of dollars per year in additional tax relief • promising, during campaign 08, to further increase the age credit by an additional $1000 • passing legislation to improve the process of applying for benefits; now seniors need to only apply once – not year after year – to receive the GIS • increasing the Refundable Medical Expense Supplement tax credit by more than 30% • increasing the age from 69 to 71 for converting RRSPs to RIFs • expanding the Employment Insurance Compassionate Caregivers Benefit • expanding the New Horizons for Seniors Program by $10 million in Budget 2007, from $25 to $35 million

That's about it in a nutshell. However, there are about 0.4% late term abortions performed in Canada which corresponds to an annual number of at least 400 terminated late term fetuses in Canada. That's high IMO. We don’t know why they were terminated but that many per year can't all be for the health of the mother. This has to be old data as the numbers are censored, particularly in Ontario. See about Bill 122 and FIPPA in: http://www.barbarakay.ca/articles/view/613 Also note that the Supreme Court made clear when it struck down the last law regulating abortion, there is no "right" to abortion, simply an absence of regulation at that time. The Court stated that protection was entirely appropriate to the maturing fetus and invited Parliament to develop suitable legislation that was Charter proof. The PC's under Mulroney tried to comply with this request, but the Bill was killed in the Senate. Maybe it is time to have that discussion and at legislate against late term abortions (except under extreme circumstances)

I personally haven't seen a dollar amount, but so what. This is the same CBC that screams about the gov’ts use of public funds.. guess Brian Lilley is happy to see he made their Nixonian enemy list. -

All gov'ts have communication depts, nothing different there. IMO it's shocking that a heavily gov't subsidized corporation would spend that kind of money on tracking SunNews, and it's employees. CBC is not a private company, it's a State broadcaster. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2013/05/10/20812511.html

If it's actually true that Ford wants a election (is it true) then yes it's because he thinks Hudak will win and because an ndp or liberal win will absolutely result in higher taxes.