Ex-Liberal charged in Sponsership scandal!

[Qwerty]

The RCMP made two main allegations in a statement about the new charges, namely that:

• Mr. Corbeil received a large amount of money from a company located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in exchange for favours with respect to the purchase of a piece of land owned by the Government of Canada.

• Mr. Corbeil conspired to defraud the Liberal Party of Canada of a sum exceeding $100,000 by authorizing payment of false invoices.

Mr. Corbeil was a power-broker in Quebec for the Liberals, and was seen to be a member of the Chrétien wing of the party.

Full article can be found here...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

So much for the Liberals trying for a June election...

Quebec City, the so-called 418 region.

* Tories: 41 per cent

* Bloc: 25 per cent

* NDP: 17 per cent

* Liberals: 14 per cent

"Quebec City is Mr. Dion's home town. He's in fourth place in his home town," McDonald said. "A leader without a base is like a prophet without a homeland."

Edited April 21, 2008 by Qwerty

[sharkman]

Were the Liberals considering pulling the trigger on an election simply because Elections Canada seized some Tory documents? Talk about a knee jerk reaction.

Those are amazing numbers for Quebec City.

[Qwerty]

Were the Liberals considering pulling the trigger on an election simply because Elections Canada seized some Tory documents? Talk about a knee jerk reaction.

Those are amazing numbers for Quebec City.

]

The LPC is dying a slow and painful prolonged death in this country. They have to try to leap at any opportunity they have but alas it has slipped past them....hopefully the media will cover this.

We'll see.

[Shakeyhands]

]

The LPC is dying a slow and painful prolonged death in this country. They have to try to leap at any opportunity they have but alas it has slipped past them....hopefully the media will cover this.

We'll see.

Ha... the party you say is dying has stayed pretty close to the one you support. Rumours of the death of the LPOC are greatly exagerated.

[Topaz]

Ha... the party you say is dying has stayed pretty close to the one you support. Rumours of the death of the LPOC are greatly exagerated.

Yes, I agree. You think the Cons would have learned their lesson about decieving the voters under Mulroney but look likwe they haven't. Over on another forum I was on, Canadians there don't like what the Cons did and they don't trust them anymore.

[hiti]

This headline is deceiving.

In truth, the guy (once in charge of the Quebec Liberal wing) was nailed for a land deal, and for stealing money from (wait for it) the Liberal Party.

* 1997 Corbeil was regional director of Monteregie office, from whence accusation of conspiracy to defraud Liberal Party

* co-conspirator Joe Morselli, now deceased

* allegations Corbeil received substantial kickback for helping Carriere Bernier Ltee (quarry and paving company) purchase land owned by federal government

* Police say Corbeil allegedly received money from company owner Real Ouimet, also now deceased

* Real Ouimet was described as a businessman with close ties to the Conservative party

* Four years later, after a Quebec newspaper uncovered the deal, then Public Works Minister, Conservative Elmer Mackay, apologized to the House of Commons for making arrangements to sell the land without tender

* “It’s highly likely that there will be other charges,” RCMP spokesman Corporal Luc Bessette said at a news conference.

“Ouimet’s name has come up in the past in connection with questionable land deals with the federal government. In 1989, Carrière Bernier was able to buy federal land near the airport in St. Jean sur Richelieu that was never offered through public tender.

Four years later, after a Quebec newspaper uncovered the deal, then public works minister Elmer Mackay apologized to the House of Commons for making arrangements to sell the land without tender. At the time, Ouimet was described as a businessman with close ties to the Progressive Conservative Party.”

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news...ba-4de672f79140

[Qwerty]

I must have forgotten. An apology makes it ok to steal $100,000 in Liberal land I forgot. It can be candy coated in any way and you can play with the words in any way but the facts remain.

• Mr. Corbeil received a large amount of money from a company located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in exchange for favours with respect to the purchase of a piece of land owned by the Government of Canada.

• Mr. Corbeil conspired to defraud the Liberal Party of Canada of a sum exceeding $100,000 by authorizing payment of false invoices.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

Edited April 22, 2008 by Qwerty

[Qwerty]

Ha... the party you say is dying has stayed pretty close to the one you support. Rumours of the death of the LPOC are greatly exagerated.

There is no hard and fast rules stating I support the CPC. The Green party is as fiscally responsible as the CPC, many people believe the opposite to be true which is false.

They still need to turn those numbers into seats and that will be the tricky part. The liberals are going to loose seats in the next election. More and more votes are going to the Greens and NDP from the LPC and the Conservatives are only getting stronger.

Every election they talk about vote splitting, it should be more pronounced in the next election then before. The Greens will even steal a seat from the Liberals in the next election.

[Topaz]

There is no hard and fast rules stating I support the CPC. The Green party is as fiscally responsible as the CPC, many people believe the opposite to be true which is false.

They still need to turn those numbers into seats and that will be the tricky part. The liberals are going to loose seats in the next election. More and more votes are going to the Greens and NDP from the LPC and the Conservatives are only getting stronger.

Every election they talk about vote splitting, it should be more pronounced in the next election then before. The Greens will even steal a seat from the Liberals in the next election.

True or False, May can not be PM because she was born in the US so why would people vote for the Green Party, even if they agree with the party?? If voters are tired of the Cons and the Libs then the NDP is the only party left to vote for BUT the Libs still have a chance because all the dirty Liberals came from Quebec and still do it seems so why punish people who had nothing to do with the scam??

[Zachary Young]

The liberal party and corruption are virtually synonymous at this point.

[Shakeyhands]

The liberal party and corruption are virtually synonymous at this point.

Its the CPC that is mired in scandal at this point my friend. Bernier, In and Outs, Cadman just to name a few...

[Qwerty]

True or False, May can not be PM because she was born in the US so why would people vote for the Green Party, even if they agree with the party?? If voters are tired of the Cons and the Libs then the NDP is the only party left to vote for BUT the Libs still have a chance because all the dirty Liberals came from Quebec and still do it seems so why punish people who had nothing to do with the scam??

Don't be silly. The Green party will never form a government nor will the NDP. However I think that some GPC members having seats in the Commons would be a good thing. I can't say the same about the NDP.

AdScam reaches far and wide all over the LPC. LPC MP's who are from all parts of this country were involved including their current leader Stephane Dion. Which is why they are doing poorly in Quebec and which is why they will lose the next election. The LPC made a huge blunder in electing a man that is unelectable in Dion but it is too late to start again with an election looming. If Dion steps down now Harper would call an election almost immediately and rightly so.

This is why the LPC is dying a slow and painful death. Perhaps the LPC will be smart enough to elect someone who has a clean history next time. The LPC needs to start over and retool their policies as many of them are out of touch with the average Canadian.

It would also be nice if they stopped portraying that Liberal values are synonymous with Canadian values.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Qwerty

[Fortunata]

AdScam reaches far and wide all over the LPC. LPC MP's who are from all parts of this country were involved including their current leader Stephane Dion.

Could you please provide a list of which Lib MPs were involved and the ridings which they represent from all over the country. Can you provide a cite about Dion?

The LPC made a huge blunder in electing a man that is unelectable in Dion but it is too late to start again with an election looming.

Pretty much right even if you don't buy into the blarney that Steve's ads try to paint him.

This is why the LPC is dying a slow and painful death.

Haven't noticed this. Compared to the PCs after Mulroney the Libs are holding their own better than they deserve to (thanks to Steve and his merry band of pit bulls).

The LPC needs to start over and retool their policies as many of them are out of touch with the average Canadian.

Polls find them as "in touch" as the CPC in much of the case. Should the CPC retool as well? If they did maybe they would get a majority.

It would also be nice if they stopped portraying that Liberal values are synonymous with Canadian values.

See above. Libs, NDP, CPC have no monopoly on Canadian values. One thing that is not a Canadian value is attack, attack, attack which the CPC do continuously. Instead of taking responsibility for their actions they always try to pass it off as someone else's fault. You righties should have a huge problem with this as you preach taking responsibility if you are: on welfare, a drug addict, a criminal, etc. Why do you not hold your party to the same standard as other lowlifes?

[jdobbin]

AdScam reaches far and wide all over the LPC. LPC MP's who are from all parts of this country were involved including their current leader Stephane Dion.

What a load of a crap. Which MPs? Citation for this.

This is why the LPC is dying a slow and painful death. Perhaps the LPC will be smart enough to elect someone who has a clean history next time. The LPC needs to start over and retool their policies as many of them are out of touch with the average Canadian.

It must be why the Liberals are now ahead of the Tories by 3 points.

It would also be nice if they stopped portraying that Liberal values are synonymous with Canadian values.

And replace them with Tory values?

[Qwerty]

What a load of a crap. Which MPs? Citation for this.

It must be why the Liberals are now ahead of the Tories by 3 points.

And replace them with Tory values?

Stephane Dion was a cabinet minister close to Cretien during AdScam. This cannot be denied.

CPC has not shown to have done anything wrong. There are accusations. I forgot, that means guilty right? I also forgot that armchair pundits try everyone through the media dealing with fantasy instead of facts. I doubt anyone on this forum is privy to any of the details to the case so people are speaking from ignorance which is less then reality, surely even the LPC knows this.

Tories respect the traditional values of Canadians it is Liberals and further left that want to introduce new values and change things. Conservatives want things to remain as they were socially.

I'm sure glad to see that the Liberals don't have any pitbulls though. I guess Dion and others speaking in themedia and in this forum don't qualify as being reactionary...no of course not. Only Tories are bad and do bad. Liberals and their supporters always speak truth...how dare I question the arrogance...

EDIT - Further more, in the case of the polls and an election. Wait until Dion starts opening his mouth, his poll numbers will drop. He is the weakest speaker out of the four by far. His words are muddled and he doesn't get his message through. That or he make foolish remarks...like " Do you think it's easy to set priorities?" and other assorted gems.

Bring on the election, he'll get wiped out in the polls and in any debate. Also our system is based on seats and not on percentage. He basically has to gain 15 seats and I just don't see that happening sorry.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Qwerty

[M.Dancer]

Stephane Dion was a cabinet minister close to Cretien during AdScam. This cannot be denied.

And neither of them have been implicated. This cannot be denied.

[Qwerty]

And neither of them have been implicated. This cannot be denied.

I don't know how they could n't have know as billions of dollars were flowing from the PM's office to Ad companies in Quebec.

So either they are lying(GASP) or they are both incompetent.

This cannot be denied.

[M.Dancer]

I don't know how they could n't have know as billions of dollars were flowing from the PM's office to Ad companies in Quebec.

There's your problem.

You don't have the facts straight.

Or maybe you do....

find a cite for funds flowingf from the PMO

Then find a cite for (cue carl sagan voice)....Billions

[Qwerty]

There's your problem.

You don't have the facts straight.

Or maybe you do....

find a cite for funds flowingf from the PMO

Then find a cite for (cue carl sagan voice)....Billions

Millions sorry, typo. Hundreds of millions actually, does that make it any better?

Did you read the Gomery inquiry?

Everything had to pass through the PMO.

This was taken directly from the tax payers pockets. Not everyone respects tax payers...obviously.

[M.Dancer]

Millions sorry, typo. Hundreds of millions actually, does that make it any better?

Did you read the Gomery inquiry?

No...wasn't that the commision that cleared the PM?

Everything had to pass through the PMO.

Cite please...

Edited April 22, 2008 by M.Dancer

[madmax]

The RCMP made two main allegations in a statement about the new charges, namely that:

• Mr. Corbeil received a large amount of money from a company located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in exchange for favours with respect to the purchase of a piece of land owned by the Government of Canada.

• Mr. Corbeil conspired to defraud the Liberal Party of Canada of a sum exceeding $100,000 by authorizing payment of false invoices.

Mr. Corbeil was a power-broker in Quebec for the Liberals, and was seen to be a member of the Chrétien wing of the party.

Full article can be found here...

So much for the Liberals trying for a June election...

Quebec City, the so-called 418 region.

* Tories: 41 per cent

* Bloc: 25 per cent

* NDP: 17 per cent

* Liberals: 14 per cent

"Quebec City is Mr. Dion's home town. He's in fourth place in his home town," McDonald said. "A leader without a base is like a prophet without a homeland."

Ouch biting quote

Another to bite the dust

[Qwerty]

Cite please...

Now, you're trying to say that the Sponsership scandal never happened? Pure comedic relief thank you.

The scandal has dominated Parliament Hill since 2002 when the Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, recommended the RCMP investigate a $250 million national unity program created by Chretien's government to sponsor sports and cultural events, films, TV series, books, magazines and a host of other projects.

The ostensible aim was to combat separatism, but an estimated $100 million went to Liberal-friendly ad agencies, public relations firms and other middlemen who often did not deliver quality work.

http://www.ctv.ca/generic/WebSpecials/libe...n_frameset.html

[M.Dancer]

Now, you're trying to say that the Sponsership scandal never happened? Pure comedic relief thank you.

No I want a citation for the billions millions passing through the PMO

[Qwerty]

No I want a citation for the billions millions passing through the PMO

Jean Chretien started the Program. He signed off on the money that was to go towards the program.

[Qwerty]

He said former prime minister Jean Chrétien became preoccupied with increasing the federal government's visibility in Quebec after the federalists' slim referendum victory in Quebec.

Two days earlier, a feisty Jean Chrétien had remarked that he and Martin had always "agreed to set aside $50 million a year for expenditures related to national unity."

Chrétien said he "regrets any mistakes that might have been made in the course of this program."

"When I quit in 2003 after 40 years of serving my country, I thought that I've done my job to the best of my abilities." 

I also signed Treasury Board submissions to fund national unity initiatives, including sponsorship. 

Chrétien is fully prepared to defend the establishment of the sponsorship program.

As an added bonus...

Stéphane Dion, who was appointed intergovernmental affairs minister after the 1995 referendum

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/groupact...quiry.html#feb7

So I'll say it again. Either the PMO's office knew about it and lied or they are incompetent. That much paperwork with that much money attached to it cannot possibly pass through the PMO's office without being noticed...impossible. These people worked directly in the PMO.

"He chose to disregard this advice [from Bourgon] and, since he is directly responsible for errors committed by Mr. Pelletier, he must share the blame for the mismanagement that ensued."

About the role of Jean Pelletier, Chrétien's chief of staff

"Mr. Pelletier, for all practical purposes, assumed the role, functions and the responsibilities of a minister of a department charged with implementing the program."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/groupaction/gomeryreport_keyquotes.html

I'm going to stop there, you've been embarrassed enough for one day. I'll show you mercy.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Qwerty