Sponsorship scandal fallout dominates day 2

[shoop]

As long as Sponsorship is the story the Conservatives are doing well.

The Conservative and Liberal leaders are campaigning in Quebec Wednesday, each dealing with the fallout from the sponsorships scandal, but from very different perspectives.

Stephen Harper said a Conservative government would create an independent federal office of public prosecutions to handle politically sensitive cases of wrongdoing, such as the sponsorships scandal that still simmers in the province.

Random Globe and Mail Link

[wellandboy]

That is an important policy statement, when you consider how the Liberals investigate themselves. They will try to flaunt Gomery, but Adscam should have been a criminal investigation first and foremost. Having a properly funded, independent group to perform this function is a step in the right direction.

[normanchateau]

As long as Sponsorship is the story the Conservatives are doing well.

As long as neither Harper nor CPC is the topic, the Conservatives are doing well.

Not talking about the economy is also a good strategy for the Conservatives given that Canada leads all the other G-8 nations on most measures of economic success.

[shoop]

The Conservatives will be more than happy to keep the spotlight on the Liberals corruption and theft. btw When is that $1.14 Million going to be paid back? How does it feel having your former leader file suit against the government in the middle of the election? I am a little confused do the Liberals favour corporate tax cuts or oppose them? You see how the on again off again tax cuts can be a little confusing...

As long as neither Harper nor CPC is the topic, the Conservatives are doing well.

Not talking about the economy is also a good strategy for the Conservatives given that Canada leads all the other G-8 nations on most measures of economic success.

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[August1991]

Not talking about the economy is also a good strategy for the Conservatives given that Canada leads all the other G-8 nations on most measures of economic success.

That's false. Canadians pay high taxes and we don't get value for our tax dollars. This is the measure of a government's performance.

I think it is telling that the Liberals promised tax cuts just before this campaign started.

[scribblet]

Harper just delivered a good shot his speech in Halifax, maybe the CPC has learned something about giving it back to the liberals in kind.

"Someone who loves Canada you would think would not be flying the flags of Liberia or the Barbados over his ships, and avoiding paying his taxes here."

This could be a fun campaign

[shoop]

Could be a GREAT campaign. I am definitely watching the National tonight. If CBC doesn't cover that line it will be yet *another* example of their bias. Then again, what are the odds of them covering such a telling blow against Martin?

Harper just delivered a good shot his speech in Halifax, maybe the CPC has learned something about giving it back to the liberals in kind.

"Someone who loves Canada you would think would not be flying the flags of Liberia or the Barbados over his ships, and avoiding paying his taxes here."

This could be a fun campaign 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[scribblet]

Could be a GREAT campaign. I am definitely watching the National tonight. If CBC doesn't cover that line it will be yet *another* example of their bias. Then again, what are the odds of them covering such a telling blow against Martin?

Harper just delivered a good shot his speech in Halifax, maybe the CPC has learned something about giving it back to the liberals in kind.

"Someone who loves Canada you would think would not be flying the flags of Liberia or the Barbados over his ships, and avoiding paying his taxes here."

This could be a fun campaign 

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<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not good odds, at least for the CBC, maybe others will, have to watch this one.

[Argus]

Harper just delivered a good shot his speech in Halifax, maybe the CPC has learned something about giving it back to the liberals in kind.

"Someone who loves Canada you would think would not be flying the flags of Liberia or the Barbados over his ships, and avoiding paying his taxes here."

This could be a fun campaign 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I personally found the sight of Martin standing in front of a great big flag and self righteously shouting out how he loves Canada to be patently disgusting. It was almost a cliche of the snake oil salesman variety of small time American politician wrapping himself in the flag and full of phoney self-righteousness about his patriotism.

As for Harper's remarks, several people at work said the same thing today. A guy who loves Canada but puts other country's flags on his ships. Feh.

[shoop]

That is Paul Martin. Hopefully enough 'persuadables' agree with you that we can change the government.

I personally found the sight of Martin standing in front of a great big flag and self righteously shouting out how he loves Canada to be patently disgusting. It was almost a cliche of the snake oil salesman variety of small time American politician wrapping himself in the flag and full of phoney self-righteousness about his patriotism.

As for Harper's remarks, several people at work said the same thing today. A guy who loves Canada but puts other country's flags on his ships. Feh.

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[newbie]

A guy who loves Canada but puts other country's flags on his ships. Feh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Canadian law permits companies to register in foreign lands, pay taxes at the local rate and return the profit tax-free to Canada in the form of dividends. Martin is a business man so why the big surprise. Plus, he handed over the company to his sons 2 years ago.

[sharkman]

It just shows how little his words mean, even to himself. He talks about how incredibly bright Canadian future is and how much he loves Canada, but he would rather not invest in it himself.

That was a great line by Harper and I hope there's more where that came from.

[Argus]

A guy who loves Canada but puts other country's flags on his ships. Feh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Canadian law permits companies to register in foreign lands, pay taxes at the local rate and return the profit tax-free to Canada in the form of dividends. Martin is a business man so why the big surprise. Plus, he handed over the company to his sons 2 years ago.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't you think it's an odd law? I mean, it doesn't do anything good for Canada. In fact, it's harmful to Canada. You'd think someone would realize that. Oh wait, someone has. The Auditor General has criticised this many times over the past ten years, but oddly, for some inexplicable reason, the Finance Minister, coincidentally named Paul Martin, completely refused to change it. Prime Minister Paul Martin similiarly refused.

I wonder why that is?

Oh wait, I can hear his answer now "I love Canada!!!"

Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy man.

[Guest eureka]

Canadians do not pay high taxes, August. We have been through that over and over again. I have to suspect that you are not as objective as you try to appear when you make that statement knowing full well that it is not true.

[Guest eureka]

That was not a "great line" by Harper and it is indicative of the depths the man can sink to. Honest man! Patriot! Integrity! My eye.

And the same applies to those of you who know better> Some do since I have explaoned that one previously. It is necessary for international shipping companies to survive that they register under Flags of Convenience. There is a substantial difference in costs. Martin's companies register their international shipping but not the domestic parts this way.

So does every other shipping company. The answer is for international agreement that has been unattainable so far since no penalties can be levied against those countries that benefit from the practise.

Perhaps if the UN were given some teeth there might be a way to legislate this into international law and to enforce it.

Then, you might pay a little more as you shop at yout local WalMart in an excess of patriotism.

[Canuck E Stan]

That was not a "great line" by Harper and it is indicative of the depths the man can sink to. Honest man! Patriot! Integrity! My eye.

And the same applies to those of you who know better> Some do since I have explaoned that one previously. It is necessary for international shipping companies to survive that they register under Flags of Convenience. There is a substantial difference in costs. Martin's companies register their international shipping but not the domestic parts this way.

So does every other shipping company. The answer is for international agreement that has been unattainable so far since no penalties can be levied against those countries that benefit from the practise.

Perhaps if the UN were given some teeth there might be a way to legislate this into international law and to enforce it.

Then, you might pay a little more as you shop at yout local WalMart in an excess of patriotism.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The issue of Martin and the CSL was when Martin was finance minister fixing loop holes in the tax havens. He seemed to have forgotten Barbados.

Martin has come under fire for not closing Canadian tax loopholes for firms like CSL that do business in the Barbados.

Did Martin jigger tax treaties for his own benefit?

[Guest eureka]

The issue is registering under Flags of Convenience. CSL is head officed in Canada and pays Canadian Taxes.

There is nothing there that is not international practise and essential for competitive reasons in one of the most competitive of international trades.

Incidentally, the Union members of CSL's domestic fleet have said that it is the best and fairest of the Canadian domestic fleets.

[August1991]

There is nothing there that is not international practise and essential for competitive reasons in one of the most competitive of international trades.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How about this:

By the time the tunnelmen were done, the Tadoussac would be in Lake Erie. The ship’s master would swing the boom out over the water and pass Macdonald the word to have the electrician start the conveyor belts. The belts would whir into motion, and the sweepings would pour off the boom into the waters of Lake Erie for half an hour, leaving a trail of iron-ore dust in the ship’s wake—the only visible sign of the environmental degradation.

It was a routine task but, even though he was a seasoned sailor, it never sat right with Macdonald. He is certainly no tree-hugger, but thinks there must be an alternative. “It’s been a bone of contention for me for years,” he says. “They call this spillage. I love the term.”

CSL is only one shipping company dumping sweepings into the Great Lakes. Ships have discharged cargo residue there ever since armadas of ore carriers started criss-crossing the lakes in the 1870s. No one knows how much has collected on the lakebeds travelled by major carriers, but cargo sweeping is routine for the 130 lakers that ply those waters today.

This Magazine

This one, given the date, I find intriguing:

For publication November 25, 2002

TRANSPORT MINISTER COLLENETTE

ANNOUNCES ANOTHER RECORD PENALTY

FOR PROSECUTION OF MARINE POLLUTER

HALIFAX, NS - Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that the federal government has successfully prosecuted the M/V CSL Atlas, a Bahamian-registered bulk carrier, owned by Canada Steamship Lines, and operated by V. Ships UK, based in Glasgow, UK, for unlawfully discharging an oily substance into Canadian waters.

Transport Canada (To refresh your memory, Martin resigned from cabinet in June 2002. The discharge occurred in March 2002.)

[tml12]

There is nothing there that is not international practise and essential for competitive reasons in one of the most competitive of international trades.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How about this:

By the time the tunnelmen were done, the Tadoussac would be in Lake Erie. The ship’s master would swing the boom out over the water and pass Macdonald the word to have the electrician start the conveyor belts. The belts would whir into motion, and the sweepings would pour off the boom into the waters of Lake Erie for half an hour, leaving a trail of iron-ore dust in the ship’s wake—the only visible sign of the environmental degradation.

It was a routine task but, even though he was a seasoned sailor, it never sat right with Macdonald. He is certainly no tree-hugger, but thinks there must be an alternative. “It’s been a bone of contention for me for years,” he says. “They call this spillage. I love the term.”

CSL is only one shipping company dumping sweepings into the Great Lakes. Ships have discharged cargo residue there ever since armadas of ore carriers started criss-crossing the lakes in the 1870s. No one knows how much has collected on the lakebeds travelled by major carriers, but cargo sweeping is routine for the 130 lakers that ply those waters today.

This Magazine

This one, given the date, I find intriguing:

For publication November 25, 2002

TRANSPORT MINISTER COLLENETTE

ANNOUNCES ANOTHER RECORD PENALTY

FOR PROSECUTION OF MARINE POLLUTER

HALIFAX, NS - Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that the federal government has successfully prosecuted the M/V CSL Atlas, a Bahamian-registered bulk carrier, owned by Canada Steamship Lines, and operated by V. Ships UK, based in Glasgow, UK, for unlawfully discharging an oily substance into Canadian waters.

Transport Canada (To refresh your memory, Martin resigned from cabinet in June 2002. The discharge occurred in March 2002.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Knowing the relationship between Martin and Chretien, one cannot be truly surprised that Martin would want to get out early. I am not sure this is the fault of an event at CSL>

[Canuck E Stan]

Incidentally, the Union members of CSL's domestic fleet have said that it is the best and fairest of the Canadian domestic fleets.

At the time, Canadian sailors on that ship, the Atlantic Superior, which was then at sea off the coast of Virginia, were told that they would lose their jobs at the end of the trip and that they would be replaced by Korean sailors, who would be paid $2.20 per hour and who would not enjoy any protection under Canadian labour laws.

flags of convenience

The Canada Shipping Act requires that all freighters in Canada’s inland lakes and waterways be Canadian-flagged (that is, registered and crewed here), but makes no requirement about where the ship is constructed. For this reason, virtually all of the recent purchases of new ships by Canada’s inland shipping companies (including Paul Martin’s Canada Steamship Lines) have been from foreign shipbuilders. There is no requirement governing even the flagging (let alone the manufacture) of the ships used to carry Canada’s external trade.

MARINE WORKERS

Even the Marxist-Leninists see through Martin

Prime Minister's Office and the Federal Liberal Government

Conflict of Interests at Stelco

The Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce said in February 2004 that the CCAA allows for "too many real or perceived conflicts of interest." Those "conflicts of interests" may very well be what has driven the Stelco CCAA fraud from the beginning and what is behind the rumoured secret agendas.

Some examples of conflict of interests are the following:

Prime Minister's Office and the Federal Liberal Government

Peter Nicholson left Stelco's board after six years to lead Paul Martin's transition team in December 2003. He now is a strategic adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tim Murphy, a former partner at McCarthy Tetrault, Stelco's law firm, is now Martin's chief of staff.

Canada Steamship Lines, Martin's family shipping firm, is a major creditor of Stelco. The rumoured super-port to occupy Stelco waterfront property together with a possible expansion and widening of the St. Lawrence Seaway would seem to favour Martin's family fortune.

Stelco board chair Richard Drouin is a former counsel to McCarthy Tetrault, Stelco's law firm. Drouin rents working space in McCarthy Tetrault's Montreal office suite. McCarthy Tetrault was the second largest contributor to Paul Martin's Liberal leadership campaign ($178,000). A large part of McCarthy's contribution to Martin was to pay the campaign salary of Tim Murphy, a former McCarthy Tetrault partner, who became Martin's chief of staff.

StrategyCorp is a company that lobbies governments on behalf of private interests. Liberal John Duffy, a long-time confidant of Prime Minister Martin was registered as StrategyCorp's Stelco lobbyist in Ontario.

Intrigue and Blackmail over Stelco Are an Affront to Canadian Dignity and Sovereignty

[lovecanada]

Well after reading the House of Parliament debate... This stinks to high heaven! Thank you for that link Canuck! Opened my eyes

[tml12]

Incidentally, the Union members of CSL's domestic fleet have said that it is the best and fairest of the Canadian domestic fleets.

At the time, Canadian sailors on that ship, the Atlantic Superior, which was then at sea off the coast of Virginia, were told that they would lose their jobs at the end of the trip and that they would be replaced by Korean sailors, who would be paid $2.20 per hour and who would not enjoy any protection under Canadian labour laws.

flags of convenience

The Canada Shipping Act requires that all freighters in Canada’s inland lakes and waterways be Canadian-flagged (that is, registered and crewed here), but makes no requirement about where the ship is constructed. For this reason, virtually all of the recent purchases of new ships by Canada’s inland shipping companies (including Paul Martin’s Canada Steamship Lines) have been from foreign shipbuilders. There is no requirement governing even the flagging (let alone the manufacture) of the ships used to carry Canada’s external trade.

MARINE WORKERS

Even the Marxist-Leninists see through Martin

Prime Minister's Office and the Federal Liberal Government

Conflict of Interests at Stelco

The Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce said in February 2004 that the CCAA allows for "too many real or perceived conflicts of interest." Those "conflicts of interests" may very well be what has driven the Stelco CCAA fraud from the beginning and what is behind the rumoured secret agendas.

Some examples of conflict of interests are the following:

Prime Minister's Office and the Federal Liberal Government

Peter Nicholson left Stelco's board after six years to lead Paul Martin's transition team in December 2003. He now is a strategic adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tim Murphy, a former partner at McCarthy Tetrault, Stelco's law firm, is now Martin's chief of staff.

Canada Steamship Lines, Martin's family shipping firm, is a major creditor of Stelco. The rumoured super-port to occupy Stelco waterfront property together with a possible expansion and widening of the St. Lawrence Seaway would seem to favour Martin's family fortune.

Stelco board chair Richard Drouin is a former counsel to McCarthy Tetrault, Stelco's law firm. Drouin rents working space in McCarthy Tetrault's Montreal office suite. McCarthy Tetrault was the second largest contributor to Paul Martin's Liberal leadership campaign ($178,000). A large part of McCarthy's contribution to Martin was to pay the campaign salary of Tim Murphy, a former McCarthy Tetrault partner, who became Martin's chief of staff.

StrategyCorp is a company that lobbies governments on behalf of private interests. Liberal John Duffy, a long-time confidant of Prime Minister Martin was registered as StrategyCorp's Stelco lobbyist in Ontario.

Intrigue and Blackmail over Stelco Are an Affront to Canadian Dignity and Sovereignty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While much of this may be true, excerpts from the Marxist-Leninist Daily seem to be even more telling.

[Dan]

That is an important policy statement, when you consider how the Liberals investigate themselves. They will try to flaunt Gomery, but Adscam should have been a criminal investigation first and foremost. Having a properly funded, independent group to perform this function is a step in the right direction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its all about checks and balances.

Probably scares the hell out of the Liberal establishment.

[shoop]

Exactly and the details will be worked out once the CPC is in power.

btw, I love how the CBC tried to spin this story as one of *conflict* between Harper and McKay.

Its all about checks and balances.

Probably scares the hell out of the Liberal establishment. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[tml12]

Exactly and the details will be worked out once the CPC is in power.

btw, I love how the CBC tried to spin this story as one of *conflict* between Harper and McKay.

Its all about checks and balances.

Probably scares the hell out of the Liberal establishment. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did they really? I'd love to have the link (just for laughs).

The CBC is just plain funny...