Severed Foot Sent to CPC HQ Contained Note Warning of More Killings

Now subject for a world-wide manhunt, prime suspect for the severed body pieces sent to the Conservatives and Liberals, Luka Rocco Magnotta allegedly left a note in the severed foot warning of more killings to come.

The suspect also takes the names Eric Clinton Newman and Vladimir Romanov and is known online as a porn star and cat murderer.

A video of the dismembering has been uploaded to a site that is known for gory videos and images. The description of the video on the site says it depicts two naked men, one stabbing the other with an ice pick. The murderer then dismembers the body and performs sexual acts on its parts. The description also suggests that the murderer also cannibalizes the corpse.

Montreal Police Commander Ian Lafreniere confirmed that the torso found stuffed in a suitcase in Montreal was linked to the body parts that were being distributed via mail. He said that the white male’s identity has yet to be confirmed.

"For most of the officers that have been there all night long, this is the kind of crime scene they've never seen in their life, in their career," Lafreniere said. "So yes I can consider that a horrible crime."

Police believe that Magnotta left the country and is enroute for Europe. Meanwhile the world is on the hunt for a man who is believed to be able to strike again.

Once caught and if actually guilty, Magnotta deserves life in prison with no chance of parole and any judgment that is less than that would be deemed injustice, not only to the victim that was found stuffed in a suitcase, but to a country that has been left in a state of horror and shock.

For more information about the crime, you can read the first release of information. Otherwise, you can follow us on our various social networks Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Human Remains Sent to Tory and Grit HQ

Bev Oda secretive about her waste of tax dollars

International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda’s office refuses to tell the Canadian people whether she has repaid the waste she charged Canadian tax payers for last Summer during her trip to London. While in London, Oda put Canadians on the tab for inappropriate travel costs, lavish hotel expenses, and chauffeured car service.

Oda’s office also won’t say why costs have been amended on her department’s disclosure site for her trips to Haiti, Korea and East Africa over the past year.

The refusal to provide details comes as Canadians recently found out about Oda’s spending spree overseas and her blatant attitude geared toward entitlements. Oda turned down an already lavish hotel for a more expensive one and put the tab on Canadian tax payers and one can imagine that if she hadn’t been caught, she would have never thought to repay her debt to Canadian society.

Oda’s decision to go to the more expensive hotel also added travel costs where she charged us $1,000 per day for chauffer service which could have been remedied with cab expenses instead.

When the story broke, Oda said she had nothing to be embarrassed about and didn’t explain the switch of hotels. Her office said that Treasury Board guidelines were followed. Perhaps she thought Canadian money was entitled to her… Nothing to be embarrassed about? this action alone is a disgrace.

On April 24, Oda backtracked, realizing the error in her ways and apologized to the House of Commons. She said her expenses were “unacceptable” and should never have been put on the taxpayers’ tab. Do you think she would have said that had she not been caught red handed?

Oda repaid $4,025.26 for her expenses to taxpayers but in all due principle, all future actions of this nature, regardless the MP and regardless the party should be outlawed and punished. Here we have a government telling Canadians to tighten its belts and in the meantime, we have federal ministers putting their hands into the national piggy bank at free will – this is inexcusable and should never be permitted.

The Treasury Board said that Proactive Disclosure is a policy that has been brought in to enhance transparency and public oversight of resources by forcing departments to post costs for hospitality and travel expenses on the web site.

Oda’s director of communications, Stephanie Rea, has been asked repeatedly if Oda had repaid her expenses that she originally claimed, including the London trip, and to explain the changes to the costs on the proactive disclosure pages but no answer was given.

"At this time, all I can say is that all expenses were re-examined, all in the interest of accountability," Rea said.

"I apologize, but I'm sticking with my answer," Rea said in a follow-up phone conversation with CBC.

The proactive disclosure section of Oda's department website shows expenses for the following trips have been amended:

• Meal expenses for Oda, Rea, and one of Oda's policy advisors, Alayna Johnson, were amended for a trip to Haiti in January. The total cost of the trip for all three people was $10,034.34.
• "Other expenses" filed for Oda's trip to Korea in late November and early December were amended. Johnson's expenses for transportation, accommodation, meals and "other expenses" were also amended. The total cost of the trip for Oda and Johnson was $15,166.32
• Oda, her executive assistant Clarissa Lamb and Johnson travelled to Kenya and Sudan last July and their airfare expenses have been amended. They each spent around $9,000 according to the most recent posting. Total expenses for the trip were $32,799.21. That includes $523 in airfare that Johnson spent for an "urgent return" from Calgary so that she could go with Oda to East Africa.

Source: CBC News

In 2006, Oda charged Canadian taxpayers $5,475 for the limousines she used to go to the Juno Awards in Halifax and in the end only repaid $2,200 of the bill.

In 2007, Oda repaid taxpayers $1,200 for a limousine ride to a government event and party.

Oda should be forced to resign and sued for the expenses she owes and I am sure that the people out there who are reading this will agree that greater enforcement of accountability measures is needed and that no MP should ever be allowed to charge Canadian taxpayers for luxuries in the way that Bev Oda has and that the days of Entitlement in Ottawa must end and that it is time for Parliamentarians to be finally forced to be accountable to the Canadian people to whom they work for.

Let’s get this message out there and set Oda as an example for the other Conservative MPs that have committed similar actions and to discourage MPs from other parties from ever doing this if and when they get elected into a government position. Share this with your friends and family and let them know that the politicians they elect are supposed to be accountable and that there are MPs like Bev Oda who think they are special and entitled.

Before Canadians pay the price for mismanagement and waste through more austerity or tax hikes, government should be cleaned up first. I can think of several people and programs that are more deserving of the money Oda has wasted than Oda herself.

Don’t be fooled the next time the Conservatives run on a platform of accountability – obviously this is one of the biggest promises they broke.

Are you fed up of government officials who refuse to be brought into account for their actions and spending decisions? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Human Remains Sent to Tory and Grit HQ

Conservative Party headquarters made a gruesome discovery yesterday when a package delivered to them contained a severed foot. Police found a second package which was addressed to the Liberal Party Headquarters – this one containing a hand. Police believe the parts came from a body they found in Montreal and there is a nation-wide warrant for Luka Rocco Magnotta’s arrest.

"It was such a horrible odor, I'm sure many of us will not forget it," said Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey.

Magnotta (above) also takes the name Eric Clinton Newman, is 29 years old and is believed to have filmed the murders as police have video footage of the victim being dismembered by him. Police have asked for public aid in the finding and arresting of this man.

Montreal police said he knew the victim and has no previous criminal record. However, CBC found that he served 16 days in pre-trial custody after being convicted with 4 counts of fraud in Ontario in 2005. He was given a further 9 month conditional sentence and 12 months of probation.

Police have found him in videos where he killed kittens and are looking into possible connections with Karla Homolka.

A second hand and foot have been found at the same location where the rest of the body was found and police haven’t yet identified the victim.

"The most important thing for us is to nab the suspect, and to make sure we don't jeopardize a future trial. I'd have a lot of trouble, as a father, to sleep if that happened," Montreal police Cmdr. Ian Lafrenière said.

The packages were sent via Canada Post and the second package which was enroute to Liberal HQ was found at the Canada Post Terminal at Riverside and Alta Vista drives in south Ottawa.

Major Crimes Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt said it is possible the foot was sent as a "gruesome message."

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews reacted stating, “It's certainly an unusual development and it's not even insofar as homicides go. It's quite an unusual circumstance.”

Liberal MP for Papineau in Montreal, Justin Trudeau said "there's someone sick out there,” and said that his constituents no longer feel safe.

Ottawa police said that there are likely more body pieces in the mail but they haven’t yet arrived in Ottawa.

“Organized crime generally will keep a low profile. They would never do something like this to bring [attention],” Glenn Woods, a former RCMP officer said. “Their motivation is money. Short of making an example of someone who, for instance, is an informer, I have never seen them get involved in this kind of thing – particularly with a political party.”

“To me, when you start sending human body parts, there’s got to be some level of mental illness.”

This is the true test for our justice system. While some will likely try to argue that Magnotta, if proven to be the guilty party, “is not criminally responsible” due to mental reasons, it is time that we realize that regardless the mental state of the predator, the person should be put in prison for life for the gruesome crime that was committed.

It is already bad enough that Vince Weiguang Li, who beheaded Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus was let out early and McLean’s family saw no justice for their lost member.

These people should never see the light of day and we need a justice system that reflects that.

But on a side note, what sort of twisted message was this guy, if actually him responsible, sending? Why send body parts to political party HQ, particularly those of the Conservatives and Liberals? Let us know: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Tories to Shut Down F-35 Probe

The only public investigation into mistakes made by the Conservatives in the F-35 purchase are set to be shut down, leaving questions pertaining to the $10 billion price gap found by the Auditor General unanswered and the acquisition further into the hands of secrecy.

Andrew Saxon, parliamentary secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, told the House of Commons that the Conservatives feel that issues surrounding the purchase have been investigated thoroughly enough.

The Tories are expected to pass a motion that would end hearings at a committee that was tasked to look into the AG’s direct report of misleading figures, according to media reports. There are only 4 weeks remaining before summer break.

The AG said that Parliament didn’t get the entire picture as Canadians and the House of Commons were told the cost of acquiring 65 new jets was $16 billion while the actual cost was closer to $25 billion. Defense Minister Peter MacKay admitted that his government mislead the Commons and Canadian people for 2 years on the same matter.

The F-35 program was designed to replace Canada’s aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets.

So what do the Conservatives have to hide? Why are they shutting down the only public inquiry into the purchase of such costly planes during a time of economic restraint? To top it all, the jobs that would be generated by this project are not Canadian, they are American. Therefore, Canada directly loses this money for planes the Americans themselves have said were simply not worth the price tag.

In a time of economic restraint, should we be spending $25 billion on fighter jets? If yes, do you agree with the way the Conservatives have handled the portfolio? Let us know: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Etobicoke Case to go to Supreme Court

The Conservatives appealed the court ruling which effectively overthrew last year’s election results in Etobicoke which saw Conservative Ted Opitz win by a narrow 26-vote margin over Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj due to irregularities.

"This is the first time this section of the Elections Act has been considered by a court, and it is important that it be given the fullest consideration because of its significant impact on our democratic system," Opitz said.

In the lower courts, there is a right to appeal and send the matter to federal court. This situation is the third time in history that this has happened.

Meanwhile, Wrzesnewskyj held a news conference asking for an immediate by-election, claiming that voter suppression tactics were used.

"Something broke in the last federal election. Let's fix it," he said last week.

The case will be heard as early as next month. If the case isn’t heard in June, it will have to wait until October. The date will be decided once the lawyers and the court’s registrar have finished discussions.

If the supreme court upholds the ruling of the lower court, a by-election will be held within 6 months of that judgment.

If the results were legitimate, Opitz would have the guts to take on this by-election and if he were the choice of the riding, he would win this by-election fairly and easily.

The shadow of doubt lingers over the Conservative Party and the more they try to appeal judge rulings and throw similar cases out of court, the more they prove that they are indeed guilty of the sins that they have allegedly committed.

So what are they trying to hide? It’s not everyday that a secretive government who is afraid to articulate their vision for Canada is accused and linked with fraudulent events during elections.

Do you think the Supreme Court of Canada will upheld the ruling of the lower court? Let us know: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

For more coverage on the Ongoing Robocall Scandal, you can follow this feed.

Robocall Scandal – To date

Conservatives to Force CP Rail Back to Work

The Conservatives have tabled legislation to force striking Canadian Pacific Rail workers to go back to work. Negotiations broke on Sunday and 4,800 locomotive engineers and conductors have been on strike since Wednesday, shutting down all freight traffic across the country.

Labor Minister Lisa Raitt told CBC News that she was “disappointed” that both sides rejected a proposal by a government-appointed arbitrator. The initial points of argument started from pensions.

"I have to say there doesn't seem to be a prospect of a deal right now, and I'm extremely disappointed,” Raitt said.

Ed Greenberg, spokesman for Canadian Pacific Rail, said Sunday that "the talks have ended and the legislative process, as I understand it, will now commence."

"They [CP] want to rely on the government to get something for them instead of collective bargaining, and we believe their actions are essentially in bad faith," said Doug Finnson, chief negotiator for the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

Raitt said that the CP strike was costing the Canadian economy  million per week.

Meanwhile, one must ask what purpose the government should have in these matters. While the Conservatives rush in for management and the NDP rush in for their unions, are either side right by racing in?

Perhaps labor unions and management should be left alone to negotiate without government interference and without obvious government bias. Besides, don’t we live in a free society? People have the right to strike and the economy should be fine without the government needing to weigh in on every issue and dispute.

Should the government interfere with labor disputes? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Harper’s Afghanistan War Ends in 2014

The war that Stephen Harper pushed forward throughout his term is coming to an end and based on his body language, he became bored with it. Let us be reminded of how much effort and time Harper put into this war.

Rocking and yawning during speeches by the NATO Commander and US President Barack Obama, Harper left the summit pledging $130 million per year for the next 3 years after Canada’s exit (2015-2018) and confirming that by 2014, Canadian troops would be out of Afghanistan.

“There will be no Canadian military mission to Afghanistan after March, 2014,” Harper said.

“My judgment is that a foreign presence, in the long term, cannot be the final resolution of the problems in Afghanistan. That the longer a foreign intervention stays, eventually the less likely its success becomes,” he said.

“And you know,” he added, “it’s an awful long time.”

This new position is a complete 180 of what Harper campaigned on and said throughout much of his mandate.

In 2009, Harper said clearly and definitively that Canada would pull out of Afghanistan in 2011.

“The position of the government is clear. The military mission in Afghanistan will end in 2011. I have said it here and I have said it across the country. In fact, I think I said it recently in the White House.”

Stephen Harper said to the House of Commons, October 2009

But in 2010, Harper decided to extend the mission and said:

“But as we approach that date [July 2011], the facts on the ground convince me that the Afghan military needs further training. ... I think if we can continue a smaller mission that involves just training, I think frankly that presents minimal risks to Canada but it helps us ensure that the gains we’ve made are continued. ... So I do this with some reluctance but I think it is the best decision when one looks at the options.”

Stephen Harper said in a News Conference, November 2010

Harper was so committed to the war that he extended the mission without bringing a vote to the House of Commons which would have likely been defeated in the minority Parliament.

“My position is, if you are going to put troops into combat, into a war situation, I do think, for the sake of legitimacy. . . the government does require the support of Parliament. But when we’re talking simply about technical or training missions, I think that is something the executive can do on its own,” Harper said in 2010, insisting that he didn’t have to vote on the extension in the House of Commons.

Now, in times of economic constraint and austerity, Harper pledges $130 million over the next 3 years to help build the Afghanistan defense force. The mission has cost Canada over $18.1 billion as of 2011 (meaning $1,500 per Canadian) and for a Prime Minister that rocks his chair in a bored fashion, he should know that Canada has contributed more than enough and that Canada simply cannot afford to send any more money to Afghanistan.

This is the message that American President Obama sent, stating that the money that is needed to rebuild Afghanistan would be put to better use rebuilding the United States.

While Harper said unequivocally that he would leave Afghanistan in 2011, he changed his mind. Recently, he said much of the same of what he said last time. Prior to this announcement, the Defense Department and Harper expressed openness to extending the mission yet again.

Is the Afghanistan war over? Is it financially justified to be sending more funds to the war torn country – given what Canadians have had to sacrifice back home? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Harper: Canada to fund Afghan Army

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has told NATO that Canada will help fund the $4.1 billion per year price tag to building the post-2014 Afghanistan army, the amount of which will be said on Monday, after his NATO meetings in Chicago. So much for accountable financing…

Defense Minister Peter MacKay hinted that as Canadian troops leave the region, the funding would be Canada’s way to remain involved with the mission. He told reporters that the sustainability of the Afghan army was a key element of the discussions. He announced that instead of providing them our troops, he would give them the resources they need to make progress on their own.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean troop contributions or trainers,” MacKay said.

“That means giving the Afghans the resources that they need to continue to make progress and hold the fort,” he said.

It is funny how the Conservatives think that they can preach to the world about how to do things and get involved in their affairs. At home, our economy is ailing, 10% of Canadians don’t have access to food, and as part of austerity measures, Harper has plans to cut old age security by raising the age of retirement to 67 from 65.

Before Canada should say anything to any country about how to do things, Canada should clean up its act first, one that is being seen as a disgrace on the world stage. On the environment portfolio and now human rights, Canada has received a failing grade and beneath the propaganda about economic stewardship, Harper told Canadians to prepare for a major labor shortage, forcing EI recipients to get jobs outside their domain. An insult, a slap in the face, all because there is no money… but now, there is money to fund a foreign army?

Before the next government, the one that defeats Harper in the long term, raises taxes, they better eliminate all of the new and wasteful spending Harper has implemented within his decade of power by the time the next election comes around. It is impeccable to believe that a government can be this incompetent and corrupt to the extent that ministers think that they are entitled to their benefits. This message is clear and simple: no tax hikes until the government has been cleansed of all of the Conservative waste. Get the budget back in order first.

But to make things worse comes the possibility that a government that formed in 2006 on the basis of accountability could have been elected using illegal and fraudulent means. This is simply the last straw for Canadian democracy and society.

Are you fed up with the manner that the Conservatives have used to manage Canadian finances? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Robocall Scandal: Etobicoke Center Nulled

A court challenge presented by former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj has been accepted today and the results of the last election that saw his seat upset to Conservative MP Ted Opitz by only 26 votes were declared null. The results were challenged due to voting irregularities.

The Conservatives are crying foul, claiming that they followed the rules.

Conservative Spokesman Fred Delorey said  the party is disappointed that the court sided with the liberals after 50,000 people in the riding "followed the rules, cast their ballots and today had their democratic decision thrown into doubt."

"The judge has found problems with the way that Elections Canada ran the election in this riding," he said.

"As the judge took care to point out in the decision, Ted Opitz and the Conservative campaign team followed the rules.”

Former Liberal MP Wrzesnewskyj disagrees with Delorey, stating that "Something broke in the last federal election. It's a terrible thought not to know whether or not someone who is in the House of Commons, voting on laws by which we govern ourselves, whether those individuals are actually an expression of the will of the people."

He plans to run in the upcoming by-election and expressed his happiness that the courts sided in his favor.

"This is an incredible victory for Canadian democracy," he said. "It restores people's confidence in the integrity of our electoral processes."

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Bob Rae said that the party will be revising today’s ruling to see if it applies to other ridings where the vote was close and suspicious activities have been reported. To date, 200 ridings have been effected by the robocall scandal.

"Reports and allegations of election fraud are widespread and there are many cases still under investigation. This has cast serious doubts on the integrity of our electoral system, but we are confident that a by-election in Etobicoke Centre would help greatly in reaffirming the strength of our electoral system and Canada’s democracy," Rae said.

Opitz has eight days to appeal and if he does, the case will go to the Supreme Court of Canada. Not only that, Canadians will be given more reason to doubt the Conservative claim that they followed the rules. With the evidence pilling up against them, it would be a very clear act of guilt to appeal because it means they have something to hide.

The last time a by-election was called after an electoral dispute was in 1988 where Liberal Maurizio Bevilacqua and Progressive Conservative Michael O’Brien fought over then-riding York North, now known as Vaughan, in Ontario. The result led to 21 years of Liberal reign in the riding until Bevilacqua entered municipal politics and Conservative Julian Fantino won the riding.

Wrzesnewskyj’s lawyer argued that up to 181 ballots were in dispute. Below is his court case.

Do you think that this ruling will change anything pertaining to the robocall scandal? Let us know: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

For more coverage on the Ongoing Robocall Scandal, you can follow this feed.

Robocall Scandal – To date

Canadian Taxpayers Federation wants to Gut the GST on Gas

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation claims that 21% of the price of gas is tax and is calling on the federal government to eliminate its additional layer to provincial taxes. The tax effects the daily commute, the price of transportation and the price of goods.

“At one time Stephen Harper’s Conservatives were committed to ending the unethical practice of charging the GST on the entire price of gasoline, including provincial and federal gas taxes. We’re hoping he still feels the same way,” the group's Alberta director, Scott Hennig, told CBC.

The Gas Tax Honesty campaign will be held for the 14th time before the May long weekend and Hennig says it serves as a reminder to cash-strapped Canadians that 21% of the price is taxes.

“The evidence is clear: lower gas taxes mean lower pump prices,” said Hennig. “Don’t let politicians fool you into thinking that cutting gas taxes won’t result in relief at the pump.”

Lower prices at the pump mean lower prices at the supermarket too, those trucks got to get their gas from somewhere and there is no special rate for 18-wheelers, whose companies will pass on the cost to consumers.

On a side note, could the revenue that could be generated by the Alberta pipeline be the reason why Harper’s government hasn’t cut the tax and why it is so desperate to get the project done as soon as possible?

Is it time to eliminate the federal gas tax? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Retailers’ Greed Cost Canadian Economy $20bn

It is no surprise that Canadians are scurrying across the boarder. Go into most Canadian stores and look for the same products in the United States and you will realize that we have been gauged for some time.

With a dollar close to or above parity and even during the times of the strong dollar, Canadians paid at least 20% more than their American counterparts before taxes for the exact same products.This number has since shrunk to 14% but the greed of Canadian retailers is inexcusable and the reason why smart Canadians shop across the border.

While a new report from the Bank of Montreal blames the Conservative move to raise duty-free limits on items purchased in the US, I am taking the opportunity as a consumer who is fed up of being gauged to make this point clear and hope others agree and spread the word: it isn’t the increase in duty-free that will kill our economy, it is greed that is sending Canadians across the border that is.

"A culmination of factors is likely to unleash a wave of Canadians cross-border shopping this summer in numbers not seen in two decades," BMO chief economist Doug Porter said.

"There are already more than 50 million visits to the U.S. by Canadian residents annually ... (and) those numbers are poised to swell when Ottawa increases the duty-and-tax free limits on June 1."

In March’s budget, the Conservatives increased the duty-free limit on stays longer than 24 hours to $200 from $50 and for visits longer than 48 hours, to $800 from $400.

Porter said that cross-border shopping has cost the Canadian economy over $20 billion.

"Even at a conservative estimate of five per cent, we are talking over $20 billion a year," he said.

"If correct, that represents a real drain on domestic retail sales, employment and government revenues — a drain that looks (likely) to deepen."

The Retail Council of Canada blamed multinational companies for charging Canadians more for goods than Americans and claim that this is the reason for the price gap. They also claim that federal duties, less competition and higher transportation costs in Canada are all contributing factors to the reason why Canadians are gauged at Canadian stores, despite the dollar being worth $1.02 US.

Between 1995 and 2005, Porter said that the ratio of Canadian visits to the United States was one to one, now, the ratio is 2.7 to one.

"There has never been more Canadians heading south than now. On the flip side ... overall visits by Americans (to Canada) are now running at the lowest level in more than 40 years," Porter said.

Greed is to blame for lower revenues at stores and the loss of customers along with the loss of over $20 billion. The trick to getting more money is not raising prices to extremely expensive rates and keeping a small and unwilling group of consumers, the way to do so is to lower prices as low as possible and get a larger influx of customers. Retailers: if the government is the cause for your expensive prices that are doing Canadians no favor, do speak out. The problem of greed in Canada isn’t new, it’s been here for a while. Here’s how bad it was last year: Canada has been Consumed By Greed.

So Canadians pay 14% more on the exact same products that Americans do on average, and then we are taxed more than Americans and now we learn that Canada lost $20 billion due to Canadian consumers shopping elsewhere. Should the federal government step in and remove the causes of greed in Canada? Let us know: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

UN Slams Canada’s “Appallingly Poor” Food Record

UN Food Envoy Oliver De Schutter blasted Canada for its widespread problem of food insecurity, stating that the country needs to drop its “self-righteous” attitude about how great a country it is. The UN person in charge of the right of food spent 11 days touring our nation as his first developed nation.

His tour brought him to impoverished cities in central Canada that depend on social assistance and can’t afford to feed their families healthy food.

He has traveled to aboriginal communities in Manitoba and Alberta and saw "very desperate conditions and people who are in extremely dire straits."

His report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council and put a black mark on Canada’s official human rights record.

"It's even more shocking to me to see that there are 900,000 households in Canada that are food insecure and up to 2.5 million people precisely because this is a wealthy country. It's even less excusable," said De Schutter.

"It's not because the country is a wealthy country that there are no problems. In fact, the problems are very significant and, frankly, this sort of self-righteousness about the situation being good in Canada is not corresponding to what I saw on the ground, not at all."

This grim picture completely contradicts the rosy propaganda that has been spewed by the Conservative government which stated that since 2006, it has "worked with First Nations partners to ensure First Nations communities have access to healthy and affordable food, housing, education, and water, as well as economic opportunities."

The Conservatives offered a “detailed” account of what it is doing but refused to set up meetings between cabinet ministers and De Schutter, claiming it was abnormal practice.

"Well, look, the tradition is that when I visit countries on official missions, I have meetings at cabinet level," De Schutter said.

"The position of the Canadian government is that this mission is one that requires discussions to be had at the technical level with high-level public servants, with whom I did meet. And I'm of course grateful for their time and expertise, but frankly the question of hunger is not a technical question, it's a political question and without speaking to ministers, you cannot create the kind of understanding by the government that things are not going in the right direction, that there are very important blind spots in the current policies that the government cannot continue to ignore."

De Schutter added: "To improve things in Canada, you need much more political will to be invested in this issue and that is a message I regrettably cannot make to public servants, convinced though of they are of this. I need to speak to the ministers, and I think this betrays, if you wish, a lack of understanding of what hunger is about."

De Schutter will come back to Canada to make a follow-up but as of yet no date has been stated.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives attacked De Schutter and his findings.

"Canada sends billions of dollars of food aid to developing countries around the world where people are starving," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said.

"It would be our hope that the contributions we make to the United Nations are used to help starving people in developing countries, not to give lectures to wealthy and developed countries like Canada. And I think this is a discredit to the United Nations."

According to CTV News, Diana Bronson, of Food Secure Canada, said Kenney is refusing to acknowledge a very real problem in Canada.

"The problem of hunger in Canada is perhaps not on our front page news but there are 2 million people in this country who are food insecure and we have almost a million people who use food banks on a monthly basis. So we are indeed in a crisis and the terrible thing is we have no policy in place to deal with it," Bronson said.

And one can only imagine what Employment Insurance changes will mean for the impoverished. Flaherty recently told Canadians that “There is no bad job; the only bad job is not having a job.” This statement was the justification for making EI harder to get and forcing the unemployed to find jobs outside their field and even outside their region – or face an empty hand from the Canadian government. Flaherty also targeted the disabled, “We need to get rid of disincentives in the employment insurance system to people joining the workforce,” Flaherty said.

While the Conservatives brag about job growth and a “strong economy,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told Parliament that these measures were there to prepare Canadians for an upcoming serious labor shortage.

The Conservatives have failed with the economy and insulted human rights and now, they have not only given us a black mark on the environment on the world stage, but now one on something as basic as hunger and human rights. Canada is notably not the best country in the world and this is due to the failed and irresponsible leadership of the Conservative government.

How do you feel about De Schutter’s findings? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter,Google+.

EI Reforms Go Too Far

As part of the federal budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty decided to take a strong stance on EI, making it harder to get and forcing families to split and lose everything in order to get whatever job is available outside their region. Let’s remind Flaherty of how the system really works and why he really has no right to touch it – at all.

With every paycheck that is handed out to employers and employees a lump sum of cash is automatically deducted. One part of it is taxes and another part is Employment Insurance. Employment Insurance puts a worker’s money aside for a rainy day, ensuring that should they ever lose their job, they would always have a point of return. No Flaherty, it is not something that you can tax – as you did – or claim as tax revenue – as you did when you decided to reform the system.

Now that we have a clear visual of our EI insurance system, and I must stress insurance, what kind of just argument, morally, is it to tell a worker that has been laid off and looking for work in his field that he must sell his home and belongings, or abandon his family, to find a job – regardless of what is available? More and more seniors are ending their days in poverty and the raising of the retirement age just adds another painful blow to those who are crawling through their last years of life.

Considering that we all work and pay taxes and pay into our employment insurance, what right does the government have to fiddle with it? Considering that we all put money aside into our own retirements, what right does the government have to interfere with that?

Given the bleak future of retirement where seniors are told by our system to get rid of everything they’ve worked for in order to get dismal assistance, what is the point of working long and hard all these years? Or perhaps are we working in the wrong country? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter,Google+.

Libya cost 700% more than what we were told

Defense Minister Peter Mackay’s cost estimate of Canada’s mission in Libya was 700% less than what it actually was. Canada paid close to $350 million for the war, quite a bit for a country that is dealing with economic constraint. None the less, above all, this reflects his honesty more than his management of taxpayer funds.

Last October, NATO wrapped up its 7 month Libya mission victorious after killing its dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Mackay told Canadians at the time that the cost would be about $50 million, $0 million less than the prediction of the Department of Defense.

"As of Oct. 13, the figures that I've received have us well below ($60 million), somewhere under $50 million," MacKay told the CBC on October 28, three days before the mission officially ended. "And that's the all-up costs of the equipment that we have in the theatre, the transportation to get there, those that have been carrying out this critical mission."

However, buried in a report that was tabled in the House of Commons this week, the Defense Department outlined the full cost to be $347.5 million, close to 7 times more than what was initially said by MacKay.

This matter of honesty links directly to the F35 controversy where MacKay has given us values $10 billion below the actual cost, and based on the expenses incurred in the US, the final cost will likely climb even more than what is currently being said.

Steve Staples, president of the Rideau Institute, a think-tank, discovered the hidden figures and accused Mackay of trying to hide the truth.

"Just like the F-35, Minister MacKay has been caught lowballing costs and minimizing overspending in his department, to the point now where I think a lot of Canadians are questioning his credibility and whether we can continue to believe his funny numbers," Staples said.

At the time, the Rideau Institute predicted a cost millions more than the $50 million that was said and Mackay said "the Rideau Institute, as so often is the case, is wrong."

It turns out that there estimate was indeed closer than his.

University of Ottawa Expert of Defense Philippe Lagasse said that there was a culture of hiding full costs to Parliament and the public within the Defense Department.

"This has been an ongoing problem," he said. "It's linked to departmental culture. We've seen this for a number of years and on a number of files. And it's linked up in the nature of what they do."

"The question becomes how come the defense minister has a clear, secure number, but that clear, secure number doesn't end up in the documents," he said. "Something doesn't match up there."

Do you trust Peter MacKay’s costing details? Let us know: Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Old Port of Montreal CEO is Unapologetic

Taxpayer-funded CEO of the Old Port of Montreal, Claude Benoit, is unapologetic over her use of taxpayer dollars for her personal trip to New Zealand. She wasted working days touring the waterfronts and museums of New Zealand and used her off days to board a cruise – all at our collective expense. During her trip, she did not meet with the heads of various institutions that she visited as part of her full-time job, instead, she took pictures. It is time we send a strong message to bureaucrats who intend to use our money for their gain.

Benoit, and the Board of Directors of the Crown corporation that approved her, spent $10,000 reimbursing her 10 working days during her trip Down Under in 2008 and 2009.

“I did not meet anyone at the sites,” Benoit told a parliamentary committee on Thursday. “I took pictures.”

Her response to the spotlight was quite Conservative, she said it was a “campaign of smear and slander.” Recognize this language? It came from Dean Del Mastro when his party was grilled over allegations of election fraud.

Del Mastro was the one to lead the charge, doubting anything she found wasn’t already on the internet and told her to start paying for her vacations.

“I think you’re well paid,” Del Mastro told Benoit. “What I’d say to you is in the future, pay for your own vacations.”

Benoit tried to defend herself, claiming she was getting ideas and that the expenses were approved by the board of directors, but MPs of all political stripes condemned her for her actions.

Liberal MP Dennis Coderre took a stab at her with a Conservative lens, saying that she acted like a “Conservative Minister” with her $1,000/month car allocation, even though she lives close to the Old Port.

NDP MP Charlie Angus questioned the ethics behind taking a vacation with taxpayers’ money.

“It was your vacation, but you charged the taxpayer for things that you visited,” said Angus. “I don’t think it’s necessarily up to the taxpayer to pay [for my vacations], even if I’m finding out wonderful things.”

Benoit responded that the money was part of her undisclosed salary and is taxable, and that this was how she would compensate for her “work-related” travel expenses.

Benoit said that her institution is being trimmed in light of Conservative cuts. The annual executive retreats, traditionally held at a luxury resort in Mont-Tremblant are now being held in a less-expensive venue in Montreal, she said. However, there was no mention if her large salary as CEO or her perks would take cuts as well, perhaps the Conservatives should not have left the decision in her hands.

But Del Mastro is one to speak about using one’s own money to go on trips. He should speak to his boss, PM Harper about that, and he should also speak to his colleagues Bev Oda, Lisa Raitt, Tony Clement and Peter Mackay about not using taxpayer money for their own virtues. While each of the previously mentioned members have repaid their expenses, it is still fundamentally wrong for them to behave in such a manner, thinking that they are entitled, and thinking that they can borrow and reimburse taxpayers whenever they like.

What this recent scandal proves, in light of many surrounding the Conservative government and bureaucratic institutions, is that austerity is needed but it is delivered to the wrong persons. What this proves is that our system of management in Canada needs rethinking and shrinking.

Perhaps, we would have a lot more money if we weren’t paying for large bureaucratic offices and if we weren’t paying for the perks that these civil servants get. Perhaps if people entrusted with the responsibility of managing our systems respected the tax payer and cut their own salaries and perks, instead of laying off thousands of their employees, Canada would move a few steps forward, instead of several steps back; perhaps, our systems would be in better shape and be more effective too – just a thought.

The days of entitlement need to end and they need to end now. It is time that government officials and administrators respected the people who have to pay for their paychecks.

Are you fed up of high-level bureaucrats and politicians (MPs and Senators) who think they are entitled? Let us know and get your message heard by sharing this article. Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Tories Linked to Quebec Construction Scandal

The Quebec construction agency is under investigation for corrupt activities with the provincial government and Data Analysis has drawn a link between the companies being investigated and money flowing to Conservative party coffers.

The Conservatives have received donations from dozens of employees working for three engineering firms that are implicated in high profile investigations that are part of a public inquiry.

The donations illustrate that federal politics isn’t a stranger to corporate ties which are now being investigated and scrutinized as part of a public inquiry.

The billions of dollars that have been unveiled as spending in the 2009 federal budget was rewarded an influx of contributions to Montreal Conservative ridings by affiliates of the companies that are now under investigation.

The public inquiry that is underway in Quebec is investigating the role of engineering-consulting firms in wider scandals which feature collusion, kickbacks, Mafia ties, illegal political financing and money-laundering.

This is the first major tie to federal politics in what has been a provincial scandal plaguing an unpopular Charest government.

The Canadian Press analyzed donation data from these firms and found that funds from these companies turned a Conservative riding association in Montreal that had no hope of building and existing into a financial powerhouse in early 2009.

The Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding, a left-leaning riding that is home to some of the country’s most progressive politics, saw the Conservatives be placed in 5th place – after the Green Party – but with the influx in donations, the riding association racked up a $288,823.37 surplus by the end of the year due to donations.

The riding got 5 times more than many Conservative ridings in the west. PM Harper’s riding only saw $57,103.75 in donations that year.

The influx of money in the riding is being partially credited to Harper’s appearance at a May 20 fundraiser which was attended by dozens of engineering executives which are now under investigation.

The funds came from employees who work for BPR, Roche Ltd, and Leroux Beaudoin Hurens & Associes, which are among the largest firms in Quebec.

Law enforcement claims to have uncovered a system of kickbacks that the municipal politicians received in exchange for lucrative contracts to upgrade local water installations.

In Mascouche, just off the Montreal Island, Leroux Beaudoin Hurens & Associes head Jean Leroux was arrested with 15 other people earlier this month on charges related to the alleged collusion scheme.

Leroux’s court appearance is set for June 19 and it has been found that he donated $666.66 to the Laurier-Saint-Marie Conservative association in 2009. On the same day, Vice President Rouche Ltd, France Michaud donated $400 to that same riding association.

Michaud was arrested in 2011 for allegedly being part of a similar collusion scheme in Boisbriand, another off-island town. She denied wrong doing and pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains the VP of the company.

An exclusive gathering with then public works minister Christian Paradis took place before a fundraiser and included Michaud and three executives from BPR.

A spokesperson for Paradis said that the minister doesn’t recognize Michaud’s name. Paradis is now in charge of the industry profile.

Two BPR employees were arrested in 2011 as part of the Boisbriand investigation into the way contracts were awarded. The first employee, Rosaire Fontaine, donated $500 to the Conservatives in 2009 and $950 in 2007. Fontaine was arrested again in last month’s police round up. Second arrested, Claude Briere, donated $800 in 2007.

Andre De Maisonneuve, another BPR employee, was charged this month for fraud in connection to his handling of Mascouche’s municipal contracts.

BPR said Briere has left the company while Fontaine and De Maisonneuve took an administrative leave due to the investigation. Fontaine and Briere have until May 11 to enter a plea on the charges.

The Conservatives weren’t the only ones receiving funds from the companies. The Liberal riding association of Chambly-Borduas got $470,755.41 in donations in 2009 – $182,000 more than the Tories managed in Laurier-Sainte-Marie – partly thanks to donations from four BPR executives.

The Liberals attribute the spike in donations to a successful fundraiser on June 4, 2009, which was attended by then-Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. The money was then transferred to other Quebec Liberal riding associations. The influx in funds of the Liberal party came from Law firms whom contain donors that have been linked to the fraud scandal in Quebec and have since been arrested.

During the 2011 election campaign, an audio recording of a discussion between SM Group President Bernard Poulin and construction mangate Tony Accurso about influencing the appointment process of the Montreal Port Authority’s board of directors was released.

The plan was to enlist Dimitri Soudas, one of the most powerful employees in the PMO to set the ball in motion.

Harper responded to the controversy during the campaign stating that the candidate Soudas preferred, Robert Abdallah wasn’t appointed but was later hired by one of Accurso’s firms.

Accurso faces charges of fraud, conspiracy, influence-peddling, breach of trust and two counts of defrauding government.

Poulin’s name was on a guest list of an exclusive event held before the May 20 fundraiser which had a reception with the Prime Minister. People associated with Montreal engineering firms continued to donate to the Conservatives throughout that spring.

A dozen of employees from CIMA, one of Quebec’s largest engineering-consulting firms donated nearly $10,000 to the Conservative association in Laurier-Sainte-Marie. CIMA was also part of a consortium that won the contract to study the Champlain Bridge. As of yet, there are no criminal ties attached to CIMA and it is noted that employees from other engineering firms donated large amounts to the Tories.

“It’s pretty clear the people that make contributions,” Conservative Senator, and one of the key organizers of the May 20 event, Leo Housakos said.

“If you look at various reports you’ll know who they are. Their names speak for themselves. Those are my friends, that is my network, and I have a democratic right to solicit people.”

Whistleblowers disagree with Housakos, charging that there have been links to corruption in the construction industry and illegal financing of provincial political parties.

An undercover reporter for Radio Canada posed as an investor and recorded Pierre Coulombe, an influential provincial Liberal organizer and recently a prominent Conservative organizer, suggesting that Quebec decision-makers could be accessed for a fee. He was overheard telling clients that instead of paying political insiders, they should just promise future jobs.

Coulombe suggested that some of the working conditions would include payments for politicians, $25,000 per year for multiple years upon retirement and require the attendance of only one meeting annually – and occasionally send them on business trips to Europe.

Coulombe explained that he over-exagerated in the video and overstated his level of access to government contracts.

From 2006 to 2008, Coulombe was the Conservative’s chief Quebec organizer.

What do you think of these new revelations in a scandal that encompasses corruption and political influencing? Let us know and get the word out: Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Analysis: Mulcair Says Solution to Quebec Education Crisis is More Federal Funding

NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said his party wants more federal funding for post-secondary education. Mulcair said that the demand was a criticism of the Harper government’s management of the Education portfolio and not an attempt to interfere with Quebec politics.

"Our fight is not with the Charest government," said Mulcair, who served as a minister in Premier Jean Charest's cabinet.

"Our fight is to make sure that the federal government does its job of spending more with regards to post-secondary education."

Federal transfers to the provinces have increased since the Conservatives came to power and those to Quebec in particular have risen by 43% – to $17.6 billion since 2005-06.

Meanwhile there has been controversy over accusations that Mulcair took the file and prevented his rookie student MPs from speaking on the matter.

"I'm the spokesman on it," Mulcair said. "I'm the intergovernmental affairs spokesman in our caucus so it's my file."

Mulcair brushed off the accusations attacking the Bloc Quebecois and Quebec City counterpart while saying there had been a "lively discussion on the NDP's long-standing policy to have the federal government re-engage on post-secondary education and research.”

"We're all full-square behind that the idea that the federal government has to play a more active role on post-secondary education," Mulcair said, declaring that he believes the federal government should play a larger role in post secondary education.

“We're leaving the largest ecological, economic and social debt in history," Mulcair said.

"To know that the average student in Canada is borrowing $30,000, just to get a bachelor's degree, how is a young couple supposed to buy a house with $60,000 debt?"

---

A cash crunch has lead the Quebec Liberals to impose tuition hikes but it has come up against staunch opposition. One third of Quebec students have been protesting for most of the semester and large demonstrations have been planned in downtown Montreal.

Quebec students pay the lowest tuition in Canada and the current version of the hikes would amount to a hike of $254 per semester for seven years, plus an index for inflation.

Students meanwhile argue that there is waste in the education system that should be dealt with first, and other countries with strong economies, like Germany, have free tuition.

La Classe, the more militant student group, offered the following proposals to try to resolve the conflict:

• Reducing the amount Quebec universities devote to research by $142 million
• Banning universities from commercial advertising (recruitment of students)
• Implementing an immediate salary and hiring freeze on university administrators
• An immediate moratorium on new campus construction, and the expansion of existing buildings

The Quebec Government came to a compromise with student groups stating it would cut other university fees to implement the tuition hike but as it stands students who are voting on the proposal are rejecting it.

Considering that the Quebec Government has gotten increased funding from the federal government, and increased taxes by 2%, one would think they had plenty of money to balance the books and not attack the future of our nation. Instead, the Charest government has attacked the youth and proposed another tax and spend budget which does nothing to improve the quality of life of Quebecors.

Arguably, what Premier Jean Charest should have done was cut bureaucratic costs, salaries and perks, and revised his spending priorities. This would have led him to present a budget that spent less than the $80 billion that this one did where spending was up by about 2%. In short, efficiencies should have been found and instead of raising the QST by 2% – reaffirming Quebec’s high tax mantra – Charest should have made cuts across the board to management and administration in bureaucratic offices.

In fact, perhaps La Classe’s initial proposal didn’t go far enough.

If the Quebec government did the following and applied similar strategies to all departments, what would they need tax hikes for and what would Mulcair’s funding plan be needed for?

• Lay off admin staff and cut admin salaries and perks
• Have an immediate audit on spending and a thorough examination of all new construction and renovations.
• With surplus, lower tuition and re-evaluate teacher's salaries to give fairer compensation.
• Revise other spending proposals in the budget and make cuts to in-necessity and transfer funds to where it is needed.

Perhaps the aim of the Charest government should be to reduce costs, and not try to pin the weight of a wasteful system on students. Perhaps if Quebec got its finances together, Mulcair wouldn’t have to spend millions of tax payer dollars trying to fund a system that has a sufficient amount of funds – it is all in the way you cut the pie and it’s all in the way you manage it.

How would you deal with Quebec’s Education crisis? Let us know and share it with your friends! Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

The Conservative Economic Handbook

Did you ever wonder how we should be running the economy? Don’t worry, the Conservatives are here to make it clear and simple! Here are 10 steps to keeping a country’s economy in order and how to be financially prudent!

The Conservatives are here to send a strong message about how to best manage money, here is their lesson:

Step 1: When no one is looking, book a fancier and more expensive Hotel and buy as much orange juice as you can!

Step 2: When you’re stranded, call the search and rescue people to send you a helicopter and when you are afraid of being thrown out of office, build fancy gazebos with money that was supposed to go to border security.

Step 3: Lie about the actual cost of jet planes and be reluctant to give any details. Attack your opposition and call them a bunch of tax and spending idiots, or go on record and say they were soft on Nazis – even though they didn’t exist at the time.

Step 4: Use the expensive challenger to go to a hockey game and a baseball game in the United States and repay a lesser fare later. Then hold a press conference about how your government has its hand on the wheel and how it has no money to spare and to prepare for austerity.

Step 5: Remember, your staff are inferiors, always book the most expensive rooms.

Step 6: Screw public transport, forget about cars, get limos and fancy drivers! The trick is, you are elected to government so this is an automatic perk that you’re given for being elected.

Step 7: Divert attention, maintain funding for propaganda. Canadians are “uninformed and apathetic” and it is important we keep them this way. Keep it simple, when the media come hollering, put them under your wing and tell them that the Conservatives have a strong hand on the economy and taxes are staying low.

Step 8: Cut the things you don’t like so it will be easier to appear strong when the unions come running. Who needs Statistics Canada? What can they tell us that we don’t already know. Don’t forget, many Canadians say they don’t want things and it actually means that they do. There was this massive social movement against us and we won a majority!

Step 9: Blame the deficit that arose before the global economic down turn happened on the global economic down turn. Since we are in rough waters overseas, it will be believable that our markets just went with it – plenty of time to try to get our acts together.

Step 10: Buy all the things Canada doesn’t need at the most expensive price, and in some cases, offload to the provinces. Canada needs new prisons: make provinces pay for it. Canada needs more senators: make provinces pay for implementation and elections. Canada needs lemon jet planes: unfortunately that’s federal. Canada needs 30 MPs in places where the governing party might win: it’s a toss up – but democracy badly needs them!

The Conservative Economic Handbook: Now you know how to run the economy and make a few quick bucks too! Don’t forget that after increasing spending by 40% in their first two years and cutting 10% as their austerity package, they shrunk government!

So will you be following the Conservative Economic Handbook? Let us know and share it with your friends! Facebook,Twitter,Google+.

Robocall Scandal: Pierre Poutine Operated in Guelph Tory Campaign Office

The Elections Canada has found that the misleading calls that targeted non-Conservative voters in the last election came from the same IP address (and thus same computer) as regular messages from the Guelph Tory campaign office.

An affidavit declares that two unique computer addresses, one links to a proxy server, were used to access RackNine by the deputy campaign manager, Andrew Prescott and the person who paid for the calls on election day between April 30 and May 2, 2011, according to Elections Canada Investigator Allan Mathews.

“At a minimum,” the computer log information means Prescott and Pierre Poutine “used the same computer” on May 1 at around 9 p.m., “and that a single computer appears to have been used to access RackNine — the Edmonton-based automated dialing and voice broadcast service — both directly and by way of the proxy server on several occasions,” he wrote.

On May 2, both Prescott and Pierre Poutine’s accounts with RackNine were accessed on the same computer 4 minutes apart.

The court documents also reveal that the Conservative Party lawyer admitted that the list of Guelph residents who were targeted matches the list of non-supporters identified by the party on April 27, just days before the election.

The affidavit suggests others on the Guelph campaign had openly discussed dirty tricks, despite being warned against it.

Mathews noted multiple aliases that were used to make accounts. Pierre Jones was used for the account with RackNine and Pierre Poutine was used to create the account with Bell Canada. He set up a throw away burner cell phone and Pierre Jones used a free web-based proxy server to hide his IP address. He used pre-loaded credit cards to make PayPal payments for the misleading calls.

Prescott denies involvement in the affair. He said that he only made legitimate use of RackNine during the campaign and was reimbursed for 6 calls that he paid for out of his pocket worth $1,100. The campaign noted the expense as a payment to Prescott for “salaries and wages.”

The affidavit said another campaign worker, Michael Sona, twice discussed using dirty tricks and was twice warned off it by local and national campaign workers.

A worker at the Conservative’s national campaign headquarters war room, Matthew McBain, said Sona once spoke to him “about a campaign of disinformation such as making a misleading poll moving call.” The affidavit quotes him as saying that he warned off Sona “as the party would not stand for it.”

Guelph campaign worker Christopher Crawford said he overheard a discussion between Sona and the campaign manager Ken Morgan where Sona “was describing ‘how the Americans do politics,’ using the examples of calling non-supporters late at night, pretending to be liberals, or calling electors to tell them their poll location had changed.”

“Crawford said he did not think Sona was serious, but he claims he did say to Sona, before leaving the office that evening that his comments were not appropriate.”

Sona quit abruptly when allegations broke and denied wrongdoing.

Prescott said he gave his information to Sona and Morgan.

"As I’ve said before, we have proactively reached out to Elections Canada and offered to assist them in any way we can. That includes handing over any documents or records that may assist them," Fred Delorey said, stating he would not comment on the affair.

The opposition responded, questioning the Conservative’s denials.

"Unfortunately, despite all the evidence, Conservatives still continue to deny any connection — or even acknowledge that they are under investigation," NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus said.

Liberal MP Frank Valeriote, who won the seat in Guelph, said, "These calls are part of a sophisticated, systematic Conservative election fraud scheme."

No charges have been laid but it appears that now there is a clear link between the Conservative campaign and the Robocall scandal that occurred last year.

What do you think of recent revelations in the investigation? Follow us and let us know Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Can you lend me a ride?

If the current amount of abuse of our money wasn’t enough, this government's baggage is about to get heavier. They say there is no money for pensions. They say there is no money for things that Canadians desire and need, but there is plenty of cash floating around for their perks.

A recent CTV investigation emptied the parking lot at Parliament Hill, angered drivers and sent Conservative MPs into the defensive. MPs were charging Canadians overtime for unnecessary luxury drivers for every trip they decided to make – even the ones that could have been done through walking.

The investigation revealed that the average ministerial driver was paid a salary of $46,883 to $50,755, plus an average of $20,000 in overtime. All 26 ministers and 11 junior ministers used and abused this service. The total overtab came to $600,000 on the taxpayers’ tab. Each chauffer racked up hundreds of overtime hours between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011.

Among the most expensive customers were Public Works and Government Services Minister Rona Ambrose, who billed the government $40,074 for over 1,000 overtime hours. Current treasury board minister, and then industry minister Tony Clement had his driver kept on standby for a year and the government was billed accordingly. (You can see the table at the end of this article for a per MP basis)

NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus charged at the Conservatives asking, "How do the Conservatives have the nerve to tell Canadians that the cupboard is bare while ministers on the front-benches are stuffing themselves on perks and entitlements?"

"For crying out loud, even Batman drives his own car," Angus said. "All were asking is for them to show a little respect for the taxpayer once in a while."

Clement defended the costly perks claiming that MPs and their chauffers work hard.

"Our ministers are working long hours for the economy, long hours for jobs, long hours for the people of Canada, and sometimes that means a bit of overtime by the drivers," Clement said.

Acknowledging his mistake, Clement said that the government would look to reexamine the use of drivers.

"What we are doing is looking at the picture of drivers and their cars and making sure that we can have a reasonable approach to this," Clement said.

Clement and Ambrose weren’t the only ones cashing in. If the luxury hotel wasn’t enough for International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda, she tabbed Canadians for limozine costs as well. The limo service cost $1,000 per day and Oda has since repayed this sum.

Liberal ethics critic Scott Adams noted the day after the news broke that the parkinglot which was filled with chauffers, cashing in on taxpayers’ expense, was bare.

"We noticed today they're all hiding out around back," Adams said. "They're afraid to roll into Parliament in their black little limos today."

Adams charged that the second largest cabinet in Canadian history containing 37 members could have the decensy to to share cars and drivers and even use the free parliamentary buses that are available – or walk.

"They're telling everyone else to tighten their belts but they're living high on the hog," Andrews said. "They believe this is what they're entitled to and they're not willing to even cut back on some of their own perks."

So Tony Clement says that the drivers are necessary to rebuilding the economy. What do you think, should MPs be allowed to keep their perks – the ones they were ashamed of showing off once they got caught by the imfamous “Liberal media”?

If one thing is for sure, if the next government has a moral conscience and if the next government has any decensy, MP perks and benefits will be abolished and salaries and pensions re-examined. The days of entitlement are over.

Make sure Canadians know about this gross abuse of their money, share this article and let us know what you think. Facebook, Twitter, Google+.

Drivers’ Overime Hours Per MP

MP	Overtime	Converted	Cost	Meal cost
Rona Ambrose	1,028	1,596.5	$38,383.95	$1,690
Diane Finley	951.5	1,498.5	$36,027.78	$1,750
Jim Flaherty	847.5	1,271.25	$34,941.14
Tony Clement	6,548	818.5	$19,678.84
Gery Ritz	743.5	1157	$27,817.27	$1,110
Jason Kenney	710.75	1124.125	$26,702.82	$1,040
Rob Merrifield	704.5	1085.25	$26,092.19
Lawrence Cannon	695	1071	$25,749.59	$1,340
Denis Lebel	668.5	1041.75	$25,046.34
Keith Ashfield	607	910.5	$21,890.75
Lisa Raitt	597.5	933.63	$22,446.86	$920
Bev Oda	596	894	$21,494.05	$1,340
Lynne Yelich	536	840.75	$20,213.79
Gail Shea	497	759	$18,248.31	$850
Diane Ablonczy	484.5	758.75	$18,242.30	$740
Chuck Strahl	481	756.5	$18,543.74	$220
John Duncan	474.75	828.125	$21,175.16	$1,127
Peter Kent* (incomplete)	471.5	716.25	$17,220.49	$750
James Moore	453	707.75	$17,016.12	$490
Peter Van Loan	436.5	664.75	$15,982.29	$710
Christian Paradis	433.75	659.125	$15,847.06
Leona Aglukkaq	432	648	$15,579.58
Rob Nicholson	408.5	631	$15,170.86	$280
John Baird** (incomplete)	403.5	615	$14,786.18
Gary Goodyear	305	468.5	$11,263.94	$530
Ted Menzies	248	372	$10,345.02
Stockwell Day*** (incomplete)	167	250.5	$6,022.86
Rob Moore	147.5	221.25	$5,319.41	$270
Jean-Pierre Blackburn	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt
Peter Mackay	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt
Julian Fantino	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt
Gary Lunn****	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt	Exempt

*Environment Canada refuses to release Peter Kent’s full records and as such his analysis starts January 4, 2011

** PMO refuses to release John Baird’s full data and as such it starts Auguest 6, 2010.

***Treasury Board of Canada secretariat could only proide data from April 2010 to Auguest 2010

****Gary Lunn opted out of the driver program and didn’t have a driver.

Ministers of Departments that refuse to give any data:

• Jim Prentice (Then-Environment Minister)
• Marjory Lebreton (Leader of Government in Senate)
• Jay hill and John Baird (Leader of Government in House)
• Gordon O’Conner (Minister of State and Chief Government Whip)
• Josee Verner (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of Queens Privy Council of Canada, Minister for La Francophonie
• Steven Fletcher (Minister of Democratic Reform)
• Vic Toews (Minister of Public Safety)

Source: CTV News.