Guest JakeYYZ Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 Mr. Chretien, was from 1986 to 1990 a Senior Advisor with Gordon Capital Corporation in Montreal. Gordon Capital is principally owned by Richard Li (Li Ka-Shing's son) Gordon Capital owns HSBC Securities. Ms. France Chretien-Desmarais husband is Andre Desmarais, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of the family-owned Power Corporation of Canada. Power Corporation of Canada is a partner with Li Ka-shing in CITIC Pacific Limited (China's largest diversified Hong Kong-traded company) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JakeYYZ Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 PAUL MARTIN: rose through the ranks at Power Corp., mentored by Paul Desmarais. In 1974 Desmarais made Martin president of Canada Steamship Lines and then, in 1981, made him spectacularly rich by selling the company to him. James Grant is a lawyer with the law firm Stikeman, Elliott. That law firm is the fourth largest in Canada and has extensive links to Li Ka Shing, mentioned predominantly in the Sidewinder report. Several former partners of the firm now work directly for Li and are on the boards of several of Li's companies including Concord Pacific and Husky Oil. What are Calin R’s origins? Stikemen, Elliott. He acted for Air Canada in its privatization. Haven’t heard of Project Sidewinder? Link: http://www.primetimecrime.com/sidewinder.pdf Li Ka-shing was the focus of a special joint CSIS and RCMP probe in 1996, called Project Sidewinder. The report, called "Chinese Intelligence Services and Triads Financial Links in Canada," which was not widely distributed here, shows that Li Ka-shing is closely associated with the Chinese government. At the time of the investigations, Mr. Li was increasing his holdings in Canada. This raised a national security issue: to what extent can foreign companies be allowed to own important economic entities in Canada? They were also interested in his generous contributions to the election funds of the main Canadian political parties - more than $100,000 in 1996 - through his wholly owned or partially owned companies, such as banks and the Husky Energy oil company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vsplat Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 So tell me. How many years ago do you think the Li family started this acquistion? My guess is around the time ONEX failed. Their first soldier landed in the Air Canada camp at that time. But, that's just my opinion Vs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Operation Bomberclad Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 I don't know if anyone remembers that Bombardier was talking building CRJs in China. I'm also pretty sure that the Alberta gov't is a little bit steamed right now about how their subsidy to Husky is going into buying out AC. I suppose there are other implications as well if GECAS will only support the Li bid and not any other suitor. I am also wondering at Chretien's involvement with Power Corp and foreign business deals and junkets to China. Seems to make more sense why CAI was bought out, and that ONEX was shut out. I also wonder about the relation of the Pattison group, Deluce, the Toronto Port Authority- man, the list goes on. :[ OB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JakeYYZ Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 The point is, some persons feel that there is an alternate to VL – the Fed’s. If anything, he (VL) has them in his pocket. VL is no more Canadian than Deng Xiaoping and he’s buying a controlling interest in a significant component of the Canadian economy . So far, few public questions have been raised. The U.S. Bureau of Export Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the Rand Corporation (Cox report) ... have identified Li Ka Shing and Hutchison Whampoa (Li's primary business) as financing or serving as a conduit for Communist Chinas military for them to acquire sensitive technologies and other equipment. In 2002-03, Global Crossing, a bankrupt operator of an international fiber-optic network, attempted to win U.S. approval to sell a 61.5 percent stake to Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte. The deal ran into problems with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. it raised concerns that Global Crossing's network would be controlled by a company with strong ties to China. Hutchison is majority owned by Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing. Sighting national security concerns, the Bush administration recently sank the Hutchison part of the deal. Power Corporation, through its Hong Kong Subsidiary Power Pacific Corporation, has a growing portfolio of investments in China and Hong Kong, including a joint venture with Bombardier and China's Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works in Quingdao. Power Pacific has also joined CITIC and Shanghai Hi-Tech Park development Corporation to create CITIC-Power Zhangjiang Co. Ltd. If China is conspiring to gain political and economic influence in Canada, as the Sidewinder report states, are Desmarais and Power Corporation's success in China the result of a calculated campaign by China to cultivate influence with the Prime Minister? Jean Chretien has already demonstrated, in the Shawinigate scandal, his willingness to breach conflict of interest regulations to preserve the value of his golf game. Would he do any less to preserve contracts with the government of China that are possibly worth millions of dollars to his son-in-law's company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.