Piggy Pamela Parachutes From Porter

[props2you]

After getting exposed for too many trips to the trough, piggy Senator Wallin has resigned from her board positions, including Porter. Boo Hoo.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/wallin-resigns/article13048823/comments/?ord=0

[J.O.]

Harb paid some of what he owes this week, but he's digging his heels in on the rest. I'm glad this stuff is being exposed. The government rightfully keeps a tight rein on employee expenses and it's time that MPs and senators came under the same scrutiny.

[J.O.]

8 things revealed by RCMP's court filings on Mike Duffy

New information revealed in documents filed by the RCMP about Senator Mike Duffys expenses raises new questions.

They range from how Duffy approached the question of his residency from the moment he was first appointed to the Senate to how much the Prime Minister's Office knew about a $90,000 bank draft to repay his inappropriately claimed expenses.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/07/05/pol-rcmp-documents-questions-raised.html

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/05/it-was-too-much-money-broadening-investigation-details-how-tories-balked-at-duffy-payout/

[Boney]

Well, when the ship start sinking, the "Rats" get off first.

Hmmmmmm.

[Maverick]

Well, when the ship start sinking, the "Rats" get off first.

Hmmmmmm.

While I understand the sentiment this is more of a senate thing I think?

[Kip Powick]

Duffy billed Senate $65,000 to pay friend for 'no tangible work:' RCMP

‎Today, ‎October ‎08, ‎2013, ‏‎2 hours ago

Sen. Mike Duffy billed the Senate for $65,000 to pay a friend who allegedly provided “no tangible work” for the embattled Prince Edward Island senator, the RCMP allege in a new court document

http://feeds.canada.com/canwest/F233

Check your bottom link please

[Don Hudson]

May if given the chance we unwashed can do better than the Irish did last week....

[J.O.]

Not so long ago, "the Government of Canada" was saying there were no issues here. Time for another ad campaign to clarify what they really meant.

[Maverick]

Following are the speaking notes for Sen. Mike Duffy’s address to the Senate Tuesday evening:

Honourable Senators,

I rise today against the orders of my doctors who fear my heart condition has worsened after months of unrelenting stress.
But given the unprecedented nature of today’s proceedings, I feel I have no other choice than to come here to defend my good name.
Like you, I took a solemn oath to put the interests of Canadians ahead of all else.

However the sad truth is, I allowed myself to be intimidated into doing what I knew in my heart was wrong, out of a fear of losing my job, and a misguided sense of loyalty.

Much has been made of the $90,000 cheque from Nigel Wright.

I hope I’ll be able to give an explanation of the chain of events, and the circumstances surrounding that gift, without impinging on the rights of others to a fair trial should criminal proceedings follow.

Let me summarize it this way:

Dec. 3rd, 2012, The Ottawa Citizen ran a story asking how I could claim expenses for my house in Kanata, when I had owned the home before I was appointed to the Senate? The inference was clear. I was doing something wrong.

I immediately contacted Nigel Wright, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and explained that I was doing nothing improper.

Nigel Wright emailed me back, saying he’d had my expenses checked and he was satisfied that my accounts were in order. That all was in compliance with Senate rules.

In fact he said there were several other Senators in the same situation, and that this was a smear.

Following the PMO’s advice, I ignored the media.

But the attacks from Postmedia continued, and the political heat escalated.

So after caucus on Feb. 13th I met the Prime Minister and Nigel Wright.

Just the three of us.

I said that despite the smear in the papers, I had not broken the rules.

But the Prime Minister wasn’t interested in explanations or the truth.

It’s not about what you did. It’s about the perception of what you did that has been created by the media.

The rules are inexplicable to our base.

I argued I was just following the rules, like all the others.

It didn’t work. I was ordered – by the Prime Minister – to “pay the money back!” End of discussion. Nigel Wright was present throughout.

Just the 3 of us.

The next week, while I was at home in PEI, I had a series of discussions with Nigel Wright.

I said I didn’t believe I had broken the rules, and that to repay would be an admission of guilt.

Canadians know me as an honest guy. To pay back money I didn’t owe, would destroy my reputation.

The PMO piled on the pressure.

Some honourable Senators called me in PEI; – one Senator, and he knows who he is, left several particularly nasty, menacing messages. Do what the Prime Minister wants! “Do it for the PM and for the good of the party.”

I continued to resist. Finally the message from the PMO became “do what we want or else.” And what was the “else?”

I was told the Conservative majority on the steering committee of the Board of Internal Economy – Senators Tkachuk and Stewart-Olson, would issue a press release declaring me unqualified to sit in the Senate.

However, if you do what we want, the Prime Minister will publicly confirm you are entitled to sit as a Senator from PEI, and you won’t lose your seat.
Tkachuk and Stewart-Olsen are ready to make that release now.

They have no power to do that!

Agree to what we want right now, or else.

I made one last effort to dissuade the PMO and save my good name.

I don’t believe I owe anything, and besides which I don’t have $90,000!

Don’t worry, Nigel said, I will write the cheque.

Let the lawyers handle the details, you just follow the plan, and we’ll keep Carolyn Stewart-Olson and David Tkachuk at bay.

There were elaborate undertakings which were negotiated among the several lawyers involved who were taking instructions from their clients. Lawyers for the PMO, for the Conservative Party and me.

There was an undertaking made by the PMO, with the agreement of the Senate leadership, that I would not be audited by Deloitte – that I would get a pass;

and further that if this phoney scheme ever became public, Senator LeBreton, the government leader of the day would whip the Conservative caucus to prevent my expulsion from the chamber.

PMO officials said it wasn’t easy to get this commitment from Senators LeBreton, Tkachuk and Stewart-Olsen.

The e-mail chain shows it took hours of shuttling back and forth as the lawyers checked with their principals about the guarantees they would give to ensure I wasn’t censured for going along with this PMO scheme.

Given all of these emails you can imagine my shock when I heard there was not a single document about these negotiations to be found in the PMO. That’s right; in response to an Access to Information request, CBC was told there is not a single document in the PMO related to this matter.

Well, if they’re not in the PMO, they are in the hands of my lawyers, and apparently in the hands of police.

Why not release these documents now?

Because the people involved have rights, which under our system must be protected.

Are the police looking at possible criminal charges? Bribery, threats and extortion of a sitting legislator?

This is serious stuff and the people who were involved – more than those mentioned here today, deserve to have their rights protected. It’s the Canadian way.

It will all come out in due course, when all of the players are under oath and the email chain can be seen in its entirety.

In the interim, Deloitte reported to the Board of Internal Economy.

After combing my living expense claims, my travel claims, Senate air travel, my cell phone records and Senate Amex; Deloitte found I had not violated the Senate rules.

Then in May, after someone leaked selected excerpts of a confidential email I had sent to my lawyer voicing my concern about the deal, the PMO was back with a vengeance.

I was called at home in Cavendish by Ray Novak, senior aide to Prime Minister Harper. He had with him Senator LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator LeBreton was emphatic. The deal was off.

If I didn’t resign from the Conservative caucus within 90 minutes, I would be thrown out of the caucus immediately. Without a meeting – without a vote. In addition she said if I didn’t quit the caucus immediately, I would be sent to the ethics committee with orders from the leadership to throw me out of the Senate.

With Ray Novak and my wife and sister listening, Senator LeBreton was insistent “You’ve got to do this Mike, do what I’m telling you, quit the caucus within the next 90 minutes! It is the only way to save your pay cheque.”

I understand that caucus disputes are internal, and not a matter for the Senate.

However when one’s status as a Senator is repeatedly threatened, I believe this amounts to an attack on my independence as a Senator, and is criminal, or at the very least a serious violation of my privileges.

Colleagues, like you, this kind of politics is NOT why I came to the Senate of Canada. It is not millions of Canadians vote for the Conservative Party.
I came here to build a better country; to use my experience as a journalist to help build a better PEI.

I want to continue my hard work for the Island, and I can only do that if you follow due process.

Honourable Senators, this particular motion, should it pass, will be a serious violation of my human rights – including the most fundamental right of all – to be considered innocent until proven guilty.

That’s a basic right in our democracy – in the words of the Bill of Rights Act of 1960, one of great Tory accomplishments in my lifetime, and in my view, John Diefenbaker’s most important legacy, we are all entitled to “Fundamental Justice.”

This motion is in direct conflict with any sense of “fundamental justice.”

I remind honourable Senators, that right to fundamental justice was further enshrined in Mr. Trudeau’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.

I have done nothing wrong, violated no laws, and worked very hard to fulfil my duties as a Senator from my beloved Prince Edward Island.

Let me repeat: Deloitte investigated. And their audit of expenses related to my home on PEI, did not find wrongdoing. They said I had not broken Senate rules.

It was the 15 members of the Senate’s Board of Internal Economy who refused to accept the determination of the independent auditors at Deloitte. Why, I still don’t understand.

And those same Senators sit in judgement of me today?

Let me be clear: I violated no laws, I followed rules as they then were. And I never received a single note from Senate Finance or the leadership that suggested there was anything amiss.

Serving in this Chamber has been, I repeat, the greatest public/professional honour I have ever had – why would I want to subvert it or discredit in any way? I did not and I do not.

Needless to say, I agree strongly with the remarks made on the weekend by Senator Segal—this motion is something one might expect to see in Iraq, or Iran or in Vladimir Putin’s Russia – not in democratic Canada.

It is not, I repeat, It is not fundamental justice. Mr. Diefenbaker, and Mr. Trudeau, were they here today, would be mortified.

I urge you to defeat these motions and preserve our democratic, free and just Canada.

Hon. senators, my friends and especially my former colleagues; today you are facing the same choice I did back in February.

Be a team player and go along with the PMO and the senate leadership?

Or stand up, and do your constitutional duty.

I fervently wish I had had the courage to say NO back in February when this monstrous political stunt was first proposed.

Today you have an opportunity to stand strong, and use your power to restrain the unaccountable power of the PMO.

I urge you to say no to these outrageous motions. Tell the whips, my oath as a Senator is to put Canada first, and that comes before my loyalty to my party or leader.

Canadians are watching.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

http://o.canada.com/news/national/text-of-sen-mike-duffys-speech-to-the-senate-tuesday/

[Don Hudson]

Neither he nor Ms Wallin are 'going gently into that good night. . . " This is getting really interesting, and there are bloodhounds everywhere now.

It is beyond reason to expect that, with his passion, to put it lightly, for absolute control, the PM did not know very early on, particularly given the Nigel Wright payout.

As we know, is now a rush to get one's story out first, to build the basis for plausible deniabilities when this breaks wide open. Harper's denials are reminiscent of Nixon in the early days after the 'third-rate' burglary at the Watergate. Keeping in mind Woodstein, I wonder if the two or possibly three giant media corporations are up to the story or will they pull punches?

On verra.

[Maverick]

Neither he nor Ms Wallin are 'going gently into that good night. . . " This is getting really interesting, and there are bloodhounds everywhere now.

It is beyond reason to expect that, with his passion, to put it lightly, for absolute control, the PM did not know very early on, particularly given the Nigel Wright payout.

As we know, is now a rush to get one's story out first, to build the basis for plausible deniabilities when this breaks wide open. Harper's denials are reminiscent of Nixon in the early days after the 'third-rate' burglary at the Watergate. Keeping in mind Woodstein, I wonder if the two or possibly three giant media corporations are up to the story or will they pull punches?

On verra.

Agreed Don, the ONE thing that Harper has always had is iron-fisted control. The e-mail chains are what will implicate him. Interesting days indeed!

[J.O.]

The attempts to boot the three senators are a direct run at killing the RCMP investigation. No doubt about it.

[Don Hudson]

"The attempts to boot the three senators are a direct run at killing the RCMP investigation. No doubt about it."

Only if there's a deal between the RCMP Commissioner and the PM's Office - otherwise, if laws were broken, the RCMP investigation goes ahead. Now if only Senate "laws" were broken, then yes, I'd agree but then the RCMP wouldn't be interested at all, ...but they are, so I'm not sure they can kill any RCMP investigation, without letting off a stench bomb.

Having witnessed in the last century one head of state who had much the same characteristics as this one when handling the tightening screws of media and special prosecutors in 1972-74, along with the increased ante as launched by Duffy and Wallin we may well expect to see Parliamentary inquiries with "independent" Chairs, who, if getting too close, will suffer the same fate as Archibald Cox, appointed as Special Prosecutor by the Nixon Administration. No one is going to go "into the night" gracefully, and it appears as though both the National Post and the Toronto Star (haven't examined the G&M yet) appear to have picked up the real scent.

[J.O.]

"The attempts to boot the three senators are a direct run at killing the RCMP investigation. No doubt about it."

Only if there's a deal between the RCMP Commissioner and the PM's Office - otherwise, if laws were broken, the RCMP investigation goes ahead. Now if only Senate "laws" were broken, then yes, I'd agree but then the RCMP wouldn't be interested at all, ...but they are, so I'm not sure they can kill any RCMP investigation, without letting off a stench bomb.

I hope you're right Don. Unfortunately I no longer believe that the PMO has any limits as to where they will go to get their way. It's actually pretty scary.

[Don Hudson]

J.O.

In my view, this man's true colors are now showing. I think we are justified in being concerned.

History however, shows that eventually they fall. It took Nixon 2 years, and we're coming up on year one.

I believe he will block the RCMP investigations. I wonder if would go so far as to fire the Commissioner if it comes to a power struggle?

But wait, there's more...

He'll prorogue Parliament.

[Fido]

Beware the hidden agenda.

Has anyone seen it?

[Homerun]

Don and JO, are you guys serious? Should Harper not have told Duffy to pay back $90k in questionable expenses?

[deicer]

Don and JO, are you guys serious? Should Harper not have told Duffy to pay back $90k in questionable expenses?

It's gone beyond that at this point. Don't deflect.......

[Homerun]

It's gone beyond that at this point. Don't deflect.......

Not deflecting. But there is more than one issue going on here.

1) Duffy plays fast and loose with expenses

2) Harper tells him to repay

3) Duffy refuses so Nigel gives him the cash. Optics don't look good but the taxpayer was made whole.

4) Senate tries to expel Duffy et al. Obviously this is coming from the PMO/ Harper so criticize the Cons for this if you must. Personally, I'm happy to see some slimy politicians getting kicked to the curb for wasting our money, regardless of what party they are from. Are they getting due process? Probably not but I fail to see how this makes Harper "scary" or shows his "true colors coming out"

The Senate cannot be abolished quickly enough, IMO

[J.O.]

Think bigger picture. The constitution makes it extremely difficult to deal with the Senate. How do you create an election issue out of it? By having a nice juicy scandal. I'm not the only one who is smelling a rat here.

[Homerun]

JO, so you believe this whole thing has been orchestrated to create an election issue out of the Senate?

Did Duffy and Wallin not play fast and loose with their expenses? If not, then why pick those two?

Sounds a bit far fetched to me.

Hasn't Harper already stated that they would wait for the Supreme Court ruling before deciding how to proceed on the Senate file?

[Don Hudson]

Homerun;

The Harper government is in trouble and the PM knows that he and they have to distract the attention of the Canadian people in time to look pristine and positive for the next election two years hence. The throne speech was a classic election budget that has all kinds of pretty, shiny things in it for the credulous voter - I actually like some of the proposals, but that's all they are, particularly when it comes to the PAC-style lobbying that the cable and telecommunications corporations can muster. I don't think that they are using this scandal as a platform to launch Senate Reform because they are looking really bad right now and dishonest, which is far worse than incompetent, which they are not. Insofar as electioneering goes, there are less harmful-to-oneself ways of doing that. I think this blew up because they tried to cover it up with a $90,000 payoff to a recalcitrant, immature Senator who was rolling around the rocking deck, loaded with explosives, or something. Given the home and the fight, I'm wondering if Duffy is actually broke and both needs the Senate income and the stolen expenses including the 90k payoff and the PMs office was originally intending to do Duffy a favour and it got out of hand? That should all come out in the investigation.

Of course I'm serious in my comments. It's the way I see the informal evidence so far and there is human nature, power, ego, greed, fear and tons of historical precedents, (we've all seen these things before - England's "Profumo" affair is the first one I recall - sex, money, drugs...this is tamed down by comparison). So given these human factors it's not difficult to assess. And if I'm wrong, so much the better, no? I doubt very much whether anything I say here has any effect upon the PM or the other croo, er, Senators involved. After all, under the Senate rules, the debate is occurring regarding their suspension and that extremely serious circumstance does not occurr in a vacuum nor does it get to this stage where mere power-politics are involved, nor does the RCMP get involved in trivial cases especially when it involves government and the ruling party - they would be very circumspect and sure of their ground before acting, don't you think?

So, as an observer of my government, where did the money come from, and whether from NW's private, personal funds or someone's budget, why and where are the procedures by which a single dishonest Senate member who cheated on his expenses to small amount and lied about it. What skeleton keys is Duffy in possession of? At the very least, that he alone gets a $90,000 get-out-of-jail card from a senior government bureaucrat directly connected through history, friendship, assigned office and politics, from the Prime Minister, to me smells of blackmail and the worry for the PM isn't the Senate suspensions - that's internal rules. What he has to worry about is the RCMP investigation, because that does have the potential for serious political damage, and could even end up in civil or criminal charges for some/all etc.

As with Nixon, this is, as Woodstein called it, a third-rate burglary done by rank amateurs that merited a paragraph on some page far back in the Washington Post in late 1972. I remember it like was yesterday. But because of ego, power, avarice, denial, and a personal arrogance inherent in the view that "the President" was above the law, two years in August of 1974 it brought Nixon down and destroyed what his presidency brought to the U.S., (which in my view was a modicum of conservatism and not the homunculus-version they've created for themselves today), and he opened the political, (and subsequently the economic) door to China - which had to be done at some point, some way, some time. He did it. But his need for absolute control and deep urge to avoid the opprobrium he despised and of which he was so contempuous.

Nixon wore his heart on his sleeve; - Mr Harper is faceless in public, but Nixon's flaws are Harper's flaws.

This is a third-rate caper where a senior Senator copped 90-grande of hush-money from a Canadian government official to cover up (make good) what appears to be illegal claims for expenses (concerning residence) by the Senator and to gain that Senator's "cooperation", (silence). It took internal, (now very public and external) politics, bickering driven purely by giant, economy-size egos to blow that plan up and now everyone is trying to get their story out first.

Do we forgive the bank robber if a VP of the bank quietly, personally slips the robber who is a close friend, the same amount of money that was stolen and the robber pays it back the bank? Of course not.

[Thebean]

As a member of and compensation for sitting on Porter's BoD, Wallin would presumably been entitled to positive space flight benefits on Porter.

One could presume she would have used them on countless trips between YOW and her condo in Toronto and on other trips of various nature on the Porter network.

I would venture to guess her net cost for each trip would be a base fare of about $7 to deal with the taxable benefit issue and then the myriad of taxes making the cost of each trip a little under $50.

I wonder what she billed the taxpayers for? $452 for the full fare and then pocket the difference?

Over the course of a year, that could add up to well over $50k of tax free benefits for the illustrious Senator and others.

I would assume that angle was carefully examined by the Senate's auditors.....

I don't attribute any of these to partisan politics. Freeloaders are freeloaders regardless of political stripe.

[boestar]

Again. PAYING IT BACK IS NOT RESTITUTION. If any of you were to falsify your expenses at work then you would be dismissed. AND pay it back. Whether the Taxpayer was made whole or not is of no consequence. A Crime was committed, call it fraud or theft or even embezzlement, whatever. FIRE THESE BOZO'S. Make an example, then make a few more. This country needs to hold their governmental officials accountable. the audit was done and findings were made. The RCMP got involved and now they must act. If they did not contravene any "Law of the Land" then they at least violated senate policy and senate law so grab the money back and FIRE THEM.

[DEFCON]

Wasn't Duffy claiming expenses while he was on a cruise with his wife? If so, that sounds a whole lot like criminal fraud, unless of course, he was talking business with a couple of guests while aboard.

Bean - are you smelling a little drop of Porter blood in the water?