Guité trial hears about unusual expenses
MONTREAL—A $2,526 hospitality expense for David Dingwall and Health Canada funds for a TV show in China were among the more unorthodox transactions that went through Chuck Guité‘s office as Ottawa went on a spending frenzy in the 1990s to fight Quebec separatism.
…In a series of documents he tabled yesterday, Mr. Guité brought up the names of then-prime-minister Jean Chrétien, Jocelyne Bourgon , who was clerk of the
Privy Council in 1997, and two former public works ministers, Alfonso Gagliano and Mr. Dingwall.…The documents Mr. Guité produced show that his office was getting money from the government’s Unity Fund, but also $3-million from Heritage Canada in March, 1996, to pay for flags, and $150,000 from Health Canada for a TV series promoting Canada in China.
…“Do you have any idea why a TV series that runs in China can be part of the sponsorship program?” Mr. Guité asked Ms. Tremblay.
…“No, the sponsorship program was supposed to be for events in Canada,” she said.
Flaherty woos American investment
NEW YORK (CP) – The days when Canadian officials came to Wall Street to put their country further into debt are over, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday.
…“Now we try to attract more private equity investment,” he said. “My message to folks here . . . is we have a new direction and we welcome investment in Canada.”
…It was one of many examples of how Flaherty spent the day in New York touting the policies of his Conservative government and attacking its predecessors in Ottawa. He was particularly critical of the way the Liberals handled relations with the United States.
Harper’s crime crackdown
The prime minister’s agenda includes street racers, marijuana growers and meth labs
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make an announcement on his government’s tough law-and-order agenda at RCMP headquarters in Vancouver today.…The Harper government, which hopes to win back seats in B.C. by appealing to voters upset about crime, has already made it clear that it plans on getting tough in several criminal justice areas that have been particularly controversial in B.C., such as street racing.
…Harper is certain to draw attention today to his government’s recent $1-billion commitment over two years on a number of policing, security and anti-crime measures.
…The Tory government plans to use some of that money to hire 1,000 more police officers.
…Critics, meanwhile, say crime rates are in fact not soaring in most areas and that Harper is simply exploiting public fear for political reasons.
Transsexuals can choose male or female officer for strip search: tribunal
TORONTO (CP) – A group that supports transgender rights is applauding a “precedent-setting” decision by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario that gives transsexuals who are strip-searched by police the right to choose between male or female officers or both to perform the act.
…The ruling, which stems from a complaint by a man who was in the process of becoming a woman, is a “win-win” for both transsexuals and police, said Laurie Arron of Egale Canada, a group that advocates equality for homosexual, bisexual and transgender people.
And finally, another poll – Feel free to vote.
From CTV
Do you think the national media gives Conservative prime ministers a tougher time than Liberal ones?
Yes
4461 votes (56 %)
No
2390 votes (30 %)
About the same
1105 votes (14 %)Total Votes: 7956
