PMO Tied to Senate Hush Money Scandal
An RCMP affidavit reported widespread
involvement by PMO staffers in a secret payment to Senator Mike Duffy to try
and make a political problem go away. The Senate expenses scandal brought on allegations of
a cover-up, a breach
of the public trust, and a whitewashing of a Senate report. The
PMO was found to have hand in the altering
of a damning Deloitte audit.
Corrupt Conservative Cronies
The Senate scandal is just the latest eruption
of crony corruption in Harperite ranks. Take Bruce Carson. He was a convicted
fraudster before Harper made him a key advisor in the PMO. There, Carson was lobbied for
money for a new University of Calgary eco-think tank. He then left the PMO to
run the same think tank, converting it to an oil industry booster with a
$15-million grant from the Harper government. The complex saga added one more
criminal charge to others Carson faces for allegedly illegally working his
connections with the Harper government.
Harper Found in Contempt of Parliament
For refusing to
disclose information on the costing of programs to Parliament, which Parliament
was entitled to receive, the Harper government became the first in Canadian
history to be found
in contempt of Parliament.
Against Court Order, Refusal to Share
Budget Info
Even though it lost a
court case and was ordered to comply, the Harper government nevertheless
refused to share 170
times reasons and impacts for cuts with Canada’s independent
budget watchdog, mocking Parliament’s right to control the public purse.
Conservative Cabinet Staffers Granted
Immunity from Testimony
A
PMO edict absolved
political staffers from ever having to testify before
parliamentary committees
Repeated Duplicity in Afghan Detainees
Controversy
Among the abuses:
Parliament was misled and denied documents. An inquiry was shut down. Tories
attempted to discredit diplomat Richard Colvin whose testimony diverted from
the government’s line.
Repeated Duplicity on Costing of F-35
Fighter Jets
An auditor general’s
report revealed serial deceptive practices used by the
Conservatives in misleading
the public and Parliament on the projected cost of the fighter
jets.
Harper Minister Lies, Blames Statistics
Canada for Killing Long Form Census
Under fire for
Conservatives killing the long form census, Industry Minister Tony Clement
falsely stated that
StatsCan backed the idea and assured the voluntary substitute would yield valid
statistical data. Neither was true, outraged StatsCan sources confirmed.
Conservative MP Admits He Lied to
Parliament
As opposition members
claimed the Harper government was out to rig election rules in its favour,
Conservative MP Brad Butt rose in the House of Commons to say why the bill was
needed -- all the voter fraud he had personally witnessed. Weeks later he rose
again to say his statements were false. Delivering his strained apology, he
failed to explain why he lied
in the first place.
Conservative House Leader Admits to Mockery
of Question Period
Criticized
far and wide for farcical answers
in question period, Paul Calandra, parliamentary secretary to
Harper, made a tearful apology for abuse of the democratic process
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