The RCMP Pension Scandal, David Smith, Abotech, Morneau Sobeco and the ties that bind them

As we wait for an inquiry to begin into the RCMP pension scandal, there are few specific details into just how the RCMP mismanaged the pension. On one specific aspect of the Auditor General's report, I happen to have quite a bit of information, all stemming from my investigation of Abotech, the firm run by former Liberal MP David Smith.

Liberal Party to unleash Nerf ads

The Liberal Party is preparing to unleash attack ads aimed at Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. Call them Nerf ads, because it's hard to see just how they will hurt.

The Scott Reid Meltdown and the Chretien-Martin War

Scott Reid had a major meltdown on CTV's Mike Duffy Live last night. But putting aside the humour value of watching a senior Liberal Party strategist foam at the mouth, there is something significant to be gleaned from the outrageous display.

Aminopterin? Melamine? Cyromazine? The pet food situation grows murkier

Some people think there has been progress with regards to the pet food contamination that has caused Menu Foods to recall huge amounts of product from store shelves. Now a new compound, melamine, has been named. But after some research, I'm confused. Melamine just doesn't seem to be nearly toxic enough to be responsible for the deaths of the animals reported so far.

Stephane Dion is not quite notable

Hey, don't take my word on it. He's not in the database. I checked.

Forgery and Extortion at Free Dominion

At first, it was just an odd transformation of a post I was attempting to put on Free Dominion. But when I asked what was going on, the answer I got was utterly unacceptable. When I stood my ground, things got very ugly, very quickly.

This is not about some sort of fight between conservatives. This is about respect on the most fundamental level. This is about knowing that my words and thoughts, even if unwelcome, are at least not altered. They are my thoughts, my words, and no one has the right to change them without my permission.

A new kind of political web filter at FreeDominion.ca aimed at Stephen Taylor?

How is it that my attempt to post a comment to a thread to the conservative website FreeDominion.ca referencing blogger Stephen Taylor gets modified into references to Liberal MP Belinda Stronach?

Update: I have an explanation, and it's not pretty.

Gloria Kovach: Stephane Dion had me fired!

Stephane Dion has another problem on his plate. Gloria Kovach, who was recently and mysteriously fired from her job as head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is blaming Stephane Dion for pressuring the Federation to fire her. Kovach, a Conservative, is seeking legal advice from a lawyer.

Scott Reid to Mark Holland and Marlene Jennings: Thieves and Liars!

A remarkable delivery in the House of Commons yesterday, when Conservative MP Scott Reid went after Liberal MPs Mark Holland and Marlene Jennings, accusing them of theft, of lying, and of being in contempt of Parliament.

Merchant Circle: MySpace meets the Mob?

A business-oriented website provides the ability to create unique pages in a shared domain, one per business, not unlike MySpace. But in the case of Merchant Circle, there is a reputation management component, and the way it is implemented certainly seems to leave the door open for abuse.

Some people are certain that Merchant Circle blew through that door a long time ago.

Developing: Scott Reid challenges Mark Holland and Marlene Jennings on a point of privilege

On the story of Liberal MP Mark Holland and the boxes of Conservative Party documents that never got moved despite being labeled, we have developments in Ottawa.

I've been told that, just after Question Period was concluded, Conservative MP Scott Reid raised a point of privilege and asked that Mark Holland and fellow Liberal Party MP Marlene Jennings be declared as having acted "in contempt of Parliament". Apparently the argument hinges on the fact that the boxes were labeled. Speaker Peter Milliken has reserved judgment until Holland and Jennings have responded to the charge.

More details as they become available.

Thanks to Hunter for the head's up and to my sources in Ottawa for the preliminary details.

Read on for details on what "contempt" means.

Update: Scott Reid accuses Mark Holland and Marlene Jennings of being thieves and liars.

David Suzuki vs Steve Shriver: Talkers talk, walkers walk, and some just run

Part of my problem with David Suzuki is the credibility gap. Driving a diesel bus around the country and flying to all points to tell the rest of us to lay off the gas is not the way to make a believer out of me.

On the other hand, actually running the 260 miles under your own organically-powered steam to prove a point gets my attention.

Mike Duffy shows a different way to handle confidential information

So what do you do when you realize you have come across something that doesn't belong to you quite by accident? What do you do if you have the public ear?

Liberal MP Mark Holland hides the goodies, then starts handing out confidential information to one and all to gawk at. Other people like Mike Duffy have taken a different approach.

Workplace Safety

I recently went on training to be a certified Health and Safety Board Member at Geosign. But whatever I know from reading books and studying the statutes pales to insignificance to what Rob Ellis knows, from deeply personal experience that no parent ought to have to go through.

If you work in a factory, or in an office, or outdoors, or if you stay at home with your kids, you should take the time to check out WorkSafely.com (it includes a blog covering a wide variety of topics from sports safety to the role of age in workplace accidents). You might learn something that could literally save a life one day.

The Board of Internal Economy, Speaker Peter Milliken, Mark Holland, and the stolen boxes

Mark Holland is trying to cook up a scandal to embroil Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, and he's using confidential papers he found in boxes that, for some reason, were not delivered to the Prime Minister's Office, even though it appears that they were properly labelled to be moved.

As a side show, the Liberal Party is also trying to make this into an example of how the Conservative Party failed in its responsibility to move these boxes, leaving them to be found by a nosey backbench opposition MP.

The Liberals know better. They know full well that managing office moves falls under the responsibility of the Speaker of the House, through the function of the Board of Internal Economy. This all-party Board exercises remarkably broad powers when it comes to the smooth administrative functioning of Parliament. When confidential material under the Board's care falls into the wrong hands, and worse yet, is made public, the Board has failed dramatically, and ought to be making waves of its own to find out just what happened.

Related: Not everyone faced with having confidential information inadvertently in their possession takes it as a signal to start publishing it far and wide.

New York Times: Daycares linked to disruptive children

The New York Times is reporting on a study that shows that children who spend their preschool years in daycares are actually more disruptive in school than children raised by a parent in a home setting.

Mark Holland: An example of how to handle private papers

Mark Holland, Liberal MP for Ajax-Pickering, is scolding the Conservatives for not controlling access to documentation properly. Here are boxes, labeled clearly as belong to the Prime Minister's Office, and also labeled as awaiting pickup by movers, left in the general vacinity of Mark Holland. So of course, the right thing to do is teach the Conservatives a lesson by opening those boxes up, rifling through them all, and handing over what nuggets he finds interesting to the mass media.

Did Stephane Dion just call me a rube?

Stephane Dion hopes to showcase his ability to united Canadians behind his leadership. But by his own words we're not all too smart. We might not be sharp enough to spot his obviously superior qualities drawn from his status as a sophisticated Quebecker.

Wouldn't that be ironic?

Duh, what does "ironic" mean?

The myth of the electorate group-mind

Jean Charest, winning only enough seats in last night's Quebec election to build a minority government, spoke of the wishes of the electorate for a strong opposition. I'm not sure why politicians invoke the metaphor of the electorate as some organization with a single message. No such message exists.

Gilles Duceppe's awful night

Gilles Duceppe has so many reasons to be miserable tonight, now that the Quebec election results are in.

Battlestar Galactica: Rebutting Paul Wells and remembering a moment of transcendence from the old series

Season three of the new Battlestar Galactica has wrapped up with another jaw-dropping season cliffhanger. Paul Wells of Macleans magazine shares his opinion, and I feel compelled to offer a rebuttal.

Chinese rodenticides -- Not the first time in the news

The pet food poisonings that have struck across North America has been tentatively linked to imported Chinese wheat gluten that was contaminated with aminopterin, a rat poison that is not used in Canada or the United States. But this is not the first time bizarre and dangerous Chinese rat poisons caused pain and suffering in the United States. In 2002, a 15-month-old girl suffered permanent damage from a rat poison whose primary ingredient is so dangerous that scientists aren't even sure what the lethal doses are.

Pet Food and Aminopterin: The irrational application of pesticides by Chinese farmers

Aminopterin is still the prime suspect in the food poisoning that has claimed the lives of over a dozen pets, and quite possibly hundreds. Suspicion keeps coming back to the wheat gluten used as a base for the preparation of these foods by Menu Foods. The wheat gluten was imported by China, so I started reading some background on Chinese agricultural practises.

The application of pesticides has been descibed as "irrational" as recently as last October.

How shooting Stephen Harper sells ringtones, and how to make sure your page rank and links aren't caught in the crossfire

A blog that gained some notoriety a couple of weeks ago for calling for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to be shot was shut down, then resurrected as a spammy page for selling ringtones. The reason why a spammer would go to the trouble of using the domain of a dead blog is an interesting study in the interaction between links and page ranking, something everyone who is serious about blogging ought to be familiar with.

Poisoned pet food: Did aminopterin get on the wheat?

The story of the poisoned pet food has not progressed much since the revelation that the poison aminopterin is almost certainly the culprit. The question remains. Just how did the wheat gluten get contaminated, if indeed that was the source?

Hezbollah, Israel, and the Cease Fire: Was Jack Layton right?

Jack Layton's plan for Canada during the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah was to run to the UN and demand a peacekeeping force to keep Israel and Hezbollah apart, blaming both sides equally. Prime Minister Stephen Harper had no qualms in blaming Hezbollah for the fighting, and in pointing out that Hezbollah is interested only in Israel's destruction. Hezbollah would use a ceasefire as an opportunity to repair the damage inflicted by Israel, and to be re-armed by Iran.

Guess who was right?

Ward Churchill's Legacy: A new process to fire academic cheats and liars quickly

Ward Churchill's legacy to the world will not come from any of his academic writings, plagiarized or not. It will be a new process at the University of Colorado that will see professors who are clearly unworthy of their position removed from their lifetime position in a matter of three months.

HTML validation and Google rankings

I've been doing some housekeeping today, focused on something I've wanted to tackle for some time, and that is cleaning up the HTML on my pages. Why? Because you'd be surprised just how important it is for getting ranked well.

Aminopterin, PETA, Anna Nicole Smith and conspiracy theories

Pet owners across Canada and the United States are worried that they've been feeding their dogs and cats poisoned food. Today, that poison, aminopterin, has been blamed for over a dozen animal deaths, and more are likely to be blamed on the contamination. The company that made the food, Ontario-based Menu Foods, is trying to understand how the poison, which is not licensed for use in North America, got into the supply chain. While we wait, I'm going to indulge in some irresponsible musing about who would stand to gain from this.

Sensitivity for the confused, but not the faithful

In Canada, it is not so important to be sensitive to the needs of those who live on the edges of what the majority of people call normal or average. It is more important to be sensitive to the needs of specific groups of these people. People living on the borders of gender identity get special treatment, but those who religious beliefs require some flexibility are out of luck.

David Suzuki's air travel restrictions -- only one-and-a-quarter times around the globe this year

The David Suzuki Foundation responded to a survey to an NGO researching just how environmental groups were reducing air travel. But the travel itinerary of David Suzuki shows little sign of being throttled back.

Indeed, he's been traveling farther in recent years.

Michael Ignatieff offers another view on the value of apologies

Michael Ignatieff is demanding that the Minister of Defence resign over a mistake for which an apology was offered.

Strange, but the words "Michael Ignatieff", "mistake", and "apology" trigger a memory for me.

Denis Coderre stands only for Denis Coderre

Denis Coderre, defense critic for the Liberal Party, was furious when Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggested that it would be nice to see the Liberal Party stand up for Canada's military with as much vigour as they've shown over the Taliban.

That's funny. That's very funny. Denis Coderre has never once stood up for the troops. And he's had ample opportunity.

Deadly pills from overseas being sold through phoney online Canadian pharmacies

The death of Marcia Bergeron has cast a spotlight on online pharmacies. They've been around for a while, but now there is a new twist. Overseas suppliers looking to unload substandard, even dangerous, pharmaceutical supplies are posing as Canadian-based online pharmacies in order to entice Americans who trust the Canadian health system to supply quality drugs at low prices.

Not so much MySpace as TheirSpace

For old-school bloggers like me, there is no substitute for a bare-bones content management system like Movable Type, and generous server space like I enjoy. There is no safety net, but then I have virtually unlimited freedom to create a blog in whatever form I like.

Indeed, the only real limitation is the one imposed by my primitive HTML skills.

But for every old fogey like me, there are possibly hundreds of would-be bloggers who have no clue about how to create a blog on a technical level. So they depend on pseudo-blog services like MySpace. But MySpace is really TheirSpace, not YourSpace. And now MySpace is taking control of the pages, essentially punishing those users who have learned a little more about web programming.

That move might backfire, though, since users are likely to up and leave. Why? The pages are created in seconds. They don't represent any true investment of effort, and so have little value to the owner, regardless of the millions of people who travel through MySpace.

Carnival of True Crime

The Carnival of True Crime, with all its pulpy goodness, is up at T.O. Crime.

The ant-like world of David Suzuki

What would the world be like if David Suzuki had his way? We are to think that we would be living in harmony with nature, surrounded by butterflies and squirrels and such. But when you look for the clues, expend some analytical effort, and do a bit of reading, the reality is that the butterflies and squirrels will be happy, but you and I (or whoever is allowed to live) will be living a regimented communal existence, with little that we can call our own. If you don't like it, well, that's not really relevant. Your free will, and all that comes of that, like your opinions, is an illusion anyway.

You want the bear dead? Fine, you kill it

Animals rights activists want to kill an animal. A baby bear, in fact.

Why? Because it is being humiliated.

How? Well, the humans give it milk, and shelter, and attention. Wicked stuff like that.

Melanie McGuire: Search Engine Forensics

Melanie McGuire of New Jersey is on trial, charged with the murder and dismemberment of her husband, William.

What is remarkable is how the Web has played a role in the investigation and arrest, and now in the trial itself.

Gregory Nye: Fringe psychotherapist charged with sexual assault

A simple alert from Toronto Police about the investigation of an alleged sexual assault by psychotherapist Gregory Nye might lead to something very interesting. In any case, a look at the background of Gregory Nye reveals a whole new world of fringe psychotherapy.

Elizabeth May's clever move in taking on Peter MacKay

Elizabeth May, leader of Canada's Green Party, is planning to take on one of the Conservative Party's most powerful and popular MPs, Peter MacKay, in the next election.

Is she nuts? Hardly. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Jason Belfiglio: Innocent bystander or guilty of attack on the Chabad Jewish Centre?

A Jewish community centre in Toronto was the target of what appears to have been a hate crime. Jason Belfiglio has been arrested, charged with smashing the windows at the Chabad Midtown Jewish Community Centre.

Jason Belfiglio claims innocence, but he is being congratulated by neo-Nazis who seem to think he's being too modest.

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Stephane Dion's plan to fail

Stephane Dion's new plan for saving Canada from the sun (or whatever) involves -- wait for it -- a brand new government program! It's shocking that there are people in this day and age who don't understand that a government program can never achieve its goals. Not if those goals mean the end to the program.

Deb Frisch is being chased out of the blogosphere [updated -- she's been pwned]

Deb Frisch, one of the blogosphere's most infamous members, is being run out of the blogosphere.

Nine blogs up, three blogs closed down. Another blogosphere first?

Update #1: Add one more blog down, and one taken over by...a gerbil?!

Update #2: One of her backup blogs has been activated.

Jumping to the defence of Belinda -- CTV makes the correction (almost)

Earlier this afternoon, CTV reported on how Belinda Stronach had been eclipsed in the Liberal Party lineup. In that report, CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said that, among other things, Belinda Stronach did not have a critic's job.

That's simply not true. Belinda is the Critic for Competitiveness and the New Economy. A few hours later, and CTV has corrected their story.

Well, almost.

Canadian Blogosphere Search Page: Custom search engines for Canadian bloggers and their readers

Searching for the Canadian blogosphere's reaction to the last news on Belinda Stronach? Use the Canadian Blogosphere Search Page.

Jumping to the defence of Belinda

CTV is reporting today that Belinda Stronach might not run in the next election, whenever it comes. But CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said something that didn't ring true. I'd like to set the record straight.

Update: It looks like CTV has corrected the mistake...mostly.

YouTube Fight Video: "Happy slapping" has come to Canada

A little-reported incident in Ottawa might actually have been an example of a disturbing internet phenomenon sweeping Europe. "Happy slapping" is posing a challenge to parents, school administrators, law enforcement, and civil rights advocates alike.

Is Stephane Dion's plan to hire more Mounties a public relations sham?

Hiring more Mounties will not do anything to reduce violent crime. In fact, it is a sneaky way of hiring more Mounties to go after people in possession of marijuana for personal use.

You think I'm wrong? Hey, don't look at me. I didn't say it.

The site cycles again, and takes a conservative approach

Angry in the Great White North morphs again, and this time tradition wins out over wacky ideas.

Ward Churchill: Builds more lies on Canada's residential school tragedy

Ward Churchill has been accused of academic theft, and now new allegations have been levelled against him. But this time, he's stealing research related to one of the most painful episodes of Canada's history with its native peoples. To pretend to be an advocate for First Nations by stealing the academic efforts of a non-aboriginal researcher is truly a new low.

Assassinate Stephen Harper? Canadian blogger (and would-be priest) learns his limits

The Canadian blogosphere is buzzing with the story of blogger Allen Varlaki, a student at the University of Toronto and a would-be Catholic priest, who called for the assassinaton of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Within hours, his blog was shut down.

The name of his blog was Nullus Fines. I took Latin in school -- it means "No limits".

Well, looks like he hit a limit.

Canadian "denier" threatened with death -- and it is not reported in Canadian news

A Canadian scientist questions the science of climate change, and he begins receiving death threats.

I read about it in a British newspaper. Isn't this newsworthy in Canada?

YouTube and Turkey: A situation that could easily happen again

Turkish courts tried to keep YouTube videos that transgressed Turkish law from being seen in Turkey, and successfully blocked all of YouTube for two days.

I can see the same thing happening in Canada. Easily.

Environmental lobbying on the sly?

Young people are being encouraged to "adopt" an MP to push for action on the issue of climate change.

My question is just where does democratic participation end and formal lobbying begin. Has this group crossed the line?

And who is behind this group in the first place?

Seven steps for making Google AdSense work for you

I've decided it's time to make a risky move and move my revenue channel over to Google AdSense. Let's see how it works out. Suprisingly, I already have some results to share, mere hours after deploying the changes.

Stephane Dion's call to Canadians to take over the world

The Liberal Party annouces on its home page that "Canada Must Take on the World."

But in an unfortunate confusion of prepositions, world domination became the focus of Mr. Dion's speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa.

NDP wants to ban the incandescent light bulb

An NDP MP is putting forward a bill to phase out incandescent light bulbs.

Bravo!

Banned toy still for sale in Canada and is being aimed at kids, despite what Health Canada says

Back in November, I reported on a banned toy that was still being distributed by a company out of Montreal called Party Starter. I asked Health Canada about this, and they responded that an inspector checked out the situation, and reported back that the website was mistaken, the toy was in fact unavailable, and all was well.

So imagine my surprise when I wandered over and discovered that not only is the toy back under a different part number, and that I could proceed through the checkout process with my Canadian shipping address without any indication that the item was not available.

But what really made my jaw-drop was the fact that the text for the item in the catalog has been changed. Now it is directly aimed at 3-year-old children.

Update: When I placed a call to the firm, the person who answered said they don't sell the product anymore, but no one can explain the website still advertises the product (an offence under the Hazardous Products Act), or why it seems to take an order. Of course, maybe this is all the inspector did.

Is the NDP encouraging illegal political donations?

The new donations rules enacted by the Conservatives limit political donations. Only individuals can donate, not organizations, and there is a limit of $1,000 per year. No more donations from corporations and unions, and the old limit of $5,000 is out the window.

So how is it that the NDP has a page up encouraging donations from unions in excess of $1,000?

Stephen "Skip" Harper at the Brier

Stephen Harper gives an interview to TSN at the Tim Hortons Brier.

The NDP is finally coming down on MyBlahg -- and just as I've advised them to

For quite some time, I've been providing free advice to the NDP about how to use the blogosphere more effectively. Their problem is unique. Their main blogger, Robert McCelland of MyBlahg.com, is routinely offensive, sometimes shockingly so. That in turn would keep the NDP from establishing any formal relationship.

So I've been clear to the NDP -- you own your brand, so take control of it. And take control of the blogroll. Set some standards and enforce them.

Looks like the message has gotten through.

The poll David Suzuki doesn't want you to see

Canadians are not supportive of Kyoto, according to his poll taken by the David Suzuki Foundation.

A poll that has disappeared.

Don't worry. You can view the poll here, and even add your vote as well.

According to David Suzuki, Kyoto targets are always achievable

When David Suzuki was asked last month if Canada's Kyoto targets are achievable, he said it would be difficult. I have a problem with this. My problem is that two years ago, an eminent proponent for Kyoto said at the time meeting the Kyoto targets would be difficult. So seven years has turned to five, and Canada's emissions have grown, not shrunk. In effect, we've taken a difficult task, increased the scope dramatically, and signficantly compressed the timeline.

The project manager in me says the window for success has slammed shut.

Unless that other climate change expert was wrong in characterizing the situation as so tough two years ago. Maybe it was well within reach. It has only been between then and now that it has become a tough problem. If so, it might not be too late. But I don't think that's the case. I think this person was right, and that reaching the Kyoto targets two years ago was a very difficult task, which is also why I think it's impossible now.

And I also know David Suzuki would never disagree with a word this person says.

Interview with NDP leader Jack Layton

A remarkable example of citizen journalism with NDP leader Jack Layton sitting down with NDP Liberal Conservative blogger Stephen Taylor to deliver a 15 minute interview. Sometimes Jack Layton makes sense, sometimes not so much. But it's a fascinating conversation to listen to.

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Liberal Blogger: If Stephane Dion was a one trick pony, it would be an improvement

Some cruel honesty on the part of a Liberal blogger makes for some fine reading.

Stephane Dion and the Liberal Party are losing core support

When we look at polls, we often look at what the actual support numbers are right now. As many point out, this is a snapshot, and so can change.

They are right of course. But that does not reduce the usefulness of a poll. Indeed, it reminds us to look at the flow of opinion that led to that particular snapshot.

Presumably the flow is more stable and long-term. And the pattern of the flow right now is shattering news for the Liberal Party.

Conservatives lead in the polls (and the rewards of patience)

The buzz has been about polls. I've held off saying anything in part because yesterday we only had one poll. Now today we have two. And the Conservatives are swimming in good news.

Angry in the Great White North by Steve Janke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License. Based on a work at stevejanke.com.