NDP calls on ethics boss to investigate Raitt

Retired_Can_Soldier

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Mar 19, 2006
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The official Opposition will call on the ethics commissioner to investigate an possible conflict of interest involving federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt over an alleged free seat upgrade from an Air Canada top executive, NDP labour critic Yvon Godin said.
The call comes after a document released to the media indicated Air Canada's CEO and executive vice-president Duncan Dee apparently upgraded Raitt's flight from economy to business class — almost a $550 value — for free on Sept. 25.
Godin said he now has possession of another electronic ticket suggesting Dee also authorized an upgrade for Raitt's chief of staff, Douglas Smith, on Oct. 10.
A spokesman from Raitt's office said neither the minister — who this week blocked the airlines' flight attendants from striking — nor her chief of staff ever accepted or requested a complimentary upgrade from Air Canada.
The spokesman gave documents to QMI Agency indicating Raitt and Smith used their own points for the upgrade.
But Godin still questions why Dee's name is on the ticket, insisting the documents are proof the minister and her staff received free upgrades.
Godin called Raitt's alleged involvement in the upgrades unethical and a conflict of interest.
"Air Canada is providing upgrading to her at the same time she is legislating workers back to work," he said in a telephone interview from New Brunswick.
"We have to stop ... those things. That's why we have a commissioner of ethics."
The upgrades come days and weeks before the minister moved to stop a walkout by the airline's flight attendants, who have been in long and tense negotiations with Air Canada and twice rejected tentative deals with the airline.
The airline's 6,800 flight attendants planned to strike on Thursday, but Raitt made the strike illegal earlier in the week, suggesting it could jeopardize the economic health and safety of the country, and referring the dispute to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
When the CIRB reviews a dispute, strikes and lockouts are prohibited.
When contacted by QMI Agency, a spokesman for the ethics commissioner's office said it could not comment on individual cases.
The office did say that, under the conflict of interest code for members of the House of Commons, MPs must declare free upgrades from an airline as sponsored travel.
A free upgrade is considered a gift or a benefit under the Conflict of Interest Act and subject to a conflict of interest test.
This is not the first time Raitt has tangled with an ethics issue. In 2009, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson investigated but cleared Raitt after political watchdog, Democracy Watch, filed a complaint against the then-minister of natural resources.
Democracy Watch took issue with lobbyists' involvement in a Toronto fundraiser organized for Raitt.
Commissioner of Lobbying Karen Shepherd later found lobbyists Michael McSweeny and Will Stewart were selling tickets for the $250-a-head event, breaching the lobbyists' code of conduct.

Read More


The NDP really needs to pull their heads out of their ass.

In my years of flying I have had numerous free seat upgrades.

There is nothing unethical about it.

What is unethical is the NDP wasting tax dollars are straw men.
 

lone wolf

Grossly Underrated
Nov 25, 2006
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They have to needle and generally be a thorn in the side just to annoy you so you'll do some more word of mouth whining about them coming up with more ways to annoy you
 

Goober

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 23, 2009
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They have to needle and generally be a thorn in the side just to annoy you so you'll do some more word of mouth whining about them coming up with more ways to annoy you

They should be looking for meat, rather than an old chicken bone, meatless and this is nothing. If that is the best they can do - Back to 3rd party next election.
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
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While I think this is a tempest in a tea pot as it were, I think the Minister missed the mark
here. You can have all the upgrades you want, as a citizen but once you are a Minister
of the Crown or engaged in a controversy such as a potential labour dispute it is then a
matter of optics, ethics, and common sense to be sure you are above and beyond reproach.

She should have made it quite clear that she was not flying in an elevated position once the
offer was made. I have seen other instances where things were done right or without anyone
noticing anything. I was once on a Friday afternoon flight from Ottawa to Vancouver and home.
Several Ministers and Senior MP's from the Conservative ranks were heading for the west
coast. There was another MP on that flight, one Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, he was
flying economy like the rest of us. Our local MP who was heading for Kelowna also had a
first class ticket, but in a nice gesture, he offered his seat to Layton for a political discussion
up front.

This is a case where I don't think anything was done improperly, but it certainly gives the appearance
of special treatment. The offer was made I do believe, it is likely they used their air mile points,
but with a pending labour dispute, the Minister should have refused the upgrade and continued
in economy for that flight. Remember, reality is not reality, the perception of reality is often the
truth.
 

Goober

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 23, 2009
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While I think this is a tempest in a tea pot as it were, I think the Minister missed the mark
here. You can have all the upgrades you want, as a citizen but once you are a Minister
of the Crown or engaged in a controversy such as a potential labour dispute it is then a
matter of optics, ethics, and common sense to be sure you are above and beyond reproach.

She should have made it quite clear that she was not flying in an elevated position once the
offer was made. I have seen other instances where things were done right or without anyone
noticing anything. I was once on a Friday afternoon flight from Ottawa to Vancouver and home.
Several Ministers and Senior MP's from the Conservative ranks were heading for the west
coast. There was another MP on that flight, one Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, he was
flying economy like the rest of us. Our local MP who was heading for Kelowna also had a
first class ticket, but in a nice gesture, he offered his seat to Layton for a political discussion
up front.

This is a case where I don't think anything was done improperly, but it certainly gives the appearance
of special treatment. The offer was made I do believe, it is likely they used their air mile points,
but with a pending labour dispute, the Minister should have refused the upgrade and continued
in economy for that flight. Remember, reality is not reality, the perception of reality is often the
truth.

Like I mentioned - They better do better than this - Economy - low income - homeless - Insite - Lots out there and I have not heard one fffn word from them on the poor treatment Vets receive. That is a Con weak point - open and ready to feast on - But we know what the NDP thinks of the Military, now don't we.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
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Were they authorized by Air Canada's CEO?
From my observations on this forum and in life in general, in the eyes of conservatives, the NDP will never, ever do or say anything right or intelligent. That is just the way the "divide and conquer" thing works in politics. That's why it looks like hockey to me. "My team is better than your team! Na na na na na na!"

Gawd forbid that the NDP ever got a majority. The conservatives would be running amok in Vancouver and Toronto, smashing windows, burning cars while wearing balaclavas and police issue boots. :p
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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From my observations on this forum and in life in general, in the eyes of conservatives, the NDP will never, ever do or say anything right or intelligent. That is just the way the "divide and conquer" thing works in politics. That's why it looks like hockey to me. "My team is better than your team! Na na na na na na!"

Oh put a sock in it. Did you hear me calling out the NDP for griping about Tony Clement. No you didn't because I happen to agree that there may be something there.

Gawd forbid that the NDP ever got a majority.
Damn straight God forbid. Allah Forbid. Buddah Forbid. And L Ron Hubbard Forbid.


The conservatives would be running amok in Vancouver and Toronto, smashing windows, burning cars while wearing balaclavas and police issue boots
.

Nope that job description is for Leftist, Marxists and Disgruntled Cannuck Fans.
 

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
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What nonsense, the NDP scarcely qualifies to be left anymore they sacrificed that position
for a chance at power. The NDP is really a replacement for the now dead Liberal Party.
NDP will be the main voice for a long time look at the voting patterns in the Provincial elections
this time around. The real situation is developing that will change the face of Canadian
politics.
The Conservatives will be limited in their powers because they are now the governing party
and that tends to put them in the position, of having to look at things from more than one
point of view. The Liberals ran out of steam because they lost sight of that very thing, they
no longer represented the broad base of Canadians.
The NDP is no longer a movement or a feel good association, they have now become a real
political party and they must keep in mind the views of those in the middle and the slight
Liberal Left. If they fail to do that they will never form a government much less a majority.
Opposition the Official Opposition is a government in waiting in a democracy so it is only a
matter of time.
The Liberals are now entering their forty years on the desert like the Liberal Democrats in
Britain. The British are about to restore the Labour Party either as opposition or government
and the Liberal Democrats will crawl back into the pages of history, the same fate awaits the
Federal Liberals.
The Greens are now the Movement, they can say what they like without being criticized as they
will take a long time to get near the mantle of power.

This situation is a little weak but then the Conservatives took things that were very weak and
hammered the unresponsive Liberals to death because they didn't understand they were under
attack. I think the real issues will be forthcoming and it should provide for some great political
theatre.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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What nonsense, the NDP scarcely qualifies to be left anymore they sacrificed that position
for a chance at power. The NDP is really a replacement for the now dead Liberal Party.
NDP will be the main voice for a long time look at the voting patterns in the Provincial elections
this time around. The real situation is developing that will change the face of Canadian
politics.

I wouldn't count the LIberals out just yet.

The Conservatives will be limited in their powers because they are now the governing party
and that tends to put them in the position, of having to look at things from more than one
point of view. The Liberals ran out of steam because they lost sight of that very thing, they
no longer represented the broad base of Canadians.

The Liberals ran out of steam because they began to believe that they were the only answer for Canada. Arrogance was their undoing.

The NDP is no longer a movement or a feel good association, they have now become a real
political party and they must keep in mind the views of those in the middle and the slight
Liberal Left. If they fail to do that they will never form a government much less a majority.
Opposition the Official Opposition is a government in waiting in a democracy so it is only a
matter of time.

Well they have their work cut out for them because many of their members are very immature.


The Liberals are now entering their forty years on the desert like the Liberal Democrats in
Britain. The British are about to restore the Labour Party either as opposition or government
and the Liberal Democrats will crawl back into the pages of history, the same fate awaits the
Federal Liberals.

That depends on how well or bad the NDP performs over the next four years.

The Greens are now the Movement, they can say what they like without being criticized as they
will take a long time to get near the mantle of power.

They are a blip, nothing more.

This situation is a little weak but then the Conservatives took things that were very weak and
hammered the unresponsive Liberals to death because they didn't understand they were under
attack. I think the real issues will be forthcoming and it should provide for some great political
theatre.

A little weak is an understatement. The opposition is there to bark, but at some point they are going to have to put up or shut up and this silly business about seat upgrades is a joke. Lisa Raitt shut down a strike for seat upgrades with Air Canada, boy boy what an underachiever she is eh.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
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Oh put a sock in it. Did you hear me calling out the NDP for griping about Tony Clement. No you didn't because I happen to agree that there may be something there.

Damn straight God forbid. Allah Forbid. Buddah Forbid. And L Ron Hubbard Forbid.

Nope that job description is for Leftist, Marxists and Disgruntled Cannuck Fans.
Didn't you see the little raz dude at the end of my post?

And you are not the only conservative on here.

And, no I don't support the NDP. I liked Jack but that is about it. Both the NDP and the Greens have moved so far to center to win votes that there really is no left in Canada. Besides, politics is just an amusing pass time to me, second rate entertainment. I find it really difficult to understand how anybody can take that stuff seriously.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
11,282
479
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Didn't you see the little raz dude at the end of my post?

And you are not the only conservative on here.

And, no I don't support the NDP. I liked Jack but that is about it. Both the NDP and the Greens have moved so far to center to win votes that there really is no left in Canada. Besides, politics is just an amusing pass time to me, second rate entertainment. I find it really difficult to understand how anybody can take that stuff seriously.

Ok take the sock out of it. :)
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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From my observations on this forum and in life in general, in the eyes of conservatives, the NDP will never, ever do or say anything right or intelligent. That is just the way the "divide and conquer" thing works in politics. That's why it looks like hockey to me. "My team is better than your team! Na na na na na na!"

That's funny because from my observation the same thing applies to the left and how they view the Conservatives.

You bet they were.. The CEO would have input on the corporate policy by the airline.

Nice try but it wasn't a policy that got him bumped

....that there really is no left in Canada....

LOL...tell that to an American
 

wulfie68

Council Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,014
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Both the NDP and the Greens have moved so far to center to win votes that there really is no left in Canada.

Seriously? The wing that has moved the most to garner support has been the right. Canada has been on a left slide as long as I have been alive (1968), with slows in movement during the Mulroney years and to a lesser extent the Chretien gov'ts. The evidence is plain to see in the number of social programs and volume of social spending increases. Its also easy to see at election time, where organized labour has endorsed the Liberals instead of the NDP at times. The left may be a little scattered but it exists more than the right does in this country, especially on social policy.

Besides, politics is just an amusing pass time to me, second rate entertainment. I find it really difficult to understand how anybody can take that stuff seriously.

I can sympathize with your first statement, but I heartily disagree with the follow-up. At times, with the partisan bickering the debates in the HoC are more akin to professional wrestling than anything else (the really cheap stuff with the REALLY bad acting) but the issues are far too important not to take them seriously. The way the issues are handled all too often affects the pockets of citizen, in terms of how much tax the gov't needs to take from you, and how your freedoms and rights are protected or ignored. It doesn't get much more serious. This doesn't directly manifest itself in this case, where the NDP is trying to instigate a witchhunt on a non-issue, but it does shine a light on how the parties view various issues.

The NDP is looking stupid in this case because, minister or not, a seat upgrade for a frequent flyer (which most federal politicians turn into by default) is NOTHING. They are crying "wolf" and if they continue like this, people will ignore them, and if they expose something real, no one will pay attention.
 

Goober

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 23, 2009
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Didn't you see the little raz dude at the end of my post?

And you are not the only conservative on here.

And, no I don't support the NDP. I liked Jack but that is about it. Both the NDP and the Greens have moved so far to center to win votes that there really is no left in Canada. Besides, politics is just an amusing pass time to me, second rate entertainment. I find it really difficult to understand how anybody can take that stuff seriously.

Pot calling the kettle black does come to mind.
No Beav - Not that type of pot so relax and chill.

NDP accepted Air Canada upgrades for Layton’s funeral - The Globe and Mail

The airline tickets, she added, were organized through Heritage Canada for the state funeral. “I did not personally request it,” she said. “None of the family requested it.”

However, a source familiar with the funeral arrangements says the family members were booked in economy and that an NDP official contacted the airline concierge to request the upgrades.

Air Canada granted the request for the upgrades and “they didn’t say no,” said the source, who looked into the matter after the NDP’s denial.
 

Retired_Can_Soldier

The End of the Dog is Coming!
Mar 19, 2006
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It's really too bad that Layton's funeral had to get dragged into this. Those in the NDP should have taken into account that the media would do do a little digging of their own.
 

Goober

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 23, 2009
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It's really too bad that Layton's funeral had to get dragged into this. Those in the NDP should have taken into account that the media would do do a little digging of their own.

It is and show lack of control at the top - AC did what was right as far as i am concerned - Offered to the family the upgrades - they turned them down but others in the Party clearly took advantage.
Jack would not be happy.
 

CDNBear

Custom Troll
Sep 24, 2006
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I don't care what anyone says, I smell conflict of interest.

Although a $550 upgrade is really bad bribe, at the very least, someone should have used their head and said, "No thanks".