Knows No Bounds
Posts: 2,976 
October 19th, 2006, 03:24 PM
What a waste of tax payers dollars, an all expense paid vacation to Dubai to discuss how to order room service? To support the troops from their luxury suites? Good thing Canada has the Senate, I'm waiting for the indepth report on Mini-Bars-- I'm sure it will be fascinating.
A senatorial junket
National Post
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Senator Colin Kenny and the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence have done much in recent years to highlight the security threats confronting Canada in the war against terrorism. With reports on airport security and the underfunding of the Canadian Forces, among other important topics, Mr. Kenny and the committee have provided Canadians with value for money, pushing forward efforts to strengthen domestic security and rebuild our military's capabilities.
More recently, Senator Kenny and three of his committee colleagues have given new life to another important cause, albeit haphazardly. They stand out as examples of why the federal government needs to improve the account senators give of travel expenditures borne by taxpayers.
In September, Mr. Kenny, three other committee members and three support staff found themselves holed up in a posh hotel in Dubai. The purpose of their excursion remains questionable.
On the one hand the trip is being billed as a fact-finding mission that was supposed to take the group to Kandahar, the southern, war-torn province of Afghanistan where Canadians are leading the battle against Taliban insurgents. On the other hand, Senator Michael Meighen, who was on the trip, has told the media that it was merely a bid to show support for our troops.
Either way, the odds of finding facts or demonstrating support were poor. The Canadian Forces warned the group of senators beforehand that there wasn't much chance of them reaching Kandahar for security reasons. That should have been enough to stop the trip. The Canadian Forces are strained to the limit already without having to escort a small group of senators and their staff on a tour.
Instead, the senators made the trip anyway, and whiled away a week in Dubai waiting unsuccessfully for entry to Afghanistan. And so taxpayers are now looking at a $30,000 hotel bill. How much taxpayers' money the senators spent on airfare and sundries is unknown because detailed spending reports are not given to the public. (It may total as much as $150,000.) Senators only offer taxpayers an account of total travel expenses during a given fiscal year.
John Williamson, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believes the trip was "a junket dressed up as parliamentary business, pure and simple." He may well be right.
We have argued in this column for Senate reform that will make the upper chamber more democratically accountable. Going hand in hand with democratic reforms, however, is the need for more transparency. Senators should be obliged to detail all their travel expenses. If this were currently the case, we doubt that Senator Kenny and his committee members would have been so ready to disregard the advice of the Canadian Forces and spend a week in one of the world's most expensive cities.
What a waste of tax payers dollars, an all expense paid vacation to Dubai to discuss how to order room service? To support the troops from their luxury suites? Good thing Canada has the Senate, I'm waiting for the indepth report on Mini-Bars-- I'm sure it will be fascinating.
A senatorial junket
National Post
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Senator Colin Kenny and the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence have done much in recent years to highlight the security threats confronting Canada in the war against terrorism. With reports on airport security and the underfunding of the Canadian Forces, among other important topics, Mr. Kenny and the committee have provided Canadians with value for money, pushing forward efforts to strengthen domestic security and rebuild our military's capabilities.
More recently, Senator Kenny and three of his committee colleagues have given new life to another important cause, albeit haphazardly. They stand out as examples of why the federal government needs to improve the account senators give of travel expenditures borne by taxpayers.
In September, Mr. Kenny, three other committee members and three support staff found themselves holed up in a posh hotel in Dubai. The purpose of their excursion remains questionable.
On the one hand the trip is being billed as a fact-finding mission that was supposed to take the group to Kandahar, the southern, war-torn province of Afghanistan where Canadians are leading the battle against Taliban insurgents. On the other hand, Senator Michael Meighen, who was on the trip, has told the media that it was merely a bid to show support for our troops.
Either way, the odds of finding facts or demonstrating support were poor. The Canadian Forces warned the group of senators beforehand that there wasn't much chance of them reaching Kandahar for security reasons. That should have been enough to stop the trip. The Canadian Forces are strained to the limit already without having to escort a small group of senators and their staff on a tour.
Instead, the senators made the trip anyway, and whiled away a week in Dubai waiting unsuccessfully for entry to Afghanistan. And so taxpayers are now looking at a $30,000 hotel bill. How much taxpayers' money the senators spent on airfare and sundries is unknown because detailed spending reports are not given to the public. (It may total as much as $150,000.) Senators only offer taxpayers an account of total travel expenses during a given fiscal year.
John Williamson, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believes the trip was "a junket dressed up as parliamentary business, pure and simple." He may well be right.
We have argued in this column for Senate reform that will make the upper chamber more democratically accountable. Going hand in hand with democratic reforms, however, is the need for more transparency. Senators should be obliged to detail all their travel expenses. If this were currently the case, we doubt that Senator Kenny and his committee members would have been so ready to disregard the advice of the Canadian Forces and spend a week in one of the world's most expensive cities.
Electoral Member
Posts: 909
Location: Eastern Ontario
Location: Eastern Ontario
October 19th, 2006, 03:32 PM
Could have put them all up in a Motel 6 in a bad part of Detroit for 300 bucks and they would get a sence of the danger. ha!
I work (but not live) in Ottawa and have done many Gov. projects..You can't begin to believe the waste of time, money and resources. They will buy a building completely finished and even furnished from the old tenant but have to rip it all out and start again instead of just sitting people down to work.
I have horror stories...lots of them....
Could have put them all up in a Motel 6 in a bad part of Detroit for 300 bucks and they would get a sence of the danger. ha!
I work (but not live) in Ottawa and have done many Gov. projects..You can't begin to believe the waste of time, money and resources. They will buy a building completely finished and even furnished from the old tenant but have to rip it all out and start again instead of just sitting people down to work.
I have horror stories...lots of them....
Electoral Member
Posts: 909
Location: Eastern Ontario
Location: Eastern Ontario
October 19th, 2006, 03:49 PM
guess I moved here to get some of my tax dollars back hahaha!!!
It's discusting that when these guys get caught they justify justify justify......
Why does every trip require top high end luxury anyways.... Something wrong with the holiday inn?
guess I moved here to get some of my tax dollars back hahaha!!!
It's discusting that when these guys get caught they justify justify justify......
Why does every trip require top high end luxury anyways.... Something wrong with the holiday inn?
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 2,976
October 19th, 2006, 04:14 PM
Amen brother, my sister works for the Feds and she takes courses at swanky hotels such as Lake Louise, Chateau Frontinac, Jasper, the list is endless. Get this the course topics are usually "Diversity in the Work force" yet 12 white women in a conference room discussing what exactly-where's the "Diversity" in that room. The amount of waste is mind boggling, but she enjoys the all expense paid trips to chat with 12 co-workers over cocktails. Shaking my head.
Amen brother, my sister works for the Feds and she takes courses at swanky hotels such as Lake Louise, Chateau Frontinac, Jasper, the list is endless. Get this the course topics are usually "Diversity in the Work force" yet 12 white women in a conference room discussing what exactly-where's the "Diversity" in that room. The amount of waste is mind boggling, but she enjoys the all expense paid trips to chat with 12 co-workers over cocktails. Shaking my head.
Electoral Member
Posts: 909
Location: Eastern Ontario
Location: Eastern Ontario
October 20th, 2006, 09:03 AM
and shake and shake and shake!!!
My sister (actually my whole damn family...except me) work for the school board. The same here, my sister from Toronto will come to Ottawa, stay at the Chateau Laurier, eat quail and pheasant while here on a conference of how to do better for the inner city kids..all white women and men in a lux. hotel saying things like "Studies show time and time again" while having no clue as they spend more money on that one weekend then could buy a library full of books....aarrgghh!!!
we waste in so many ways....but the worse are gov or gov. type organizations. They have no concept of money comes in money goes out ..they think there is just an endless pool of it to be used or it will be lost.
So am I pissed because they do it or because I don't get to..hmm will have to ponder that one....ha!! Pondering over....If they didn't do it I would have my tax money back so I could go..issue settled!
and shake and shake and shake!!!
My sister (actually my whole damn family...except me) work for the school board. The same here, my sister from Toronto will come to Ottawa, stay at the Chateau Laurier, eat quail and pheasant while here on a conference of how to do better for the inner city kids..all white women and men in a lux. hotel saying things like "Studies show time and time again" while having no clue as they spend more money on that one weekend then could buy a library full of books....aarrgghh!!!
we waste in so many ways....but the worse are gov or gov. type organizations. They have no concept of money comes in money goes out ..they think there is just an endless pool of it to be used or it will be lost.
So am I pissed because they do it or because I don't get to..hmm will have to ponder that one....ha!! Pondering over....If they didn't do it I would have my tax money back so I could go..issue settled!
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 2,976
October 20th, 2006, 10:43 AM
Heres a portion of an article about this topic. They get caught with their hands in the cookie jar and they blame Harper, then they call themselves non-partisan. Cough, what a waste of tax payers dollars these Senators are. What do they do all day besides spend our money on luxury lunchs, dinners and vacations under the guise of "Fact Finding" mission. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Liberal Senator Colin Kenny said someone in the government with an agenda and perhaps in the prime minister's office likely pointed out the trip to a journalist.
He said the story that aired was full of inaccuracies, which have now cast a shadow over the committee as it tries to get to the bottom of questions over reconstruction spending in Kandahar.
"I think it's an attempt to hobble us, but it's not going to shut us down," Kenny said in an interview.
He offered no proof beyond his suspicion, but his position was supported by three senators, including Conservative Michael Meighen and Liberals Tommy Banks and Wilfred Moore. The allegation also comes as the Senate is apparently considering a motion to condemn the trip, which was unanimously sanctioned by the upper house in late April.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister denied the Conservatives were responsible for any political mischief-making.
"The accusation is false," said Sandra Buckler, Harper's director of communications.
"The real issue here is about accountability for taxpayers' dollars. Because this trip has become public, the committee is now being held accountable for its outrageous and unwarranted spending."
The defence committee, which has produced several highly critical reports on the country's military and security preparedness since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, has attempted to be truthful and non-partisan, said Kenny.
"Some people don't like that," he said.
"They like it if you're partisan and get in and root around. We think the Canadian people deserve better. None of us here are running for election."
The criticism of the trip also plays well with critics of the Senate who favour Harper's proposed reforms of the upper chamber, said Kenny.
The principal reason for the trip, said Meighen, was to visit the provincial reconstruction team base in Kandahar to examine how Canadian aid money was being spent.
Meighen said he hopes Kenny is wrong in asserting that Harper's office was trying to discredit them. Nevertheless, he agreed with his colleagues that something was amiss.
The committee never got to Afghanistan. Security concerns surrounding Operation Medusa - the campaign to root out Taliban insurgents in the Panjwaii district - forced the seven senators and five staffers to halt their trip in Dubai.
The most contentious part of the story on their journey was the extended stay in United Arab Emirates.
Meighen said the committee members were portrayed as whiling away their time, spending taxpayers' money, when they were in fact touring ports in Dubai. A UAE-based maritime company has sparked a furious security controversy in the U.S. over plans to buy six American ports - something the committee wanted to examine.
The media report said the Canadian senators rented suites in Dubai for US$500 per night, while the senators say the bill was actually C$311 (US$275). It also said they rented a presidential suite at the Dubai Renaissance Hotel whereas the senators say they actually rented a small conference room next to the suite.
The budget for the Sept. 5-15 trip, which included stops in London and Rotterdam for meetings with European security agencies, was originally approved by the entire Senate - in a unanimous vote - in late April.
Heres a portion of an article about this topic. They get caught with their hands in the cookie jar and they blame Harper, then they call themselves non-partisan. Cough, what a waste of tax payers dollars these Senators are. What do they do all day besides spend our money on luxury lunchs, dinners and vacations under the guise of "Fact Finding" mission. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Liberal Senator Colin Kenny said someone in the government with an agenda and perhaps in the prime minister's office likely pointed out the trip to a journalist.
He said the story that aired was full of inaccuracies, which have now cast a shadow over the committee as it tries to get to the bottom of questions over reconstruction spending in Kandahar.
"I think it's an attempt to hobble us, but it's not going to shut us down," Kenny said in an interview.
He offered no proof beyond his suspicion, but his position was supported by three senators, including Conservative Michael Meighen and Liberals Tommy Banks and Wilfred Moore. The allegation also comes as the Senate is apparently considering a motion to condemn the trip, which was unanimously sanctioned by the upper house in late April.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister denied the Conservatives were responsible for any political mischief-making.
"The accusation is false," said Sandra Buckler, Harper's director of communications.
"The real issue here is about accountability for taxpayers' dollars. Because this trip has become public, the committee is now being held accountable for its outrageous and unwarranted spending."
The defence committee, which has produced several highly critical reports on the country's military and security preparedness since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, has attempted to be truthful and non-partisan, said Kenny.
"Some people don't like that," he said.
"They like it if you're partisan and get in and root around. We think the Canadian people deserve better. None of us here are running for election."
The criticism of the trip also plays well with critics of the Senate who favour Harper's proposed reforms of the upper chamber, said Kenny.
The principal reason for the trip, said Meighen, was to visit the provincial reconstruction team base in Kandahar to examine how Canadian aid money was being spent.
Meighen said he hopes Kenny is wrong in asserting that Harper's office was trying to discredit them. Nevertheless, he agreed with his colleagues that something was amiss.
The committee never got to Afghanistan. Security concerns surrounding Operation Medusa - the campaign to root out Taliban insurgents in the Panjwaii district - forced the seven senators and five staffers to halt their trip in Dubai.
The most contentious part of the story on their journey was the extended stay in United Arab Emirates.
Meighen said the committee members were portrayed as whiling away their time, spending taxpayers' money, when they were in fact touring ports in Dubai. A UAE-based maritime company has sparked a furious security controversy in the U.S. over plans to buy six American ports - something the committee wanted to examine.
The media report said the Canadian senators rented suites in Dubai for US$500 per night, while the senators say the bill was actually C$311 (US$275). It also said they rented a presidential suite at the Dubai Renaissance Hotel whereas the senators say they actually rented a small conference room next to the suite.
The budget for the Sept. 5-15 trip, which included stops in London and Rotterdam for meetings with European security agencies, was originally approved by the entire Senate - in a unanimous vote - in late April.
Electoral Member
Posts: 909
Location: Eastern Ontario
Location: Eastern Ontario
October 20th, 2006, 10:48 AM
damn they are all the same!!!
this morning I heard that the Tories in Ontario found that the Liberals have been campaining using Government offices, equipment etc. When caught the Liberals say they used it after hours yeesch..
I like to see what happens if I try any of this (above or any part of this thread) at my work place....
Think a new job would be in order....
Maybe a new gov. system is in order too?
damn they are all the same!!!
this morning I heard that the Tories in Ontario found that the Liberals have been campaining using Government offices, equipment etc. When caught the Liberals say they used it after hours yeesch..
I like to see what happens if I try any of this (above or any part of this thread) at my work place....
Think a new job would be in order....
Maybe a new gov. system is in order too?
Steven Hawking's Tutor
Posts: 4,612 
October 20th, 2006, 10:55 AM
It’s never been any different, so I’m not sure what the point of this discussion really is…other than perhaps an opportunity to vent…..
Canadians don’t mind that their government throws money away, never have and never will. Oh sure there’s the odd gripe now and then when fifty million or three hundred million or a billion taxpayer dollars drifts off into never-never land but Canadians don’t really care so why should anything change?
Canadians are pathetic sheep who bleet their complacency at every turn.
Line ups at the Emergency Room?
Not to worry the injured and sick will take great comfort no doubt in watching tax dollars that could have paid for more beds nurses and doctors funneled out of the federal treasury by our “honorable members” and funneled into the pockets of their “friends and colleagues”.
Homelessness?
Surely you jest!
Why our government under Stephen Harper is making damn sure those poor Lebanese folk won’t be homeless!
The list is so long even when you discount the mismanagement of billions of dollars by these jerks and just focus on the “deals” cut with “influential” business acquaintances and the conspicuous consumption (complete lack of regard for any oath or ersatz “pledge” taken when these pigs cozy up to the trough) and simply stolen.
Canadians don’t care and if any of them do, why it’s only a few years between times (usually) when Canadians get to vote and elect a new gaggle of liars and thieves to piss away the future.
Government waste…you say?
Canadians don’t mind in fact they approve with genuine enthusiasm…
“I don’t have time to call my representative….”
“I’m too busy to write a letter….”
“It doesn’t matter anyway…they’re all the same so why bother getting worked-up over something you can’t do anything about anyway…”
Canada has no military of any consequence.
Canada spent who knows how much to create DART that can’t even get to where its needed unless we can rent steal or borrow a ride from some real government.
We’ve got submarines that are so old that current technology can’t be used to repair and refit them so our government is spending millions to find old technology to fix these bargain basement subs we bought from Britain.
We’ve had twenty years of on-again-off-again falderal about helicopters and equipment supply to SAR and the military and we’re no further ahead as a nation in this department than we were twenty years and several hundred million dollars ago….
Like I said the list goes on and on….
Canadians don’t care as long as they’ve got their cable TV and the damn teachers unions don’t go on strike and force them to actually perform as parents….
Canadians are pathetic.
It’s never been any different, so I’m not sure what the point of this discussion really is…other than perhaps an opportunity to vent…..
Canadians don’t mind that their government throws money away, never have and never will. Oh sure there’s the odd gripe now and then when fifty million or three hundred million or a billion taxpayer dollars drifts off into never-never land but Canadians don’t really care so why should anything change?
Canadians are pathetic sheep who bleet their complacency at every turn.
Line ups at the Emergency Room?
Not to worry the injured and sick will take great comfort no doubt in watching tax dollars that could have paid for more beds nurses and doctors funneled out of the federal treasury by our “honorable members” and funneled into the pockets of their “friends and colleagues”.
Homelessness?
Surely you jest!
Why our government under Stephen Harper is making damn sure those poor Lebanese folk won’t be homeless!
The list is so long even when you discount the mismanagement of billions of dollars by these jerks and just focus on the “deals” cut with “influential” business acquaintances and the conspicuous consumption (complete lack of regard for any oath or ersatz “pledge” taken when these pigs cozy up to the trough) and simply stolen.
Canadians don’t care and if any of them do, why it’s only a few years between times (usually) when Canadians get to vote and elect a new gaggle of liars and thieves to piss away the future.
Government waste…you say?
Canadians don’t mind in fact they approve with genuine enthusiasm…
“I don’t have time to call my representative….”
“I’m too busy to write a letter….”
“It doesn’t matter anyway…they’re all the same so why bother getting worked-up over something you can’t do anything about anyway…”
Canada has no military of any consequence.
Canada spent who knows how much to create DART that can’t even get to where its needed unless we can rent steal or borrow a ride from some real government.
We’ve got submarines that are so old that current technology can’t be used to repair and refit them so our government is spending millions to find old technology to fix these bargain basement subs we bought from Britain.
We’ve had twenty years of on-again-off-again falderal about helicopters and equipment supply to SAR and the military and we’re no further ahead as a nation in this department than we were twenty years and several hundred million dollars ago….
Like I said the list goes on and on….
Canadians don’t care as long as they’ve got their cable TV and the damn teachers unions don’t go on strike and force them to actually perform as parents….
Canadians are pathetic.
World Police
Posts: 4,789
Videos: 1
Videos: 1
October 20th, 2006, 11:00 AM
Sounds like you are one proud Canadian....
Sounds like you are one proud Canadian....
