Senator Pamela Wallin next to resign.

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
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Backwater, Ontario.
I cannot express how deeply disappointed I am in Pamela Wallin. As a reporter and broadcaster I thought she was pretty good, I'd have thought she had some standards. You just have to look at Mike Duffy to think "pig at the trough" but I really expected better of Ms. Wallin. Perhaps expecting good ethical standards from politicians just dooms me to perpetual disappointment. But at least there's still Ralph Goodale, who so far at least certainly appears to be an upright and honest man.



A candle in the night.

Ralph also seems intelligent.

......................he's doomed.:-(

But, on the other hand; it's nice to watch el Primo call the artillery down on himself. Would that it had happened a few years ago.
 

tay

Hall of Fame Member
May 20, 2012
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I wonder if the Harperites think we are all fooled by her and others resigning from the CONServatives but remaining as Senators?

Banishing the Senate is the only answer...........



The audit flags at least $120,000 in questionable claims, with another $20,000 to be decided by the Senate committee. Wallin has already voluntarily repaid $38,000.
Almost all of Wallin's problems revolve around travel expense claims, most notably dinners and other expenses in Toronto and Guelph, where she was chancellor of the University of Guelph and where she was doing university business rather than Senate business.
Wallin made or attempted to make retroactive redactions or changes to her expense report, raising possible accusations of a coverup.
Of Wallin's four former executive assistants, three have told Deloitte that they know of expenses that were altered by Wallin.



The Pamela Wallin jumbo is on final approach, and coming in for a heavy landing.




 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
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Edmonton
You know what? I'd like to read the Senate's documents about what expenses are allowable etc. Wallin's not stupid; she's saying that the rules are "vague" Well, what do the rules say? Is she being disingenuous to save face? When she worked for CTV or whatever TV station she worked for, could she have made the same expense claim? Common sense would dictate that if you couldn't claim it from TV station you worked for, why would you assume you could claim in from government and get away with it? Less oversight?? Greed?

If Wallin, et al made claims that weren't to be compensated for, how many others have done so, especially since the rules are "supposidly" vague. Do we need to audit everyone or are the 3 or 4 involved just plain stupid?

I dunno about these people, honestly (shaking my head).

JMHO
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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Vernon, B.C.
You know what? I'd like to read the Senate's documents about what expenses are allowable etc. Wallin's not stupid; she's saying that the rules are "vague" Well, what do the rules say? Is she being disingenuous to save face? When she worked for CTV or whatever TV station she worked for, could she have made the same expense claim? Common sense would dictate that if you couldn't claim it from TV station you worked for, why would you assume you could claim in from government and get away with it? Less oversight?? Greed?

If Wallin, et al made claims that weren't to be compensated for, how many others have done so, especially since the rules are "supposidly" vague. Do we need to audit everyone or are the 3 or 4 involved just plain stupid?

I dunno about these people, honestly (shaking my head).

JMHO

If the rules are vague to Pamela Wallin, then she's too much of an airhead to be representing Canadians. Common sense would tell her that necessary expenses to do her job (normal, plane, bus, taxi fares, respectable hotel/motel rooms and restaurant meals) Not orange juice delivered to the room at $16 a crack, like that other broad did. It doesn't matter who she is, expense claims of over $100,000 a year are beyond the pale.
 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
6,593
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Edmonton
But the point is she's not the only one to state that the rules are vague which is why I was ?? it. But if you're right, they're all "airheads"

JMO
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
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Vernon, B.C.
But the point is she's not the only one to state that the rules are vague which is why I was ?? it. But if you're right, they're all "airheads"

JMO

They pretty well have to be, it's the only way they could all get along. I haven't heard any of her counterparts disagreeing with her.
 

Nick Danger

Council Member
Jul 21, 2013
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Penticton, BC
The "well everybody else is doing it" defense doesn't really wash. The concept that the Senate will re-imburse for travel related to Senate business isn't a difficult one to master in my mind. Travel with shared purpose should result in shared expenses. Reading her responses in the paper this morning really makes me wonder if her idea of honesty is actually based on what she knows to be true, or what she thinks she can get away with.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
The "well everybody else is doing it" defense doesn't really wash. The concept that the Senate will re-imburse for travel related to Senate business isn't a difficult one to master in my mind. Travel with shared purpose should result in shared expenses. Reading her responses in the paper this morning really makes me wonder if her idea of honesty is actually based on what she knows to be true, or what she thinks she can get away with.

She's a b*tch!
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
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Wallin says that she will repay whatever they ask. This suggests that she knows some of her expense claims are bogus. Wouldn't an honest person stand up and say "This is what I paid out of my own pocket while performing government work." Anything else is BS
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
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Vernon, B.C.
Wallin says that she will repay whatever they ask. This suggests that she knows some of her expense claims are bogus. Wouldn't an honest person stand up and say "This is what I paid out of my own pocket while performing government work." Anything else is BS

Right on, #Juan. Of course, the REAL problem isn't her. She's the only person besides Mike Duffy who can steal $1/4 million and not go to jail. (I say a $1/4 million just to make sure all the claims she got away with are included) -:)
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
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Vernon, B.C.
Wallin audit referred to RCMP as new expense details emerge - The Globe and Mail

The Senate committee responsible for an audit of Pamela Wallin’s expenses has ordered the Saskatchewan Senator to return $82,979 in improper claims, in addition to the $38,369 she has already repaid.

The committee on the internal economy also said it would refer the audit to the RCMP for further scrutiny. (Read the audit)

To tell you the truth I'm suspicious of the whole process. By the time it goes through the R.C.M.P. process and charges are laid (if they can't find a way to evade that) and a court date is set, she'll probably be long retired and still on the public t*t.
 

tay

Hall of Fame Member
May 20, 2012
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It's not just the $140,000 in illegitimate expenses -- which Stephen Harper is on record as saying are "comparable to any parliamentarian travelling from that particular area of the country." It's not just that Wallin's tab is considerably larger than Mike Duffy's tab. It's that she doctored her records ahead of the audit. It would appear that, like Bev Oda, Ms. Wallin feels free to alter official documents.

And, of course, there is the matter of scale. John Ivison points out in The National Post that:

Lest any of the senators currently in the spotlight have forgotten — which is unlikely — [Senator] Lavigne was sent to the big house for using a mere $23,000 for personal use — at least $10,000 of which was for travel expenses for trips taken by his staff.

The Harperites roared into Ottawa full of outrage, claiming the moral high ground. They promised a new age of accountability and righteousness. What they offered instead was self righteousness and no accountability.

When historians write about the Harper years, they will link the prime minister's name with hypocrisy. For, if Stephen Harper stands for anything, it is hypocrisy. It is who he and his acolytes are -- hypocrites.


John Ivison: Despite her protestations, allegations of coverup look terrible for Pamela Wallin | National Post





 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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It's obvious radical changes are long over due in the Senate, to start with I think they should receive an honorarium in place of a salary and I think any expenses should be done by script or voucher or directly into a Gov't. Account with the establishment providing the service, where they sign for their meals etc. No more $25 breakfasts unless they eat a $25 breakfast (of course that only leaves $9 paltry dollars after the orange juice.) The bottom line is they should receive very little cash, maybe $5 a day in the event they have to urgently use a pay toilet.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
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Wallin’s travel is now restricted to only direct or immediate connecting flights between Ottawa and her home province of Saskatchewan
- All other travel must be pre-approved by Senate administration
- All her expenses will be closely scrutinized for 1 year


they are going to closely scrutinize her expenses for a year...8O

some of the recomendations are good...

so now the audit goes to the RCMP

what does that mean?
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
I tried to find Harper's email address this morning, to no avail. What he needs is a deluge of emails demanding that Duffy and this b*tch go to jail. If anyone knows his email address I'll gladly email him. From that list of pictures of cells posted I can even recommend an appropriate cell. Oh, yeah, damn near forgot I wouldn't recommend her for one until AFTER she's convicted. -:) Oh, yeah, what's the maximum theft charge? Over $5000?

Well if fraud is shown and enough evidence to support charges, they should be laid.
If convicted then pick a room Pam.
Just my opinion ya know.

photo of jail cell - Google Search

Why let her pick the cell?
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
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48
I tried to find Harper's email address this morning, to no avail. What he needs is a deluge of emails demanding that Duffy and this b*tch go to jail. If anyone knows his email address I'll gladly email him. From that list of pictures of cells posted I can even recommend an appropriate cell. Oh, yeah, damn near forgot I wouldn't recommend her for one until AFTER she's convicted. -:) Oh, yeah, what's the maximum theft charge? Over $5000?



Why let her pick the cell?
Ask RCS.
 

tay

Hall of Fame Member
May 20, 2012
11,548
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Accountability for thee, not for we



Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton has put out a statement to explain how the Harper government feels about all this.
“Our Government will not tolerate the waste or abuse of the hard earned tax dollars of Canadians. We expect that any inappropriate expenses will be repaid. Senator Wallin is no longer a member of the Caucus and must be held accountable for her actions.”
“These issues are coming to light because of actions we took to publicly release Senators’ expenses when we gained a majority in the Senate in 2010. We have subsequently taken steps to toughen rules governing Senate expenses.”
“Our Government will continue to advocate for meaningful reform of the Senate – including elections, term limits and tough spending oversight. Canadians understand that our Senate, as it stands today, must either change, or like the old Upper Houses of our provinces, vanish.”
“Vanish” is a fun word to apply to the possibility of abolition. One imagines this would involve David Copperfield. Or a giant chasm opening in the ground and swallowing the Senate chamber whole.

Ms. Wallin decided to “recuse” herself from the Conservative caucus in May. A source tells CTV that Ms. Wallin views the audit process as “fundamentally flawed and unfair,” but that she will repay the full amount plus interest.

Here, for reference, is the June interview Ms. Wallin gave to the CBC.



The auditing of Pamela Wallin - Beyond The Commons, Capital Read - Macleans.ca