Oh dear. Canada.
Here's a note (edited):
Foreign interests helped unseat Clark: Schreiber BRODIE FENLON
Globe and Mail Update
December 11, 2007 at 2:19 PM EST
Karlheinz Schreiber said Tuesday for the first time that foreign interests and money were involved in the campaign to unseat Tory leader Joe Clark at the 1983 Progressive Conservative convention.
Mr. Schreiber told the House of Commons ethics committee that the money he used to help arrange and pay for jets that transported anti-Clark delegates from Quebec to the convention in Winnipeg came from himself; the late Franz Josef Strauss, the chairman of Airbus Industrie; and probably from Mr. Strauss's political party, the Christian Social Union.
At that historic convention, Mr. Clark did not receive the support he was looking for in a leadership review. He then called a leadership race, which was won by Brian Mulroney.
"The money came from myself, and from the Strauss family, and probably from the [Christian] Social Union," said Mr. Schreiber, adding the amount he contributed was about $25,000.
But Mr. Schreiber went further Tuesday when he said the money they used for that endeavour came from German political and business interests. Mr. Schreiber has already testified that Airbus Industrie saw Canada in the 1980s as a "Trojan horse" for its entry into the North American market.
Mr. Schreiber told the ethics committee last week that the $300,000 in cash he paid Mr. Mulroney in three separate instalments in 1993 and 1994 came from a bank account containing funds he earned from companies whose projects moved forward under the Mulroney government.
He said Mr. Mulroney never asked that payments be made in a form other than cash, and that Mr. Mulroney did nothing for the money.
Mr. Schreiber said the conversation occurred when Mr. Mulroney was still in office and took place in the Ottawa offices of lobbyists Government Consultants International (GCI), a firm run by Mr. Moores.
"I nearly froze when he said, ‘I want you to make sure that GCI through you transfers certain amounts of money to an account in Geneva,' to a lawyer in Geneva, which is Mr. Mulroney's lawyer," Mr. Schreiber said.
"Why the hell would one send money to a lawyer in Geneva for Mr. Mulroney? What for? And now came his unbelievable answer: He said, ‘For Airbus.' And I hear myself, even today, saying what the hell has Mulroney to do with Airbus? And his answer was, ‘Are you naive?' "
Mr. Harper has also called for a public inquiry into this matter, saying he needs to protect the office of the Prime Minister. However, Canadians are split on the need for the public inquiry...
... So, Canadian labour lawyer cum business executive with big political apirations takes about $25,000 from foreign lobbyist desiring to sell products to Canada to pack leadership review meeting to topple the party leader to take over the country in the next election. This strategy suceeds. Then he takes $300,000 in cash for doing nothing. Meantime, maybe there's more funny stuff, but Canadians don't want to know. Fortunately Harper insists.
Canadians don't want to know. I'm with Harper on this one. This thing stinks for sure, and it stinks bad.
Here's a note (edited):
Foreign interests helped unseat Clark: Schreiber BRODIE FENLON
Globe and Mail Update
December 11, 2007 at 2:19 PM EST
Karlheinz Schreiber said Tuesday for the first time that foreign interests and money were involved in the campaign to unseat Tory leader Joe Clark at the 1983 Progressive Conservative convention.
Mr. Schreiber told the House of Commons ethics committee that the money he used to help arrange and pay for jets that transported anti-Clark delegates from Quebec to the convention in Winnipeg came from himself; the late Franz Josef Strauss, the chairman of Airbus Industrie; and probably from Mr. Strauss's political party, the Christian Social Union.
At that historic convention, Mr. Clark did not receive the support he was looking for in a leadership review. He then called a leadership race, which was won by Brian Mulroney.
"The money came from myself, and from the Strauss family, and probably from the [Christian] Social Union," said Mr. Schreiber, adding the amount he contributed was about $25,000.
But Mr. Schreiber went further Tuesday when he said the money they used for that endeavour came from German political and business interests. Mr. Schreiber has already testified that Airbus Industrie saw Canada in the 1980s as a "Trojan horse" for its entry into the North American market.
Mr. Schreiber told the ethics committee last week that the $300,000 in cash he paid Mr. Mulroney in three separate instalments in 1993 and 1994 came from a bank account containing funds he earned from companies whose projects moved forward under the Mulroney government.
He said Mr. Mulroney never asked that payments be made in a form other than cash, and that Mr. Mulroney did nothing for the money.
Mr. Schreiber said the conversation occurred when Mr. Mulroney was still in office and took place in the Ottawa offices of lobbyists Government Consultants International (GCI), a firm run by Mr. Moores.
"I nearly froze when he said, ‘I want you to make sure that GCI through you transfers certain amounts of money to an account in Geneva,' to a lawyer in Geneva, which is Mr. Mulroney's lawyer," Mr. Schreiber said.
"Why the hell would one send money to a lawyer in Geneva for Mr. Mulroney? What for? And now came his unbelievable answer: He said, ‘For Airbus.' And I hear myself, even today, saying what the hell has Mulroney to do with Airbus? And his answer was, ‘Are you naive?' "
Mr. Harper has also called for a public inquiry into this matter, saying he needs to protect the office of the Prime Minister. However, Canadians are split on the need for the public inquiry...
... So, Canadian labour lawyer cum business executive with big political apirations takes about $25,000 from foreign lobbyist desiring to sell products to Canada to pack leadership review meeting to topple the party leader to take over the country in the next election. This strategy suceeds. Then he takes $300,000 in cash for doing nothing. Meantime, maybe there's more funny stuff, but Canadians don't want to know. Fortunately Harper insists.
Canadians don't want to know. I'm with Harper on this one. This thing stinks for sure, and it stinks bad.
