Sunday, December 17, 2006

Was the January 2006 Federal Election Rigged?

Rick Salutin makes a pretty good case for what could be an enormous scandal: The RCMP handed the Conservatives the election last January by starting and publicizing an investigation into wrong-doing by Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale; in return, Harper protected RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli in the Maher Arar scandal. Salutin says:

In the midst of the [January 2006 federal election] campaign, the commissioner faxed an NDP MP, saying the Mounties were investigating then-finance minister Ralph Goodale, one of the big Liberals untinged by scandal. They don't normally do this. Nothing has come of the investigation. They could have waited. They could have kept it quiet. Instead, they even phoned the NDP MP to say, You've got mail, making sure she knew it was on the way. It tipped the election. She went public, the Conservatives shot up 10 points and passed the Liberals for good.

It's a stretch to think RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli quit over the Arar case. If that was so, he should have done it after his testimony in September when he said he knew about the injustice done to Maher Arar but failed to take serious action to fix it. And if he wouldn't go, the Harper government could have pushed him. We're told at least three cabinet ministers proposed that, but the PM said no. ...[Harper] couldn't act here without raising questions of why he hadn't earlier. Unless something new arose, making it clear he wasn't protecting the man till now. So the commish trots back to the parliamentary committee and says something really silly, providing a pretext for an exit that works for the government..."

Journalists have tiptoed around this for months. They mention it, then pull back. This week, the National Post's Don Martin referred to the possibility of the commissioner's "cashing in his marker" for that election result. If we were in the U.S., young reporters would be all over this story, dreaming about their first Pulitzer.

It seems obvious that the RCMP did something bad in the way they handled the Goodale investigation, and given that they did it in the middle of a federal election campaign, it's hard to believe that they didn't know the impact their actions would have. I haven't seen any evidence that Harper colluded with the RCMP commissioner over this, but it does seem a little fishy that Harper protected Zaccardelli right afterwards.

And this isn't the only time the RCMP has done this: Ontario MPP Greg Sorbara had to quit his cabinet post because of a public RCMP investigation that eventually turned up nothing; and NDP Premier of BC Glen Clark had to quit after the RCMP tipped off the media when raiding his house at night in another investigation that led to complete exoneration. There seems to be a pretty good case that the RCMP is engaging in political interference - the question is whether it's by design or incompetence.

###

12 comments:

Fraser Macdonald said...

Oh yes, and Bush planned 9/11 and The Queen killed Princess Diana. I forgot that all interesting narratives are true. Thank you for reminding me that coincidence is proof of guilt.

I think your point that journalists in the states would be all over this looking for their first Pulitzer says it all. Writing a spy novel by connecting some loose coincidences can win you praise, and MONEY. Does that make it true? NO. Not everyone is corrupt like the Liberals, and as hard as it may be for you to believe, they may have lost fair and square and deserved to.

http://torontories.blogspot.com
The Truth Hurts, if you're a Liberal

Torian said...

yeah, ok...

and Judy from the NDP (who started the investigation with a letter to the SEC) fits in where, exactly?

wilson said...

MSM has had 11 months to did up dirt, freedom of info, etc. If MSM could have nailed PMSH with this, they would have. Now they and Libs do the 'do you beat your wife' crap.

sad

Karen said...

If MSM could have nailed PMSH with this, they would have.

Right, that damned media that is out to get Harper. Give your head a shake and admit, your guy get's more favourable coverage, witness Time and newsmaker of the year, than you want to admit.

Beat that old drum, it'll stop making a sound soon as you beat through it.

The truth is, the investigation and how it was leaked, was more than suspect AND, nothing has come of it.

Just waiting for the next leak...Maher Arar for instance, who did they leak to then? Reporters won't tell and I think they are cowards for not doing so.

evans said...

Lefty moonbattery,asshattery at its finest and don't look under your bed tonight some things are too frightening to comprehend.

wilson said...

Maybe Zaccardelli had a personal axe to grind with the Martin gov't.
Maybe it was over Arar and Zac knew he was going to take a fall.

If the Cons were involved, don't you think Zac would have left with more than a pension and disgrace, something like what Dingwall got, $400K?

Anonymous said...

"...making Canadians believe that there was more Liberal scandal."

You mean like the still untouched issue of putting billions of dollars in "foundations" which are beyond the perview of parliament and the Auditor General? What ever happened to that story, which young reporters should be following to the ends of the Earth to achieve fame and fortune?

If I remember correctly (and given the silence around the issue, it is difficult to look up figures) some seven billion dollars was hidden away in foundations by the Liberal Government, yet where are the tangeble results of all that spending?

Oh yes, there are more Liberal scandals waiting to be unearthed.....

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the submarines in Lake Ontario, whose races can be seen from a parked car (for couples) at Cherry Beach on a hot, dark summer night.

Anonymous said...

Lol.... This is a joke I hope b/c how can any sane person honestly believe this crap.

Anonymous said...

I thought I've read everything in the world of left-wing moonbat theories, but this takes the cake.

Anonymous said...

I like conspiracy theories, there are so many to choose from. And a lack of evidence only proves that it's correct!

Anonymous said...

Interesting Yappa! You didn't so much say something as ask some questions, and out of the woodwork come 11 howling conservatives. Methinks they protest too much.
Sang