PM mum on RCMP 'visit'

On the way to New Orleans for the leaders’ summit, among the reporters, all the talk was of Sunday's strange events and why the Conservatives picked and chose among journalists for a special briefing on last week's RCMP raid at Tory headquarters.

I'm glad to see we've stopped trying to call it a "visit," as Conservatives insisted last week in their public statement. Now it's the RCMP "stormed" party headquarters.

Any attempts to raise this with Harper's entourage so far today have been unsuccessful. Dimitri Soudas, one of the communications aides in the PMO, came back and greeted journalists on the plane to New Orleans this morning, but when asked about all this business, he said simply he was focused on government, not the party.

We don't expect Harper to entertain any questions from Canadian reporters today -- true to form when he's travelling abroad. Our only glimpse of him has been on arrival here an hour or so ago at a private strip near New Orleans airport, where Harper was serenaded with a brass band from Preservation Hall.

Also, from what we can gather, it does seem that Canada has abandoned its usual practice of holding a separate news conference for its own reporters at these summits. (I've been coming to these things since 2004.) Now, our only chance to pose questions of Harper will be at the final news conference featuring all three leaders, in which only six questions are permitted -- two from each country.

NDP has "Three Amigos" meeting covered

Those New Democrats think of everything.

Every Canadian reporter here to cover the "three amigos" meeting here in New Orleans has arrived at the fancy boutique hotel to find an envelope from the NDP awaiting them in their rooms.

"Welcome to New Orleans!" states a letter from NDP MP Peter Julian, who also happens to be staying here at the International Hotel. Quite the coincidence -- I'm wondering how he knew where we were staying, since most of us just found out this morning where the PMO had booked us, when we checked in for the trip.

The letter goes on to explain how the NDP has been trying to stop the Security and Prosperity Partnership -- the agreement to encourage more co-operation between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, which critics say is a back-door strategy toward North American integration.

The NDP's package for reporters includes a little anti-SPP cartoon put together by the Canadian Labour Congress.

 

Cops 'n' politics

Another day, another RCMP foray into the political realm. What a week this has been.

Here's what's just moved on the Canadian Press wire:

MONTREAL — The RCMP has charged a former top Liberal organizer in Quebec with fraud in connection with the sponsorship scandal.

Benoit Corbeil, the former director of the federal Liberals’ Quebec wing, was arrested this morning and charged with influence peddling, fraud and conspiracy against the party and the federal government between 1997 and 2000.

Corbeil testified during the sponsorship inquiry that he distributed cash-stuffed envelopes to party volunteers in advance of the 2000 election.

Former ad man Jean Brault told the inquiry he worked with party officials, including Corbeil, to divert $1.1 million in cash to the party in exchange for sponsorship contracts.

Corbeil is to appear in court this afternoon.

There's lots of talk out there today about the timing of this announcement, coming so soon after the raid at Conservative headquarters. But maybe, given this coincidence, it was simply a two-for-one expedition at 130 Albert St., and while the cops were in the neighbourhood, they found some old sponsorship stuff too.

Cadman redux

TORONTO STAR PHOTO

Young Liberals were driving this van around downtown Ottawa, blaring audio excerpts of Stephen Harper's interview with the author of a book on the late MP Chuck Cadman. The small sign on the door claims the vehicle is "carbon neutral."

It's the first proper patio day in Ottawa and hordes of politicos are out for lunch.

Somewhat jarring, though, is the background noise — the voice of Stephen Harper on loudspeakers, sort of like you'd hear on election day in a Third World country.

The young Liberals got a van, plastered it with a photo of Harper and the slogan — "explain the tape" — and have the PM on a continuous tape loop, over the megaphone. It's his interview with the journalist who wrote the book on Chuck Cadman, in which he discusses "financial considerations" offered in exchange for the independent MP's vote in 2005.

Check here for the background of the stunt.

This place looks familiar

Here's a fun coincidence. The building where the RCMP paid a visit this week, home of the Conservative headquarters, was also home to Groupaction,   the disgraced ad firm in the Quebec sponsorship saga.

As one of our folks here observed: no wonder the cops knew their way around the place.

Is there a trend here?

Look at things over the long term, and you start to see a pattern:

* Former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney is accused of an improper relationship with German-Canadian businessman Karl-Heinz Schreiber in the 1990s and immediately alleges that it's a plot by the Liberals and the CBC, in part, to do him in. It takes about a decade to get past the blame-the-messenger business and have a public inquiry called into the whole affair.

* During a Commons committee hearing last fall into this controversy, a Liberal MP asks Mulroney if he has held meetings with then-Industry Minister Maxime Bernier to discuss the auction of wireless-telephone airwaves.  This line of questioning gets totally sidetracked when a CBC reporter is accused of planting those questions with the Liberals. The CBC reporter is reassigned, the Conservatives cry victory and it isn't until months later we get past the blame-the-messenger business to learn there was some substance to the questioning (Globe and Mail article, requires subscription).

* This week, the RCMP raids the Conservative party headquarters and the government alleges a Liberal-CBC plot once again.  Conservatives  ask: how did the CBC get tipped to the presence of RCMP officers at the Albert St. building? They want to know: how did the Liberals get there with video cameras so quickly? (Dion and Liberal aides say they got the tip through sources close to their office televisions. They saw Susan Bonner's report and ran over, as we at the Star did too.)

Presumably, if the pattern holds, we'll get past this blame-the-messenger noise as well,  to focus on the substance of the Conservative dispute with Elections Canada.

And a  couple of other, related updates:

* We now know that the announcement of Gen. Rick Hillier's resignation was pushed up a day - it was supposed to come Wednesday, the general told CanWest columnist Don Martin, but it was evidently rushed out on Tuesday to push the raid to the sidelines of the news agenda. See Martin's interview with CBC Newsworld's Don Newman (video available for seven days after Tuesday's broadcast) for a bit of insight into how he ended up talking to Hillier in advance of the announcement. Kudos to the Conservatives if that was the plan  - many newspapers, including the Star, played up the Hillier story  at the expense of the story on the raid.

* Also on  Tuesday night,  as the wild news day wound down, CTV held a large, swanky party in Ottawa to mark 50 years of local broadcasting. It was a wildly successful party, with an open bar and A-list guests. The Prime Minister and a large group of Conservatives attended.  It seems doubtful that a similar, CBC gathering would have the same kind of draw in Ottawa these days. Of course, it would also be inappropriate for the taxpayer-financed  broadcaster to host a similarly lavish gathering.   

Tories still whipping Ontario

Further to polls showing the Conservatives taking a hit for their repeated slams against Ontario, particularly those by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the Liberals have produced some pro-Ontario swag to capitalize on the sentiment (at right -- click for larger image).

The Conservatives, by the way, seem undeterred by the poll results, using one of their questions in the Commons yesterday to take another poke at Premier McGuinty and his stand on China/Tibet. Here's the Hansard excerpt.

Mr. David Sweet (Ancaster — Dundas — Flamborough — Westdale, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, last week Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and his trade minister stated that human rights were a federal matter and it was not the province's role to get involved. This week, after a trip to China, trade minister Pupatello suggested that Canada should nurture a dialogue with China regarding human rights in Tibet.

Could the justice minister please tell the House the government's view on who should be advancing the issue of human rights?

Hon. Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, it was only a few days ago that the Ontario government was trying to pass off human rights as solely a federal responsibility. Now it is suggesting that there should be dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and that Canada may be able to help. I am glad it finally figured out that human rights are the responsibility of all levels of government.

This government is interested in promoting human rights. We continue to encourage dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and the full respect of all human rights.

 

Lessons from the south

Thanks to the transparency and openness of the White House, we are getting details of what Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be up to in New Orleans next week at the "three amigos" summit. Here in Ottawa, we probably wouldn't get a schedule like this until an hour or two before the events... maybe a day earlier if we're lucky.

As well, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, in the same spirit of openness, has invited Ottawa reporters to a post-summit briefing lunch at his residence next Wednesday, the day after the New Orleans summit. Say what you like about the Americans, but you have to admire their professionalism about media relations.

Monday, April 21

1:55 pm
THE PRESIDENT meets with the President of Mexico
CDT Windsor Court Hotel | New Orleans, Louisiana
POOL AT BOTTOM

3:10 pm THE PRESIDENT meets with the Prime Minister of Canada
Windsor Court Hotel | New Orleans, Louisiana
POOL AT BOTTOM

6:30 pm
THE PRESIDENT makes Remarks at a United States Chamber of Commerce Reception
Gallier Hall | New Orleans, Louisiana
POOL FOR CAMERAS; OPEN FOR CORRESPONDENTS

7:30 pm
THE PRESIDENT participates in a Dinner with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada
New Orleans Location | New Orleans, Louisiana
CLOSED PRESS

Note: THE PRESIDENT will participate in a Greeting with the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Mexico upon arrival. (POOL COVERAGE)

Note: THE PRESIDENT will view Entertainment after dinner. (STILLS, POOL TV, & PRINT POOLER)

Tuesday, April 22

8:10 am
THE PRESIDENT participates in a Breakfast with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada
New Orleans Location | New Orleans, Louisiana
STILLS AND POOL TV AT TOP

9:20 am
THE PRESIDENT meets with North American Competitiveness Council
Gallier Hall | New Orleans, Louisiana
STILLS AND POOL TV AT TOP

10:25 am
THE PRESIDENT meets with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada
Gallier Hall | New Orleans, Louisiana
STILLS AND POOL TV AT TOP

11:35 am
THE PRESIDENT participates in a Joint Press Availability with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada
Gallier Hall | New Orleans, Louisiana
OPEN PRESS

And further to that....

A few observational updates to the two items below:

On Hillier, we find it odd here that he adamantly refused to talk to CBC reporter Julie van Dusen, but lo and behold, here he is talking at length to the National Post about his decision to step down.

On the RCMP raid, at least one blogger and Liberal insiders have noted the somewhat comical coincidence that the Conservatives dubbed this "stronger justice week" in Parliament.

And on both, there are some people theorizing it's not an accident the two stories landed together on the news agenda today. The PMO communications office is known for attempting to diffuse bad news with other, bigger news. Is it possible that the government decided to let loose the Hillier news to throw media off the trail of the RCMP? Or the screwups of Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier?

This just in....

Things have suddenly become very busy here in Ottawa, with two blockbuster bulletins from CBC.

1. The RCMP has reportedly paid a call on Conservative party headquarters, in relation to the so-called "in-and-out" scheme regarding 2005-06 election expenses.

2. The chief of defence staff, Rick Hillier, is stepping down.

#2 we expected, sort of. #1 is a bolt out of the blue.