Reformer Blake Richards Has an Answer to the Detainee Issue - He's Going Proroguing

Reformer Blake Richards has all the talking points down on Harper's decision to run from allegations of complicity in war crimes and losing almost 90% of the stimulus money.

He's calling the proroguing of Parliament 'routine', though it's far from it. Chretien prorogued 4 times in 10 years, and only after the legislative agenda was taken care of. Harper has prorogued 4 times in 3 years and left 37 pieces of legislation on the table, meaning they were simply erased.

He also claims that "the most important thing is that the government changed the rules for the Afghan detainee transfer program, and now the focus is the budget."

Sorry buddy, but the most important thing is that it took your party more than a year to change the rules, despite constant complaints.

Harper is suggesting that it is only the opposition parties who keep bringing this up, but unless the military police, the International Red Cross, the U.S. State Department, The Afghan Human Rights Commission, NATO, and Amnesty International, are part of the Opposition, he'd be wrong.

In fact because of his knuckle dragging on the issue, the chief prosecutor of the International Court is now doing his own investigation.

Richards defends PM’s pre-Olympic prorogation
January 6, 2010
By: Rachel Maclean

Proroguing parliament — effectively shutting down the federal House of Commons — is a routine practice, said Conservative Wild Rose MP Blake Richards.

However, the timing is facing intense scrutiny in Ottawa. The federal Conservatives have suspended government until March 3, limiting parliamentary exposure to an ongoing controversy about the treatment of Afghan prisoners handed over to Afghan officials by Canadian troops.

The March date falls just after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, which wrap up Feb. 28, allowing the Conservatives to host a worldwide event without having to stickhandle public comments from opposition MPs. (I thought Vancouver and Canadians were hosting the event)

The parliamentary session was supposed to resume Jan. 25. While the minority Conservative government claims proroguing Parliament will let it focus on economic recovery, many opposition members are condemning the move as a way to halt investigations into the transfer of Afghan detainees.

Questions surrounding the controversy exploded after diplomat Richard Colvin reported to the federal government that in 2006 Afghan prisoners were tortured after Canadian soldiers transferred them to Afghan officials, and nothing was done about it. “The decision to prorogue is about one thing and one thing only — avoiding the scrutiny of Parliament at a time when this government is facing tough questions about their conduct in covering up the detainee scandal,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff in a Dec. 30 press release.

“By shutting down Parliament four times in just three years, Mr. Harper is showing that his first impulse when he is in trouble is to shut down Parliament.”

It was December 2008 when Harper prorogued Parliament to escape a coalition of Opposition parties from convincing the Governor-General that the Conservatives were unfit to govern.

Richards said he feels if there are still questions about Afghan detainees they will be addressed when Parliament reconvenes. He said the most important thing is that the government changed the rules for the Afghan detainee transfer program, and now the focus is the budget.“Now we can plan for what we are going to do to move forward,” said Richards. “We have a deficit that needs to be addressed.”

He said it allows Conservative MPs to focus on the next phase of the economic action plan, spend more time in their ridings and release a new throne speech and budget in March so Canadians know where they are going.

But Ignatieff said when Prime Minister Stephen Harper was granted permission from Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean to prorogue the house Dec. 30, he was showing a “disregard for the democratic institutions of our country.” Proroguing Parliament means that the parliamentary hearings into the Afghan detainee controversy are suspended.

Opposition members on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan Special Committee had asked to hold special meetings before the session resumed Jan. 25 to interview government members — like Defence Minister Peter MacKay — about what they knew of the torture allegations, but the committee cannot sit during prorogation.

Also, Harper has said he plans to fill five vacant Senate seats as soon as possible — tipping the scale of power in the Senate to the Conservatives. The Conservatives wouldn’t have an absolute majority, but it would give them greater control over newly formed Senate committees.

The makeup of Senate committees changes only when parliamentary sessions end, so by proroguing parliament there is a chance to bust up Liberal-dominated committees.

Proroguing prevents opposition parties from question period criticisms — even during the Olympics. The parliamentary manoeuvre — which has happened 105 times in Canadian history — also kills legislation that has not received Royal Assent. That means bills would have to be reintroduced in the new session. By proroguing, they are effectively killing more than 30 pieces of legislation.

The Conservatives have complained in the past about legislation being slowed down by opposition members, but this puts the brakes on a number of bills. Richards said while it unfortunately kills many pieces of legislation he would like to see go through, it does not affect private members’ bills — like scrapping the long gun registry. He said he has heard from many of his constituents on the long gun registry issue and hopes to see changes soon.

Back to: The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Reform MP Blake Richards, may not be biggest self-promoter in the Reform-Conservative Party , but he could sure give John Baird and Pierre Poilievre a run for their money.

His riding is one of the safest in the country, because it's been Reform since the birth of the party; but to hear this MP talk, you'd think he was their Messaih.

Let's face it. A donkey could run on the Reform ballot for that riding and win it hands down. In fact, that's kind of what happened.

But Blaikie is a good little 'praise the Lord and pass the ammunition' Reformer. Salutes the flag, bends over for the US, and refuses to be accountable to anyone.

He may also be the biggest twit .. er .. I mean twitterer, on the planet. If you want to know what he had for lunch ... he'll twit you with the info ... want to know what his party is doing with our money ... he'll have to get back to you.

Some of his responses might not be quite what he expected though. Things like:

"It feels like the Reform days! But you know all about that."

"Taxpayers should be very happy especially after learning they'll be paying MPs to stay home for 2 months."

I guess Blaikie let the cat out of the bag on cancelling election rebates, because one responder asked "do you have a link to this victory on elections rebates?" I do.

Could you explain to me how proroguing parliament will help the economy? Thank you.

Why do MPs need 2 month break? My boss not going to pay me to take next 2 months off. R U passing on paycheck?

Just imagine how good you'll be after you two month Harper Holiday!

(After boasting of a meeting) But aren't all the companies at XIron mills American or otherwise foreign, so your $$ won't be stimulating our economy?

When you think about Harper you need a hat. You have to have something to throw-up in!

Wrong! The laziest people are eligible citizens who don't take the time to VOTE!

Why no focus on peacekeeping in the guide? Are we a war making country now?

Very nice, but please say 'Government of Canada' not 'Canada's Conservative Government. So much more dignified & accurate.

Harpo's ditherings on the China file meant ADS has been delayed almost 4 years!

IS THIS REALLY YOUR CANADA? IS BLAKE RICHARDS REALLY THE BEST CHOICE FOR WILD ROSE?

Have the Conservatives Tainted the RCMP for Political Gain?

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has been a cherished institution in this country for almost a century, so when I learned that the Conservatives have been politicizing the force, it gave me grave concern.

If we believe that the RCMP favour one political party over all others, where does that leave the 2/3 of Canadians who are not fans of the Reform Conservatives?

Even if it is only a handful of Mounties playing these political games, it's a handful too many. With so many investigations currently launched against the new Conservative party, can we hope for justice? Will they be given special privileges?

I'd like to think not, but perhaps they'd better do something quick to reverse the reputation they are receiving or there may be no coming back.

Case in point? Why are so many Conservative MPs and candidates ex RCMP officers? Kingston's Brian Abrams' is and he's running again, and trying to use his history with the force to make us feel all warm and fuzzy.

Conservative MP and ex-RCMP officer Rob Clarke, even had a uniformed officer delivering campaign signs for him, sending a clear message about who's side they were on.

One of Brian Abrams partners in crime, Blake Richards dismissed the RCMP watchdog as a paper pusher when he wanted his budget increased because he had difficulty doing his job.

Sadly, what I discovered when researching this was that I'm not the only one concerned with the relationship between the RCMP and the Conservative Party of Canada. It's very troubling and should be of concern to all Canadians, regardless of party affiliation.

Investigating the RCMP
National Post editorial board:
August 14, 2009

In Canada's public imagination, the RCMP is synonymous with law and order. But according to Paul Kennedy, chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, the force falls short when it comes to investigating in-custody deaths and other serious incidents.

Canadians already are familiar with high-profile cases such as the allegedly taser-related death of Polish migrant Robert Dziekanski in Vancouver, as well as the RCMP's involvement with Maher Arar, who was shipped off by the United States to face torture in Syria. But what they may not know is that many RCMP internal investigations of such matters sometimes are performed using questionable methods. As Mr. Kennedy emphasized, many investigations are performed by officers who are known to the officers being investigated--or by officers who are lower in rank than those being investigated--or both.

Mr. Kennedy made the sensible suggestion that, at the very least, cases involving death should be investigated by outside police forces. Then, the public might have more confidence that justice was done in such cases as the 2005 in-custody death of Houston, B. C.'s Ian Bush, who was shot after being arrested for drinking beer in public. The officer who shot Mr. Bush -- Constable Paul Koester -- was cleared following an investigation... by the RCMP itself.

RCMP Commissioner William J. S. Elliott should take this counsel to heart. But instead, he seems to be exhibiting a knee-jerk opposition to Mr. Kennedy's findings. "This creates an inordinately negative and inaccurate picture," he told the media, playing down the relevance of findings that "relate to structure, reporting relationships and level of response."

Yet such details as "structure" and "reporting relationships" are indeed important to ensure the integrity of self-investigations. And if the Mounties' top brass doesn't understand that, then perhaps outside investigators need to be deployed in all cases of alleged RCMP abuse.

More than a year ago, another journalist had concerns about the integrity of the RCMP. ironically, it was just about two weeks before they raided Conservative Party headquarters because of alleged fraud, now dubbed the "In and Out". Harper is suing us to keep the case on the back burner, and called an illegal election in 2008 because the ethics committee was getting too close.

Will Canadians get Justice for that? Only time will tell. But more on the politicizing of the RCMP:

RCMP now too tainted to probe Parliament
April 08, 2008
JAMES TRAVERS
TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE

Having been taught a difficult lesson by public inquiries that were too inquisitive, Jean Chrétien happily left it to the RCMP to investigate those smells that failed the critical sniff test.

As a political tactic, the Chrétien method offers obvious advantages. Focused on criminal activity, RCMP probes leave ethical judgments to others and have the added benefit of often taking what seems forever to reach unconvincing conclusions.

Sadly for those in power, all good things come to an end. An ever-lengthening list of Keystone Kops pratfalls from the Maher Arar affair to the internal pension scandal is finally forcing Canadians to accept that a national icon is broken.

Worse still for ruling elites, former commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli's pivotal and unexplained intervention in the last election means an RCMP investigation no longer provides political cover.

That new reality casts some light on why Stephen Harper, who once stressed the importance of taking a political punch without complaint, is now suing Liberals for their Chuck Cadman accusations. Even if Conservatives hadn't appointed a new commissioner with old Tories ties, an RCMP probe alone won't clear the air around what was or wasn't offered to a dying man to decide the Paul Martin government's fate.

One alternative is Parliament's committees. But their investigative worth plummeted after failures to pick apart the sponsorship scheme and Brian Mulroney's curious dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber. In any case, the Conservatives are now stonewalling justice committee attempts to measure efforts to change Cadman's mind and vote.

Worrying as it is, the Cadman question is a small part of the capital's bigger conundrum. If not the RCMP or MPs, then who can be trusted for honest answers?

It's such a short list that Harper is now relying on Kevin Lynch, the country's top civil servant, to plumb the NAFTA leak that embarrassed Canada and Barack Obama in the Ohio presidential primaries. What makes Lynch a good choice is that he's highly respected and is, by definition, non-partisan. What makes it bad is that he both serves as the prime minister's deputy and works closely with Ian Brodie, Harper's very partisan chief of staff who reportedly dripped to reporters the first small NAFTA drop.

That puts Lynch in an impossible position. No matter what the truth or how thorough the investigation, any report minimizing Brodie's role will be met with skepticism.

As always, it's even more complicated. There's deep suspicion here that Conservatives hope to scapegoat foreign affairs bureaucrats they neither like nor trust. But as clerk of the privy council, Lynch is also responsible for the civil service and for managing its increasingly strained relations with a Harper administration more interested in aye-aye policy implementation than listening when mandarins speak truth to power.

While there's no quick fix, there is a starting point. A precondition for restoring public trust in the RCMP and its investigations is to pull back the covers on its politicization. That means full examination before the next election of Zaccardelli's motivation in effectively, if not necessarily intentionally, throwing the last one to Conservatives.

Politicians must always be held to a higher moral standard than the criminal law. But every citizen has every right to demand proof that the federal force will conduct its most sensitive investigations without political fear or favour.

So Conservative Blake Richards Isn't so Tough on Crime After all

For all his blather about being tough on Crime, Conservative Blake Richards has proven that he's only tough on some crime, or at least on some criminals.

Richards is one of the men our local Conservative candidate, Brian Abrams, had abuse taxpayer money to distribute partisan attack ads in Kingston, Ontario. (And Abrams wants to be our Member of Parliament????? Yikes!!!!!)

But Richards is the MP for Wild Rose, Alberta, a safe Reform Party seat, so he doesn't really need to campaign. Although, at least one of his constituents wasn't too pleased to be getting his taxpayer funded 'fluff'.

However, back to Blake and his 'huffin' and puffin' ... criminals will pay' nonsense.

When Alberta Mountie, Guy Armand Raes, admitted to sexually assaulting a teenage girl, many residents felt he got off too lightly. His original sentence was for only eight months, but later he was able to serve just 90 days, and then just on weekends. In fact he was even able to still receive a medal for bravery, despite the conviction.

Jail urged for Mountie who fondled girl
By KEVIN MARTIN
The Calgary Sun

AIRDRIE -- Sexually abusing a wayward teen he took under his wing should land a disgraced Mountie a 90-day jail term, a prosecutor said yesterday. But the lawyer for Const. Guy Armand Raes said his client has already suffered public humiliation and lost career, and doesn't need to be thrown behind bars as well.

Defence counsel Willie de Wit said Raes, a 22-year RCMP veteran, will be forced to resign from the force after pleading guilty to sexual assault. Raes, 51, admitted fondling the breasts of a 17-year-old girl he had been helping get back on the straight and narrow for two years and to whom he had become a father figure. (Oh my gawd! Fondling her breasts makes him a 'father figure'. Is he nuts?)

Crown prosecutor Craig Krieger said despite Raes' efforts to assist the girl his sexual advances on her breached a trust relationship and warranted a severe punishment.

"We acknowledge the accused, especially going into what turned out to be the relationship, did not go into it to specifically exploit this girl, or harm her," Krieger said. "But over time he crossed the line," he told provincial court Judge Barb Veldhuis. Krieger pointed to a series of text messages between Raes and the teen, who can't be identified, to illustrate how he went too far in his job as a police officer attempting to assist a youth in trouble.

He noted in one exchange Raes talked about the two being "soul mates."

Krieger said Raes' good work at getting the girl, whom he first met when she was 15, off drugs and alcohol made his violation of her all the more damaging. "There's no doubt he made a positive difference to this girl's life," he said. "That's probably why it hurt so much when he breached the trust."

Raes, who was under warning from his superiors not to have off duty contact with youths whom he had encountered through work, arranged to meet the girl late in the evening of Feb. 12, 2007. They then drove to an isolated location where he fondled her naked breasts.

De Wit said the decorated officer, who was awarded the governor general's Star of Courage for pulling a young couple out of a fire, never set out to have a sexual relationship with the teen.

One of Blake Richard's constituents was upset by the light sentence so turned to the man who vowed to protect children from sexual abuse and get tough on crime. But of course, Richards ignored the complaint, not surprising after calling the RCMP watchdog a mere 'paper pusher'


Another Mountie Charged with Sexual Assault

"... about Guy Raes, I was just wondering if you did hear about what he got. He did not get the 8 months.. instead they decided to give him a sentince (sic) of 90 day in jail to only be spent on weekends.. I thought that 8 months was a joke. I even wrote a letter to our MP Blake Richards asking him to make sure the crown would appeal this sentice (sic) but do you think he would reply. On top of that he has the nerve to be in the paper and talking about our justice system and how they need to make sure people get the time for the crimes they commit. ...I cannot believe that Canada does not have the guts to put people behind bars, instead they get a slap on the wrist!

The law should be the same for everyone and I'm surprised that Mr. Richards did not at least respond.

Back to - The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Conservative Blake Richards Campaign Literature a Work of Fiction

When Alberta MP, Blake Richards started distributing taxpayer funded attack ads in Kingston, Ontario; for our local Conservative candidate Brian Abrams, I was curious to know who Abrams was aligning himself with.

Not that Richards was the only one helping him finance his campaign with our money. Mike Wallace from Burlington also abused the public trust, hoping to do for Brian what he did for Lisa Raitt.

Naturally, this begs the question. If Brian Abrams can steal our tax dollars so easily before he's elected, why would we risk giving him access to the public purse?

It might eliminate the middle man, but during a time of economic uncertainty, do we really want to vote for a guy whose only priority is getting elected, and to hell with our tax dollars? Obviously it's all about him.

But back to Abram's new pal, Blake Richards. I was reading part of his campaign literature, posted by someone who really doesn't like him. I excused their rant, because I've been there myself on occasion, but when I ran down the list of Richard's brags and promises, it was pretty clearly a work of fiction.

However, it was also very clearly Reform Party ideology. Contempt for the courts and judges, the gun registry and the Canadian Wheat Board. Same old, same old.

We also learned that he has been a member of the Reform Party since 1988, back in the day when they were merely a Western protest party, with much of their protest against Quebec, multiculturalism, the gun registry, homosexuals .... or as Stephen Harper so aptly put it in an op-ed piece he wrote back in the day ... their priorities were the 'g' words: 'guns, gays and government grants'.

We have to also remember that most of the Reform Party policy, drafted by Harper was cribbed from the National Citizens Coalition handbook, so you might say, that like his boss; Richards is still working for the NCC.

Below are a few excerpts from Blake Richard's campaign brochure:

Reform Party Roots

Blake has been active in federal politics since joining the Reform Party in 1988, and has served as a Director and Policy Chairman in Wild Rose since 1993. He has been the local Campaign Manager for two federal elections for Myron Thompson as well as two national leadership campaigns.... serving as Constituency Assistant to current Member of Parliament Myron Thompson, for seven years.

Fact or Fiction?

Our Conservative government has accomplished much we can be proud of since taking office.

'We have lowered taxes by reducing the GST ...' - Most economists and our own Parliamentary budget officer, agree that lowering the GST was one of the biggest mistakes this government made. Reducing consumption taxes is not the way to go, and while it did nothing to stimulate the economy, greatly reduced our revenue at a time when we are now running an enormous debt and deficit. At some point it will have to be brought back to the 7% or we are going to be in trouble.

'... created greater accountability and transparency in government...' - This government is the least transparent of any before it. They tightly control the message, and make it difficult for the media to gain access to information. And as to the Accountability Act. It wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Offices have been created and staffed, but they have nothing to do. Whistle blowers are only allowed to whistle at the opposition, the Public Appointments Commission has no commissioner and the Republican who helped them draft the legislation, has himself been deemed one of the worst politicians in the U.S.

'... and reformed the Canadian Wheat Board allowing western farmers to market their own barley....' - Stephen Harper sued us again, in his long term goal to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board. However, " The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling that the attempt by the Government of Canada to remove the single desk on barley through regulatory change violated The Canadian Wheat Board Act". I just love when Stephen sues us. He never wins but he sure knows how to waste our tax dollars.

'We have implemented fixed election dates...' - When the ethics committee was getting too close to unearthing the truth in the Conservatives alleged election fraud, Harper shut everything down and broke his own fixed date election law, adding another three hundred million dollars to the ballooning costs of the "In and Out" scandal. Oh yeah, and he's suing us over that too. Man he must hate Canadians.

'... and brought forward bills to modernize the patronage-riddled Senate... despite a minority parliament and fierce opposition from a Senate dominated by Liberal patronage appointees' - Harper appointed 18 new senators, all through patronage. He has also found a way to make the Senate cease to function for anyone but him.

'Blake is committed to holding politicians more accountable by giving citizens the ability to recall promise-breaking politicians from office between elections...' Good to know. So does this mean we can fire Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty, for starters?

'Blake will fight for an end to judicial activism. It is the role of Parliament to create laws, not the domain of unelected and unaccountable judges....' Oh there's that old Reformer 'it's all the judges' fault.' Sounds like Maurice Vellacott. So Brian Abrams is a lawyer. Does he hate judges too?

'Blake is committed to ending all patronage appointments. Federal government positions should be filled based strictly on merit...' Hmmm ... too bad Harper doesn't share his vision. I've been creating a list of patronage appointments under our current PM, and he may even break Brian Mulroney's record.

'Blake is committed to ending the massive public subsidies that pay political parties $1.87 per vote received in the last general election. Taxpayers should not be forced to support political parties....' Rich. I agree. Taxpayers should not be forced to support political parties.

'Blake is committed to being a good steward of our environment, but believes there must be a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth ... Blake firmly believes that any action on climate change must be based on a Made In Canada solution, and not on the faulty Kyoto Accord or any international carbon trading scheme which bolsters the economies of other countries at the expense of our own....' - Unfortunately for Blake, the environmental minister disagrees. He has signed on to the U.S. Cap and Trade, which is a fancy term for 'carbon tax'. Poor Blake. The problem is that as much as this government has abandoned any real environmental concerns, George Bush is gone and Obama is committed to going green. So if the Cons want to keep their precious NAFTA afloat, they have no choice but to clean up their act, literally.

'Blake supports immigration based on our economic and labour market needs, rather than some artificial quota.... Blake supports revamping the temporary foreign workers program – making it fair to both employers and employees' – Jason Kenney and Peter Van Loan are making Blake's dreams come true.

The rest is pretty much, as one of his constituents put it: 'FLUFF!'

So what does Brian Abrams stand for? Why did he ask Richards to abuse his mailing privileges to campaign for him in Kingston? Last election Abrams pretty much sprouted party rhetoric. Will he stand up for us or sit down and shut up for Stephen Harper? I think I know.

Back to - The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Is Blake Richards Competing with Baird and Poilievre as Biggest Self Promotor?

When Blake Richards, the Member of Parliament for Wild Rose Alberta, came to my backyard in Kingston Ontario, distributing taxpayer funded attacks ads; I visited his backyard, and what a mess.

This self-promoter could sure give John Baird and Pierre Poilievre a run for their money.

In fact if you read Poilievre's Wikipedia that he updates every few minutes (last time today) and Blake Richards' (last time July 28), they sound pretty much the same, focusing on 'charity work', committees and the like.

Richards was involved in a hockey game, which raised funds for his local community. This is a good thing and can be found in his local media if you google it. But is this a necessary part of his Wiki bio? It's not like he found a cure for cancer or heaven forbid, made an attempt to stop wasting our tax dollars (I had to throw that in because I'm so tired of these tax funded attack ads)

Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg once said that “True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense” If Poilievre and Richards seek recompense in the form of political brownie points, it reduces their 'altruism' to simple narcissism.

All politicians engage regularly in charity work. It helps raise their profile in their communities, and creates a rapport with their constituents. However, cutting and pasting from your website to make yourself good is a little tacky.

But hang in their Blake. Maybe you'll steal the crown from John Baird and become Hill Times biggest self-promoter. Just think. Something new to add to your Wiki Wacki profile.

I'm Not the Only One Angry With Blake Richards

Recent letters to the editor, published in the Kingston Whig Standard, have revealed that most Kingstonians are upset with the recent taxpayer funded attack ads, that Conservative MPs Blake Richards (Wild Rose Alberta) and Mike Wallace (Burlington, Ontario) have been distributing in our city.

After 20 years of having Peter Milliken as our Member of Parliament, we're not used to seeing anything other than period newsletters that keep us up to date on changes, or provide direction should we have concerns.

He has never asked us to answer silly poll questions, nor does he use the mail outs for partisan attacks.

However, given that Brian Abrams will allow these men to abuse our tax dollars in this fashion, to save him a few bucks on his next election campaign, (especially during a period of economic uncertainty), gives us some indication of what to expect if he ever won this seat.

His sideshow barker, Hugh Segal, dismisses it by saying everyone does it. That's not true. And even if it was, how does that make it right? The Reform Party latched onto this loop hole years ago, but it has gotten entirely out of hand.

In 2002, when running for the leadership of the Alliance party, Stephen Harper accused Maurice Vellacott of abusing tax dollars to campaign for Stockwell Day. Soon after, Peter MacKay charged that Stephen Harper was abusing tax dollars to pepper his riding with trash.

Now everyone in the Conservative Party seems to have caught the bug, and if you search the net at all, you'll hear more complaints, but also learn some interesting strategies to deal with this.

If the government body can't see that this is an inexcusable practice, then we've got to take it upon ourselves to fight back. One gentlemen wrote across his 'Stop Wasting My Money A... hole!', before sending it back. I'm writing letters to the local papers and radio stations of the MP abusing his privilege, to let their constituents know that this is how they handle an economic crisis.

However, a local man, who was just as upset as I was; after his well deserved rant, offered another suggestion:

If you're going to campaign, call an election
July 3, 2009

On my way home, I stopped by my post office box. There I found a piece of mail that made me see red. It was from the government, and it represents, as far as I can tell, a massive abuse of the public trust.

It was a pamphlet that seemed to be trying to be a survey, asking who I thought was on the right track for Canada, with a little election ballot. However, most of it was a written version of the attack ads against Ignatieff, once again claiming that he was "just visiting." To make matters worse, to return this "survey" you just have to fold it up and put it into the mail - the "No Postage Required" on the stamp means that the return post is being paid for by Canada Post.

This is, put simply, an outrage. Consider the following:

1. This came "Compliments of Blake Richards, MP." My Member of Parliament is Peter Milliken. So, effectively, an MP with no portfolio is soliciting from another MP's riding.

2. This is an election campaign flyer - there is no question of that. But there hasn't been an election called. And this isn't the government bragging about its record - this is an attack ad flyer. This comes pretty close to libel, if it doesn't actually cross the line.

3. This hasn't been paid for by the Conservative Party of Canada coffers - this was paid for by Canada Post. In short, taxpayers are paying for the Conservatives to mail out attack ad flyers outside of an election.

This is not acceptable behaviour from public servants. Now, there is something that people can do about it. They can write to their Member of Parliament, and they can also write to the Board of Internal Economy.

Here is the list of its members. My fellow Canadians - I ask you, please write and complain. The only way that the Conservative Party will learn its lesson is if we do not remain silent, and if we tell them, united, that this will not be allowed to stand.

I responded to the frustrated Blogger:

I am just as frustrated as you with these damn campaign flyers being paid from our tax dollars. I live in Kingston as well and mine was from Mike Wallace in Burlington. I sent a letter to the editor of the Kingston Whig Standard and the Burlington Post. Both were published.

My son got the one from Richards so I've just sent off a letter to his local paper. Ironically, someone had already written one there, not about the attack ads but about other nonsense he's been sending his constituents that is nothing more than Conservative rhetoric. (they called it fluff)

Blake may have some explaining to do if they publish my letter as well.

If these guys want to come to my backyard then I'm going to theirs. We've got to start fighting back.

Back to - The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Conservative Blake Richards Tells Watchdog to Lie Down

Now don't get me wrong. I have a great deal of respect for the RCMP and indeed all police forces, but don't believe that they are infallible.

When it was deemed that false and misleading information passed on by the Mounties, may have led to the arrest and torture of Canadian citizen,
Maher Arar; recommendations were made to avoid further errors in judgement.

However, putting Blake Richards on the committee, to judge the work being done by the Watchdog agency established to avoid further intelligence fiascoes, was a mistake.

It's pretty clear that he's been influenced by the old dog himself, Myron Thompson, because Richards reduced the role of the agency to that of "bureaucrats and paper pushers", simply because they claimed they were under funded.

Look out Blake. Your green Reform Party roots are showing under your new 'Tory' blue do.

Watchdog says RCMP security work beyond his reach
The Canadian Press
Mar 5, 2009

OTTAWA — The RCMP watchdog says he's powerless to tell whether the Mounties have made the changes needed to prevent another Maher Arar affair.

Paul Kennedy, chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, told a Commons committee Thursday he can provide no assurances the government has enacted the Arar inquiry's recommendations.

The federal inquiry led by Justice Dennis O'Connor examined the role Canadian officials played in opening the door to Arar's torture in a grave-like Syrian cell after he was falsely accused of ties to terrorism.

Among the changes O'Connor called for more than two years ago was an overhaul of the RCMP complaints commission that would give it new powers to keep an eye on the Mounties' intelligence activities.

Kennedy told MPs on the public safety and national security committee that without the new authority he's in the dark as to whether the RCMP has cleaned up its act.

The commission's ability to probe security investigations is currently limited because such RCMP activities usually take place in the shadows, he said. In addition, the law does not give the complaints commission full access to information in RCMP files, and the commission lacks power to review or audit the force's programs and policies.

"I cannot give you any assurance that the RCMP has implemented the recommendations of Justice O'Connor or if such recommendations, if implemented, are either being adhered to or are in fact adequate to achieve their stated purpose," Kennedy said.

Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian, was detained in New York in September 2002 and subsequently shipped abroad by U.S. authorities, ending up in a Damascus cell where he gave false confessions about terrorist ties.

The government apologized to Arar in 2007 and gave him $10.5 million in compensation.

O'Connor found the RCMP passed misleading, inaccurate and unfair information to the Americans that likely led to Arar's arrest, deportation and ultimate torture.

Kennedy suggested a broader watchdog mandate for his organization could have deterred the RCMP from breaking policies and sharing information about Arar with the United States without attaching cautionary conditions about its use.

"If you knew that someone could come in and look at your program and find out if you're adhering to those policies and procedures, you would certainly be less tempted to have done what occurred in that case" he told the committee.

"Which is to forget about the policies and procedures, pull the caveats off and just do a dump of information. It would not have happened because you know someone is going to look at it.

"Right now, there's a curtain drawn around that, and no one looks in it other than the RCMP."

O'Connor also called for stricter review of five other agencies involved in national security, and made 23 recommendations urging the RCMP, Canadian Security Intelligence Service and others to usher in policy changes on information sharing, training and monitoring of security probes.

Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland said it was "staggering" the recommendations remained up in the air. "We're still talking about what the government responses will be."

The committee is looking at how the government has reacted to O'Connor's recommendationsand the findings of a more recent inquiry headed by former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci into the overseas imprisonment of three other Arab-Canadian men.

Iacobucci found Canadian officials had a hand in the brutalization of Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin in Syria through the sharing of information with foreign intelligence and police agencies. Iacobucci blamed the RCMP, CSIS and Foreign Affairs for mistakes.

Kennedy expressed concern that while the RCMP's budget has more than tripled since 1988, his funding has not even doubled in that period.

Conservative MP Blake Richards objected to Kennedy equating the work of his "bureaucrats and paper pushers" with that of RCMP officers who risk their lives on the street.

New Democrat MP Jack Harris said the Security Intelligence Review Committee, which monitors CSIS, appears "hamstrung" by the fact it can investigate the spy service's actions, but not those of other federal intelligence agencies.

He pointed to the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Montreal man who wants the review committee to probe the CSIS role in his imprisonment and interrogation in Sudan.

The review committee has told Abdelrazik's lawyers the committee must first gauge its "ability to fully investigate CSIS's actions given the alleged possible involvement of another government department or of other countries."

Susan Pollak, executive director of the review committee, declined Thursday to pass judgment on the need for a new, more powerful watchdog. "I see it as a decision the government has to make."

I guess I can see why Blake Richards is abusing tax dollars to campaign for Brian Abrams,who is an ex RCMP officer. But sadly for the two Harper hand puppets, the old 'if you can't tame it, shoot it' mentality of the Reform Party, won't fly here.

We need to allow these Watchdogs groups to do their jobs, even if just to protect the integrity of the RCMP. If they have nothing to hide, what are they so worried about?

Back to: The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Conservative Blake Richards Says Make the Children Pay

I came across a funny video featuring Wild Rose Alberta's Blake Richards, blathering about Jim Prentice's carbon tax, or some one's carbon tax .... I don't know. (It's since been removed)

You might wonder why I care what an Albertan backbencher has to say, but since he came to my backyard, abusing my tax dollars to campaign for Brian Abrams, I'm going to his. I'm also going to pull up all the flowers while I'm there.

From what I understand, he's sending junk mail to his constituents too, but it won't really matter. His seat is Reform, held for years by his ex-employer Myron Thompson, the craziest old coot I ever saw.

Richards won't have to do a thing because if a chicken ran Reform/Alliance Conservative in that seat, they'd win.

But to the video. It's classic and indicative of just how stuck in neutral the Conservative party have become. Richards is like one of those dolls with the strings you pull to get them to talk. After too much string pulling they get stuck on one or two phrases. For him it's 'cut taxes' and 'tough on crime'; neither of which are priorities for most Canadians.

We'd like to hear him and colleagues once in a while discuss how their government is going to deal with the enormous deficit and debt load, and how they are going to handle environmental concerns now that their precious NAFTA is at risk because they've put off dealing with climate change.

It's pretty clear that since they've opted to do nothing, it will be our children and grandchildren who will have to pay for their mistakes.

Brian Abrams may have to rethink which Reformers he chooses to waste our money. Mike Wallace and Blake Richards are only making him look bad (worse?).

Back to - The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion

Blake Richards Campaigns for Brian Abrams While Leaving His Own Constituents Disappointed

Conservative Blake Richards has been abusing tax dollars to mail attack ads to Kingston Ontario residents. He may be lost because Richard's riding is in Wild Rose Alberta. I guess you don't need a sense of direction to be what passes for a Tory these days.

Just ask Jason Kenney or Luc Harvey.

Naturally, these ads are on behalf of Brian Abrams, who can't yet abuse our tax dollars on his own, and Abram's spokesperson, Senator Hugh Segal, is actually trying to defend these men.

He claims that all parties are doing it, but that's not true and he knows it. I've seen a few Liberal and NDP flyers opposing government policy, but the Conservatives actually use theirs to campaign or launch silly push polls.

But then what can we expect from Hugh Segal? When Peter MacKay reneged on a written contract with David Orchard, and teamed up with the Canadian Alliance, Segal defended it by saying: "A lot of things have been said at political conventions that didn't have much substance after the event. There is enough grey there for legitimate maneuverability." (aka: Lying)

So next time you get caught in a cell phone or fitness club contract, that demands you to continue paying even though you no longer require the service; just tell them of the Hugh Segal law for 'legitimate maneuverability'. Maybe he'll post your bail.

But as to Richards, he might want to focus on keeping his own riding informed, because at least one resident found his 'information newsletter' all fluff and no substance.

MP's Report Short on Real Substance
The Cochrane Eagle
July 15, 2009

Dear Editor:

MP Blake Richards’ recent four-page broadsheet sent to Wild Rose constituents is disappointingly largely fluff. He had roughly 5,000 sq. cm. available to update us on real issues, but used only about one-quarter of this space to do so. The rest was fluff.

Of the hard information he presented, most was general Conservative policy, and only one short article gave us insight into Mr. Richards’ efforts on our behalf. He describes attending a meeting in the United States in June where he promoted farmers’ concerns.

While that short report was informative, I wanted to hear more of substance. I don’t care if Mr. Richards entered a Didsbury coffee shop or got his photo taken with a hockey trophy. I want to know if he is attending to important issues, ones I don’t see listed in his survey.

Why focus so much effort on crime when Canada’s crime rate is decreasing? What about his work on such critical issues as:

• curbing climate change;

• preparing farmers to function within major climate swings;

• a Canada-wide water strategy;

• economic diversification and a return to research and anufacturing;

• shortening food supply lines and supporting local production;

• curtailing (instead of promoting) endless growth and its demands on a finite planet.

Vivian Pharis

I think I might have to draft a little letter to the Cochrane Eagle myself. Ms Pharis won't believe the silly nonsense he's sending Kingston Residents.

Back to: The Blake Richards Story: Shameless Self-Promotion