new survey suggests Canadians are starting to warm up to the idea of a coalition government on Parliament Hill.
Compiled by TNS Canada, it shows 57 per cent of Canadians found the idea of two parties forming a coalition 'completely' or 'somewhat' acceptable.
To add to that, 49 per cent of Canadians would be okay with the idea of two parties, that did not win the most seats, forming a majority government in the House of Commons.
Only one in five Canadians said they would not prefer any of these coalition scenarios.
"I think voters are looking for a way for a minority government or minority party to work together with the other parties and sort of keep it together," says Vice President and Director of Public Opinion Research Norman Baillie-David.
The survey continues to say the most pallatable solution for Canadians is a prospective Liberal - NDP union at 28 per cent, followed by a Conservative - NDP coalition at 24 per cent.
Preference begins to drop dramatically for an union that involves the Bloc Quebecois.
The prairie provinces however were the region that was least warm to the idea with only 39 per cent of those polled okay with a coalition government.
Baillie-David feels that may be just a coincidence and not have much to do with the fact that the majority of the Conservative support is in Western Canada.
"We're a minority situation, pardon the pun, in terms of a coalition government around the world," he says. "Even Jean Chretien said yesterday that Canada is one of the only countries left that thinks it can get a majority."
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Canada’s F-35s .. Government will be required to provide powerplant for stealth fighters, documents show.
The multi-million dollar F-35 stealth fighter that the Conservatives want to purchase comes with all the accoutrements of a high-tech aircraft — everything, that is, except an engine.
The government will be required to provide engines for the 65 planes to be delivered by U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, according to newly released Defence Department documents.
The proposed F-35 purchase, estimated to cost between $14 billion and $29 billion depending on what figures are used, has been controversial. Opposition parties are calling for a review or cancellation of the program, while the Tories have made it a key part of their defence policy.
The DND documents, which outline answers to questions about the F-35, also note that the stealth fighter could be used in a secondary role for search-and-rescue.
The records, obtained through the Access to Information law by peace activist Tamara Lorincz, are from a series of meetings last fall when defence bureaucrats and military officers toured the country to promote the F-35 deal.
“Engines are provided as gov’t furnished equipment,” noted the documents.
The term “government furnished equipment” signifies that the engines are being provided separately by Canada.
It is unclear how much extra the engines will cost or whether there would be additional costs for installing the power plants into the fighters.
In an e-mail late Friday, DND stated that Canada is purchasing the least costly variant of the F-35.
But DND did not provide an explanation about why the government is required to provide the engines.
It also did not provide any details on the price tag of the engines or the cost to install them.
But the e-mail suggested the cost of the engines is included in the overall price.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has labelled the F-35 as a good deal for Canada and notes that the aircraft will cost around $75 million per plane.
The Conservatives say the entire purchase will cost around $14 billion but a report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page puts the number at $29 billion.
The Government Accountability Office, the U.S government’s equivalent of the auditor general, has also warned about serious ongoing problems with the aircraft and rising costs. Mike Sullivan, a senior official with the Government Accountability Office, estimates that the F-35 model that Canada is buying will cost between $110 to $115 million.
U.S. defence specialist Winslow Wheeler, who has also raised concerns about the F-35, has warned that the extra cost of an engine could boost the price of an aircraft for Canada to around $148 million.
“If Canada’s government can get an F-35 for the mid-70 million dollars per airplane, well they should sign a contract right now and get it delivered,” said Wheeler, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information in Washington. “Because I can promise you nobody on this earth will ever get a flying F-35 for $75 million per copy. It’s pure fantasy.”
But former chief of the defence staff, retired Gen. Paul Manson, a strong supporter of the F-35 and a former chairman of Lockheed Martin Canada, has challenged Wheeler’s viewpoints in a letter to the Citizen. According to Manson, the F-35 project is progressing well and the plane is the right one for Canada. He said Wheeler lacks credibility because he is associated with a “left-wing” organization in Washington.
Wheeler, who was asked to testify last year before a Commons committee, has spent the last 30 years working on defence issues for Republican and Democratic politicians. He was an analyst for nine years with the Government Accountability Office, working on studies concerning defence procurement and military aircraft.
The DND records highlight the F-35’s capabilities, pointing out that it will be easy to fly and the purchase will provide contracts for Canadian aerospace companies.
During the tour, the issue of whether the F-35 could contribute to search and rescue (SAR) missions also came up. “Fighter aircraft (are) not a primary SAR asset, but can play a secondary role — and would,” the documents state.
But Steve Staples, a vocal critic of the F-35 purchase, calls that claim ludicrous.
He said the billions of dollars earmarked for the fighter jets have helped delay other more important projects such as the air force’s much-delayed plan to buy fixed wing search and rescue planes.
“The concern here is that the F-35 eats everybody’s else’s lunch and there will be no money left,” said Staples, president of the Rideau Institute. “The search and rescue aircraft are a casualty, so instead we’ll get some supersonic stealth fighter trying to find hikers lost in the woods.”
According to the DND presentations from the documents, the first F-35 will be delivered to Canada in 2016. The final delivery will take place in 2022.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Canada+Engines+included/4629251/story.html#ixzz1Jkvpm2QE
The government will be required to provide engines for the 65 planes to be delivered by U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, according to newly released Defence Department documents.
The proposed F-35 purchase, estimated to cost between $14 billion and $29 billion depending on what figures are used, has been controversial. Opposition parties are calling for a review or cancellation of the program, while the Tories have made it a key part of their defence policy.
The DND documents, which outline answers to questions about the F-35, also note that the stealth fighter could be used in a secondary role for search-and-rescue.
The records, obtained through the Access to Information law by peace activist Tamara Lorincz, are from a series of meetings last fall when defence bureaucrats and military officers toured the country to promote the F-35 deal.
“Engines are provided as gov’t furnished equipment,” noted the documents.
The term “government furnished equipment” signifies that the engines are being provided separately by Canada.
It is unclear how much extra the engines will cost or whether there would be additional costs for installing the power plants into the fighters.
In an e-mail late Friday, DND stated that Canada is purchasing the least costly variant of the F-35.
But DND did not provide an explanation about why the government is required to provide the engines.
It also did not provide any details on the price tag of the engines or the cost to install them.
But the e-mail suggested the cost of the engines is included in the overall price.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has labelled the F-35 as a good deal for Canada and notes that the aircraft will cost around $75 million per plane.
The Conservatives say the entire purchase will cost around $14 billion but a report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page puts the number at $29 billion.
The Government Accountability Office, the U.S government’s equivalent of the auditor general, has also warned about serious ongoing problems with the aircraft and rising costs. Mike Sullivan, a senior official with the Government Accountability Office, estimates that the F-35 model that Canada is buying will cost between $110 to $115 million.
U.S. defence specialist Winslow Wheeler, who has also raised concerns about the F-35, has warned that the extra cost of an engine could boost the price of an aircraft for Canada to around $148 million.
“If Canada’s government can get an F-35 for the mid-70 million dollars per airplane, well they should sign a contract right now and get it delivered,” said Wheeler, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information in Washington. “Because I can promise you nobody on this earth will ever get a flying F-35 for $75 million per copy. It’s pure fantasy.”
But former chief of the defence staff, retired Gen. Paul Manson, a strong supporter of the F-35 and a former chairman of Lockheed Martin Canada, has challenged Wheeler’s viewpoints in a letter to the Citizen. According to Manson, the F-35 project is progressing well and the plane is the right one for Canada. He said Wheeler lacks credibility because he is associated with a “left-wing” organization in Washington.
Wheeler, who was asked to testify last year before a Commons committee, has spent the last 30 years working on defence issues for Republican and Democratic politicians. He was an analyst for nine years with the Government Accountability Office, working on studies concerning defence procurement and military aircraft.
The DND records highlight the F-35’s capabilities, pointing out that it will be easy to fly and the purchase will provide contracts for Canadian aerospace companies.
During the tour, the issue of whether the F-35 could contribute to search and rescue (SAR) missions also came up. “Fighter aircraft (are) not a primary SAR asset, but can play a secondary role — and would,” the documents state.
But Steve Staples, a vocal critic of the F-35 purchase, calls that claim ludicrous.
He said the billions of dollars earmarked for the fighter jets have helped delay other more important projects such as the air force’s much-delayed plan to buy fixed wing search and rescue planes.
“The concern here is that the F-35 eats everybody’s else’s lunch and there will be no money left,” said Staples, president of the Rideau Institute. “The search and rescue aircraft are a casualty, so instead we’ll get some supersonic stealth fighter trying to find hikers lost in the woods.”
According to the DND presentations from the documents, the first F-35 will be delivered to Canada in 2016. The final delivery will take place in 2022.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Canada+Engines+included/4629251/story.html#ixzz1Jkvpm2QE
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Corrections Canada is fighting the release of controversial videos of forced chemical injections related to the prison death of troubled New Brunswick teen Ashley Smith.
Corrections Canada is fighting the release of controversial videos of forced chemical injections related to the prison death of troubled New Brunswick teen Ashley Smith.
Lawyers for the head of Canada's prison system will be in court Monday trying to quash a summons that would force the commissioner of corrections to appear in court with videos of Smith being forcibly injected with anti-psychotic drugs.
A psychologist hired by the correctional service's watchdog has called the forced injections illegal.
An inquest, which had been set to begin April 4 in Toronto, will examine factors that may have impacted Smith's state of mind, coroner Bonita Porter said in November.
Porter ruled last month she would not consider the injection videos as part of the inquest into Smith's death.
The family is challenging the coroner's ruling in Ontario Divisional Court and has sought a summons hoping to force the head of Corrections Canada to testify and submit the videos for court examination.
The Moncton teen died in October 2007 after strangling herself in a segregation cell at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., under the watch of prison guards.
Smith's family is suing the federal government for $11 million over her death. The lawsuit alleges federal corrections staff — from senior bureaucrats to prison guards — engaged in a "conspiracy" that endangered Smith's life by "unlawfully" segregating her for nearly a year and not taking proper action after she was declared a suicide risk.
End of Story
Lawyers for the head of Canada's prison system will be in court Monday trying to quash a summons that would force the commissioner of corrections to appear in court with videos of Smith being forcibly injected with anti-psychotic drugs.
A psychologist hired by the correctional service's watchdog has called the forced injections illegal.
An inquest, which had been set to begin April 4 in Toronto, will examine factors that may have impacted Smith's state of mind, coroner Bonita Porter said in November.
Porter ruled last month she would not consider the injection videos as part of the inquest into Smith's death.
The family is challenging the coroner's ruling in Ontario Divisional Court and has sought a summons hoping to force the head of Corrections Canada to testify and submit the videos for court examination.
The Moncton teen died in October 2007 after strangling herself in a segregation cell at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., under the watch of prison guards.
Smith's family is suing the federal government for $11 million over her death. The lawsuit alleges federal corrections staff — from senior bureaucrats to prison guards — engaged in a "conspiracy" that endangered Smith's life by "unlawfully" segregating her for nearly a year and not taking proper action after she was declared a suicide risk.
End of Story
Friday, April 15, 2011
Judges' panel says detainee transfer documents won't be released in campaign
The Conservatives say they are willing to amend an agreement with two opposition parties to allow for the release of secret documents about Canadian prisoners in Afghanistan.
It comes after the two judges at the centre of the documents screening process sent a letter to the three party leaders involved to inform them the records cannot be released when Parliament is not sitting.
The documents were supposed to be released by Friday under a deadline imposed by the Bloc Québécois after the party threatened to walk away from the review process. The committee of MPs was waiting for a summary of the most sensitive documents by the judges.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff immediately called on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe to join him in urging the judges to release their final report as scheduled.
Shortly afterward, Conservative candidate Laurie Hawn, who was a member of the MPs' panel, also encouraged the judges to release the records.
"We are willing to facilitate whatever it takes to release the documents, including amending the agreement if necessary," Hawn told CBC News Thursday evening.
Ignatieff said the Canadian people have a right to see the documents, and noted the Conservatives were forced to come to terms with the opposition parties by a threat of being found in contempt of Parliament.
"Parliament is supreme — not Stephen Harper," he said. "We owe it to the brave men and women serving in our Canadian Forces and to the Canadian public to get to the bottom of this issue and only full and immediate transparency will achieve that."
But Duceppe, the other opposition leader who signed the memorandum of understanding, told CBC News late Thursday afternoon that he had not yet seen the letter from the judges.
The document review is the second report sidelined by the election call, as all parties have called for the release of the auditor general's report into spending for last year's G8 and G20 summits following the leak of a scathing draft report.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Harper, Ignatieff and Duceppe agreed to the formation of a committee of MPs to determine how to release the documents.
The judges' letter, dated Wednesday, states that while the memorandum "contemplates that under certain conditions it will survive the dissolution of Parliament, whether those conditions will be met cannot be ascertained until the House reconvenes."
The judges say they will continue to work on finalizing the report by Friday and preparing the thousands of documents for release.
"However, since there is no Committee in existence to which we can deliver it … we will retain this material pending the summoning of a new Parliament and any further directions that might be provided to the [judges'] panel at that time," the judges write.
In a historic ruling last spring, the Speaker of the House of Commons ruled the Conservatives had breached parliamentary privilege by denying MPs their right to see the documents. But Speaker Peter Milliken also gave the government and opposition the chance to figure out a way to share them while accommodating the government's national security concerns.
Compromise deal
The committee was struck last May in a compromise deal that avoided a finding of contempt against the government that would have triggered a vote of non-confidence and a potential snap election.
The parties agreed to contribute two MPs each to the committee, which is working with the panel of legal experts to decide what can be released to Parliament.
The NDP pulled out of the working group while they were still negotiating the terms, arguing the Tories weren't being co-operative and the process would not lead to Canadians seeing the records.
The documents are at the centre of accusations that prisoners were tortured by Afghan authorities after being handed over by Canadian troops. The government maintained that releasing the documents posed a threat to national security and the security of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
End of Story
It comes after the two judges at the centre of the documents screening process sent a letter to the three party leaders involved to inform them the records cannot be released when Parliament is not sitting.
The documents were supposed to be released by Friday under a deadline imposed by the Bloc Québécois after the party threatened to walk away from the review process. The committee of MPs was waiting for a summary of the most sensitive documents by the judges.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff immediately called on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe to join him in urging the judges to release their final report as scheduled.
Shortly afterward, Conservative candidate Laurie Hawn, who was a member of the MPs' panel, also encouraged the judges to release the records.
"We are willing to facilitate whatever it takes to release the documents, including amending the agreement if necessary," Hawn told CBC News Thursday evening.
Ignatieff said the Canadian people have a right to see the documents, and noted the Conservatives were forced to come to terms with the opposition parties by a threat of being found in contempt of Parliament.
"Parliament is supreme — not Stephen Harper," he said. "We owe it to the brave men and women serving in our Canadian Forces and to the Canadian public to get to the bottom of this issue and only full and immediate transparency will achieve that."
But Duceppe, the other opposition leader who signed the memorandum of understanding, told CBC News late Thursday afternoon that he had not yet seen the letter from the judges.
The document review is the second report sidelined by the election call, as all parties have called for the release of the auditor general's report into spending for last year's G8 and G20 summits following the leak of a scathing draft report.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Harper, Ignatieff and Duceppe agreed to the formation of a committee of MPs to determine how to release the documents.
The judges' letter, dated Wednesday, states that while the memorandum "contemplates that under certain conditions it will survive the dissolution of Parliament, whether those conditions will be met cannot be ascertained until the House reconvenes."
The judges say they will continue to work on finalizing the report by Friday and preparing the thousands of documents for release.
"However, since there is no Committee in existence to which we can deliver it … we will retain this material pending the summoning of a new Parliament and any further directions that might be provided to the [judges'] panel at that time," the judges write.
In a historic ruling last spring, the Speaker of the House of Commons ruled the Conservatives had breached parliamentary privilege by denying MPs their right to see the documents. But Speaker Peter Milliken also gave the government and opposition the chance to figure out a way to share them while accommodating the government's national security concerns.
Compromise deal
The committee was struck last May in a compromise deal that avoided a finding of contempt against the government that would have triggered a vote of non-confidence and a potential snap election.
The parties agreed to contribute two MPs each to the committee, which is working with the panel of legal experts to decide what can be released to Parliament.
The NDP pulled out of the working group while they were still negotiating the terms, arguing the Tories weren't being co-operative and the process would not lead to Canadians seeing the records.
The documents are at the centre of accusations that prisoners were tortured by Afghan authorities after being handed over by Canadian troops. The government maintained that releasing the documents posed a threat to national security and the security of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
End of Story
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Two Vaughan Conservatives have quit their riding association over MP Julian Fantino.
Two Vaughan Conservatives have quit their riding association over a $10 million federal grant given to a health care project spearheaded by MP Julian Fantino’s former fundraisers.
“I’m a Canadian and a taxpayer first,” said Richard Lorello, who ran as a Conservative candidate in the riding in 2008. “It didn’t look right to me. If it was the Liberal party doing this, (the) Conservatives would be jumping up and down.”
Tracey Kent, a five-year member of the association, also resigned.
The federal government announced in March it would give $10 million to the Vaughan Health Campus of Care, a private non-profit group founded in 2007 with the intention of bringing a hospital to the city. Despite its population of 300,000, Vaughan doesn’t have a hospital.
Michael DeGasperis, the hospital group’s chair, and Sam Ciccolini, the director, ran Fantino’s successful byelection fundraising campaign in November 2010.
“It seems to me like we’re rewarding people for helping Mr. Fantino on his campaign,” Lorello said. “It doesn’t look right. It’s inappropriate.”
The grant money itself won’t go toward constructing a hospital, which is a provincial task. Instead, it’s earmarked to help develop a site for health-related facilities to complement a hospital planned for a 35-hectare lot.
Lorello is uncomfortable with $10 million in public funds going to a private company he claims has yet to publicly release a business plan.
He believes Ottawa would have been better off giving the money directly to York Central Hospital, which is in charge of bringing the hospital to Vaughan.
“I had actually requested to meet with Mr. Fantino and I was told to put my concerns in writing,” Lorello said. “I kind of took exception to that because all I was going to do was provide some advice.”
Fantino’s campaign manager said the Vaughan Health Campus has been well-received by the community and will benefit “families, seniors and the region’s economy.”
“The (investment) made to (the Vaughan Health Campus) is to create a life science industry at the campus and for infrastructure,” said Stephen Lecce. “Mr. Fantino is proud the federal government delivered for this critical community-based project for families in Vaughan that is being widely supported by volunteers and donors.”
York Central Hospital welcomed the new funding, saying the complementary health care services would benefit the people of Vaughan.
Tony Genco, then a Liberal candidate who’d just lost to Fantino in the byelection, also praised the initiative. Two weeks later, Genco defected and threw his weight behind his former rival.
When asked about Lorello’s concerns, Mario Ferri, Liberal candidate for Vaughan, said he supports “additional funding for health care in Vaughan.
“I also expect, as do my fellow residents of Vaughan, that funding is provided based on the merits of a project and the results it will bring in health care, not on who is involved,” Ferri said.
Tracey Kent said she quit the riding association because she lost faith in Fantino, who once headed the Toronto police and the OPP, and could no longer support the direction of the party. Her existing concerns were magnified when the federal grant money went to the Vaughan Health Campus, she said.
“We have a bad reputation in Vaughan,” Kent said. “I was hoping (Fantino) was going to be that white knight to fix it. But when I saw some of the activity going on, I knew it was the same old politics again.”
The citizens of Vaughan deserve “absolute transparency” from the Vaughan Health Campus, she said.
Vaughan Health Campus officials did not respond to requests for interviews Wednesday evening.
Lorello formally resigned from the riding association on April 4 but said he still considers himself a Conservative.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “But I have to be truthful with myself.”
“I’m a Canadian and a taxpayer first,” said Richard Lorello, who ran as a Conservative candidate in the riding in 2008. “It didn’t look right to me. If it was the Liberal party doing this, (the) Conservatives would be jumping up and down.”
Tracey Kent, a five-year member of the association, also resigned.
The federal government announced in March it would give $10 million to the Vaughan Health Campus of Care, a private non-profit group founded in 2007 with the intention of bringing a hospital to the city. Despite its population of 300,000, Vaughan doesn’t have a hospital.
Michael DeGasperis, the hospital group’s chair, and Sam Ciccolini, the director, ran Fantino’s successful byelection fundraising campaign in November 2010.
“It seems to me like we’re rewarding people for helping Mr. Fantino on his campaign,” Lorello said. “It doesn’t look right. It’s inappropriate.”
The grant money itself won’t go toward constructing a hospital, which is a provincial task. Instead, it’s earmarked to help develop a site for health-related facilities to complement a hospital planned for a 35-hectare lot.
Lorello is uncomfortable with $10 million in public funds going to a private company he claims has yet to publicly release a business plan.
He believes Ottawa would have been better off giving the money directly to York Central Hospital, which is in charge of bringing the hospital to Vaughan.
“I had actually requested to meet with Mr. Fantino and I was told to put my concerns in writing,” Lorello said. “I kind of took exception to that because all I was going to do was provide some advice.”
Fantino’s campaign manager said the Vaughan Health Campus has been well-received by the community and will benefit “families, seniors and the region’s economy.”
“The (investment) made to (the Vaughan Health Campus) is to create a life science industry at the campus and for infrastructure,” said Stephen Lecce. “Mr. Fantino is proud the federal government delivered for this critical community-based project for families in Vaughan that is being widely supported by volunteers and donors.”
York Central Hospital welcomed the new funding, saying the complementary health care services would benefit the people of Vaughan.
Tony Genco, then a Liberal candidate who’d just lost to Fantino in the byelection, also praised the initiative. Two weeks later, Genco defected and threw his weight behind his former rival.
When asked about Lorello’s concerns, Mario Ferri, Liberal candidate for Vaughan, said he supports “additional funding for health care in Vaughan.
“I also expect, as do my fellow residents of Vaughan, that funding is provided based on the merits of a project and the results it will bring in health care, not on who is involved,” Ferri said.
Tracey Kent said she quit the riding association because she lost faith in Fantino, who once headed the Toronto police and the OPP, and could no longer support the direction of the party. Her existing concerns were magnified when the federal grant money went to the Vaughan Health Campus, she said.
“We have a bad reputation in Vaughan,” Kent said. “I was hoping (Fantino) was going to be that white knight to fix it. But when I saw some of the activity going on, I knew it was the same old politics again.”
The citizens of Vaughan deserve “absolute transparency” from the Vaughan Health Campus, she said.
Vaughan Health Campus officials did not respond to requests for interviews Wednesday evening.
Lorello formally resigned from the riding association on April 4 but said he still considers himself a Conservative.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “But I have to be truthful with myself.”
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
In the Matter of a Reference by Governor in Council concerning the proposed Canadian Securities Act, as set out in Order in Council P.C. 2010-667, dated May 26, 2010 Supreme Court of Canada
Summary
Constitutional law - Division of powers - Commercial law - Negotiable instruments - Securities - Reference
Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance, pursuant to section 53 of the Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S 26, refers to the Supreme Court of Canada for hearing and consideration the following question:
Is the proposed Canadian Securities Act within the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada?
Constitutional law - Division of powers - Commercial law - Negotiable instruments - Securities - Reference
Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance, pursuant to section 53 of the Supreme Court Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S 26, refers to the Supreme Court of Canada for hearing and consideration the following question:
Is the proposed Canadian Securities Act within the legislative authority of the Parliament of Canada?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Harper met Bruce Carson’s escort lover at 24 Sussex
Bruce Carson took his former fiancee Barbara Lynn Khan to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the grounds of his official residence during a going away party for the prime minister’s outgoing chief of staff Ian Brodie.
Khan told APTN that she found Harper “approachable” and “friendly” during a conversation.
A Conservative Party spokesperson confirmed Monday that Khan visited the grounds of 24 Sussex during the June 2008 garden party.
Khan was deported to Canada from the U.S in 2006 on a felony conviction stemming from her part in running an escort agency in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I can confirm that (Khan) was at Mr. Brodie’s farewell party at 24 Sussex,” said Conservative Party spokesperson Alykhan Velshi, in an email. “That’s the only time we are aware of that she visited 24 Sussex.”
Khan said her conversation with Harper dispelled in her mind the caricature of the prime minister often portrayed in the media.
“I was surprised because Harper is portrayed as being cold and indifferent, which I did not see a hint of that evening,” said Khan.
“Mrs. (Laureen) Harper was genuinely warm and an incredibly gracious hostess…Everyone attending was pleasant and the evening was an experience I will always remember.”
Carson, a former senior adviser to the prime minister, is currently the focus of an RCMP investigation triggered by a request from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Carson met Khan by chance on an Ottawa street shortly after she came back to Canada and was working as an escort. Their relationship ended last year after about four years.
The PMO made the written request to the RCMP after an official met with APTN reporters investigating Carson’s lobbying activities for an Ottawa-based water filtration company. The company was seeking to sell its product to First Nations communities hard hit by dirty water.
The company, H2O Pros which later formed H2O Global Group to deal with potential contracts, also had a financial agreement with Michele McPherson, a former Ottawa escort who Carson said was his fiancee.
Carson met McPherson in March 2010 and Khan in 2006.
APTN obtained emails written by Carson where he promoted the company to Indian Affairs officials. Carson also claimed to have inside government knowledge in the emails.
Brodie was Harper’s chief of staff until he left the post on July 1, 2008.
In an email to APTN, Brodie said he remembered Carson at the party, but not Khan.
“I remember Bruce was there, but otherwise, can’t help,” said Brodie.
The PMO referred questions about Khan’s presence at 24 Sussex to the Conservative Party.
The PMO, however, continues to refuse comment on whether Carson, who had only Secret-level clearance, had access to Top Secret information on Afghanistan and on Canadian allies involved in the war.
Quoting an anonymous source, the Toronto Star reported last week that Carson had access to Top Secret information after he was handed the Afghanistan file.
“We don’t comment on security matters,” said the PMO in an emailed statement.
Brodie told APTN he doubted Carson had access to Top Secret files, which were handled separately and securely.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Department of National Defence and Foreign Affairs all referred questions on the matter to the Privy Council Office (PCO).
A PCO spokesman said there would be no comment on current or former employees.
Harper has faced questions throughout the election campaign over how Carson could have obtained security clearance with five criminal convictions on his record and two bankruptcies.
Harper has said he was only aware of Carson’s two criminal convictions in the 1980s, not the three convictions in 1990 uncovered by The Canadian Press.
Harper said he would not have hired Carson is he knew the full extent of his criminal record.
Carson, who told APTN he was a close friend of Harper, said he disclosed everything during the security clearance process, which was handled by mid-level PCO officials.
Khan told APTN that she found Harper “approachable” and “friendly” during a conversation.
A Conservative Party spokesperson confirmed Monday that Khan visited the grounds of 24 Sussex during the June 2008 garden party.
Khan was deported to Canada from the U.S in 2006 on a felony conviction stemming from her part in running an escort agency in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I can confirm that (Khan) was at Mr. Brodie’s farewell party at 24 Sussex,” said Conservative Party spokesperson Alykhan Velshi, in an email. “That’s the only time we are aware of that she visited 24 Sussex.”
Khan said her conversation with Harper dispelled in her mind the caricature of the prime minister often portrayed in the media.
“I was surprised because Harper is portrayed as being cold and indifferent, which I did not see a hint of that evening,” said Khan.
“Mrs. (Laureen) Harper was genuinely warm and an incredibly gracious hostess…Everyone attending was pleasant and the evening was an experience I will always remember.”
Carson, a former senior adviser to the prime minister, is currently the focus of an RCMP investigation triggered by a request from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Carson met Khan by chance on an Ottawa street shortly after she came back to Canada and was working as an escort. Their relationship ended last year after about four years.
The PMO made the written request to the RCMP after an official met with APTN reporters investigating Carson’s lobbying activities for an Ottawa-based water filtration company. The company was seeking to sell its product to First Nations communities hard hit by dirty water.
The company, H2O Pros which later formed H2O Global Group to deal with potential contracts, also had a financial agreement with Michele McPherson, a former Ottawa escort who Carson said was his fiancee.
Carson met McPherson in March 2010 and Khan in 2006.
APTN obtained emails written by Carson where he promoted the company to Indian Affairs officials. Carson also claimed to have inside government knowledge in the emails.
Brodie was Harper’s chief of staff until he left the post on July 1, 2008.
In an email to APTN, Brodie said he remembered Carson at the party, but not Khan.
“I remember Bruce was there, but otherwise, can’t help,” said Brodie.
The PMO referred questions about Khan’s presence at 24 Sussex to the Conservative Party.
The PMO, however, continues to refuse comment on whether Carson, who had only Secret-level clearance, had access to Top Secret information on Afghanistan and on Canadian allies involved in the war.
Quoting an anonymous source, the Toronto Star reported last week that Carson had access to Top Secret information after he was handed the Afghanistan file.
“We don’t comment on security matters,” said the PMO in an emailed statement.
Brodie told APTN he doubted Carson had access to Top Secret files, which were handled separately and securely.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Department of National Defence and Foreign Affairs all referred questions on the matter to the Privy Council Office (PCO).
A PCO spokesman said there would be no comment on current or former employees.
Harper has faced questions throughout the election campaign over how Carson could have obtained security clearance with five criminal convictions on his record and two bankruptcies.
Harper has said he was only aware of Carson’s two criminal convictions in the 1980s, not the three convictions in 1990 uncovered by The Canadian Press.
Harper said he would not have hired Carson is he knew the full extent of his criminal record.
Carson, who told APTN he was a close friend of Harper, said he disclosed everything during the security clearance process, which was handled by mid-level PCO officials.
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