...to be a citizen of a country where this happens. From the Toronto Star's unlinkable report:
The RCMP's 125th anniversary in 1999 turned into an embarrassing waste of taxpayer dollars, Fraser said. Public Works contributed $3 million to a trio of ad agencies - Lafleur, Media/I.D.A. Vision and Gosselin - who were responsible for transferring the money to the RCMP. Those three agencies took a combined $1.3 million in fees and commissions and transferred $1.7 million to the RCMP for its anniversary celebration. Fraser's audit concluded that the RCMP's Quebec division received its payments through a separate non-government bank account, which violates the federal Financial Administration Act. The transactions were recorded manually rather than in the RCMP's standard accounting system, and some of the supporting documents were subsequently destroyed.Just to let Belize guy know, the RCMP is the national police who are supposed to investigate things like...umm...widespread breach of fiduciary duty by public officials. So, I'll likely be voting NDP if only to give that crowd a kick at the slush fund as the other two crowds have eaten more than their fill. Seriously, how in God's name can anyone say now that they would do worse.
Comments
Ben - February 11, 2004 12:55 AM
The interesting part is going to be how Martin tries to disassociate himself from the whole thing. He'll naturally try to blame it on his predecesor but you'd think that financial mismanagement and abuse of this magnitude would have been noticed by, oh I don't know...the finance minister.
Didn't people used to lose their jobs over stuff like this?
Alan - February 11, 2004 8:08 AM
...or at least call an election. It is sickening that a scheme was developed to skim (if you can call grabbing 40% skimming) commissions from inter-departmental budget transfers. Someone should stand trial for that.
Alan - February 12, 2004 9:22 PM
I am coming around a bit. Am I a sucker? Sounds like we may have names named Friday morning and charges someday soon.
SayNay? - February 17, 2004 4:24 PM
With respect to the "Liberals Daring Daylight Raid on Federal Treasury - Again! news story, did anyone see the picture of the driver of the Liberal getaway car on the front page of today's Ottawa Citizen - doing his best Schultzie impression: "I knows huting, I sees huting!"
[Ed.: <i>comment relocated</i>]