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Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Greg or e who wrote (13981)	3/18/2010 3:06:05 AM
From: average joe	Respond to of 37549

Saskatchewan NDP calls on CSIS to release Douglas files Kept under wrap for reasons of national security James Wood, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010 REGINA - The Saskatchewan New Democrats want the federal government to release all police and security files on Tommy Douglas -- the former Saskatchewan premier and federal NDP leader best remembered as the founder of medicare in Canada. The provincial party said yesterday it would introduce a motion requesting unanimous support of the legislative assembly for the files to be released. The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), in a recent affidavit filed in Federal Court, has argued that the release of the full, uncensored, 1,142-page report on Mr. Douglas could compromise national security. In February, Saskatchewan NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter said there was no reason for the files to be kept under wraps and that releasing them would serve a valuable purpose. He said New Democrats want to know what political involvement there was in the investigation of Mr. Douglas. "We take this whole issue pretty seriously because he was our leader and many of us knew him personally," he said at the time. "It also speaks to the issue of how, at the time, the introduction of medicare ... was seen as a threat by other political parties and other organizations to the point the police were used in an inappropriate way to control the political agenda of another party," Mr. Lingenfelter said. "The more we shine a light on that, the more likely we are not to repeat that kind of mistake in the future." According to a statement, Mr. Douglas's daughter, actor Shirley Douglas, also supported the full release. "Everywhere I go, people are enthusiastically endorsing the release of the full intelligence file and are puzzled by the refusal of the government to make these documents public," she said in the statement. "It's difficult to understand why these files are being withheld; our family, my father's supporters, and indeed all Canadians deserve to know what information is contained within those reports. Otherwise, how do we learn from our history?" Mr. Douglas-- who died of cancer in 1986 at the age of 81 -- was apparently the subject of RCMP surveillance for decades, even as he served as premier from 1944 to 1961 and federal NDP leader from 1961 to 1971. CSIS inherited the files when it took over the RCMP's security service responsibilities. University of Saskatchewan history professor Bill Waiser, who specializes in Saskatchewan provincial history, said there likely is historical value to the full file. "It would be interesting to know how Douglas was perceived. Did they confuse Douglas's socialism with communism?" he said. "Who was doing the assessment of Douglas ... and what exactly was it they were reporting on? Was it his political organizational activities? Did it extend into his time as premier ... Was one level of government checking up on another level of government?" There have been suggestions the files could reveal the identity of police informants -- potentially even within the former political parties of the CCF and NDP -- which might cause some embarrassment for the party now. But Mr. Lingenfelter said he has never heard it suggested from anyone in the party that the files should not be released for that reason. Government House Leader Dan D'Autremont said the motion will have to be evaluated by the full Saskatchewan Party caucus before a decision is made on the measure. Read more: nationalpost.com The National Post is now on Facebook. Join our fan community today.

To: Greg or e who wrote (13981)	3/19/2010 6:36:11 PM
From: average joe	Respond to of 37549

Another Shocking Outrage by Harper Government Blackburn sorry for airport tequila incident Cabinet minister 'thinks his tequila is more important than treating people fairly,' critic says Last Updated: Friday, March 19, 2010 Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn says he "complied unequivocally" with security officials at Ottawa airport who confiscated his tequila. Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn has apologized for trying to bring a bottle of tequila through security at Ottawa airport last month. Blackburn is the second member of Stephen Harper's cabinet forced to offer a public apology after recent exchanges with security personnel at Canadian airports. "On February 23 I was at the Ottawa airport and a bottle of alcohol was confiscated from me because it exceeded the 100-millilitre limit," Blackburn said in a statement Friday. Blackburn's statement comes after a CTV report quoted sources saying Blackburn tried to circumvent airport security rules by asking the bottle be kept for him and subsequently became involved in a heated argument with security officials when they refused his request. In the statement, Blackburn said that since he was required to leave the bottle behind, he asked that it be destroyed. "At no point did I request preferential treatment; it’s not in my nature," the minister said in his statement. "Granted, I was definitely upset at what happened, and I apologize to those I could have offended. That being said, the rule is clear. The officers applied the rule. And I complied unequivocally." Opposition MPs have lambasted the Conservatives in recent weeks and continue to demand the resignation of Status of Women Minister Helena Guergis, who apologized earlier this month for an alleged tantrum at security officials at Charlottetown airport on Feb. 19. PM to cabinet: 'Respect the rules' When questioned by reporters about Blackburn's conduct, the prime minister said he expects everyone who works for him to "work hard and … to obey and respect the rules." "They've apologized and I think we should accept those apologies and move to more important issues," Harper said at an appearance in Manitoba. "Do I realistically expect that everybody who works for me is perfect? No, you know we can't run any operation like that. But when people make mistakes, we expect that they own up to them and learn from them, and I'm sure they will in these cases." During Friday's question period, Liberal MP David McGuinty accused Blackburn of compromising safety protocols with his "aggressive behaviour." "Security personnel should not be berated and bullied by arrogant Conservative cabinet members," McGuinty told the House. "Why is there one set of rules for the Conservative team and another set of rules for everyone else?" Blackburn was not in the House of Commons on Friday. Speaking for the government, Transport Minister John Baird insisted Blackburn did not ask for preferential treatment and "strongly supports airport security measures unequivocally." "Members of Parliament, members of the federal cabinet, are just like every single other Canadian, and all of the rules, all of the regulations, all of the laws, apply to everyone in this country equally," Baird said. Extra caution urged Outside the Commons, NDP MP Joe Comartin said ministers must be "extra cautious" of how they conduct themselves personally, and called on the prime minister to provide and enforce a clearer code of conduct for his cabinet. "I guess we had a prima donna in Charlottetown and now we've got a member who thinks his tequila is more important than treating people fairly," Comartin told reporters. "I know I get irritated periodically going through there because, you know, they ask me to take my shoes off but, you know, I don't take it out on them. They're just doing their job." Rick Dykstra, parliamentary secretary to Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, said cabinet members already had a strong code of conduct. But he acknowledged the incident was a "wake-up reminder" to all parliamentarians to respect it and to treat airport workers with respect. "As individuals who fly a lot, as members of Parliament, we should be adhering to it, no question about it," Dykstra told reporters. Read more: cbc.ca