The long awaited inquiry into the business dealings of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber begins on Monday. From the get-go, it looks like it will be a waste of time and money.
Justice Jeffrey Oliphant has said he will not seek to hold anyone criminally or civilly liable for any wrong-doing that may be uncovered. Furthermore, he said that if he suspects any ethical shortcomings by Mulroney he will give the former prime minister a “full opportunity to respond before any report is issued.”
Oliphant seems to be bending over backwards to ensure that Mr. Multoney does not have to account for any misdeeds that might be uncovered. According to the Canadian Press: “In a ruling last month, the judge said he must also be free to take account of the ethics provisions in federal statutes such as the Parliament of Canada Act, the Financial Administration Act and the Income Tax Act. He initially included the Criminal Code in the list as well, but had second thoughts about that Thursday. “Upon reflection I must state that the Criminal Code is of little if any value in this endeavour,” Oliphant said.
The Criminal Code of Canada contains stiff penalties for politicians proven to have accepted bribes or kickbacks.
119. (1) Every one is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years who
(a) being the holder of a judicial office, or being a member of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, directly or indirectly, corruptly accepts, obtains, agrees to accept or attempts to obtain, for themselves or another person, any money, valuable consideration, office, place or employment in respect of anything done or omitted or to be done or omitted by them in their official capacity, or
(b) directly or indirectly, corruptly gives or offers to a person mentioned in paragraph (a), or to anyone for the benefit of that person, any money, valuable consideration, office, place or employment in respect of anything done or omitted or to be done or omitted by that person in their official capacity.
Given that Mulroney and Schreiber have both admitted that Schreiber paid large sums of cash to Mulroney while he was still a Member of Parliament (they disagree on the amount and the purpose), it is more than strange that Justice Oliphant would rule out, in advance, any findings that could point to the need for criminal charges.
The Airbus Affair is a lengthy and complicated story that I won’t even attempt to summarize here. The CBC’s Fifth Estate, which incidently is one of the CBC programs affected by the latest round of funding cuts, published a revealing account in 2006.
We might have to be content with the Fifth Estate account because it looks like this public inquiry is being set up to ignore the most important question: Did Brian Mulroney violate the Criminal Code of Canada when he accepted money from Karlheinz Schreiber?
Paul S. Graham 
What the H*** !
Mulrooney is not only a crook, a traitor, but a criminal !! From his own mouth he admits to receiving money from KHS. What’s the problem? He’s guilty ! It just goes to show you how money talks, and who you kmow works. How can Justice Oliphant justify not holding Mulroney Criminally liable under the Criminial Code Section 119 1.(a), (b). It’s time we the canadian people protested like they do in France and other democracies. But we’re too lazy and uninterested in what is happening in Ottawa. It’s a sad, sad, day for Canadian justice.
Dear Don Newman,
The so-called streamed coverage via our computer today is over-managed, which is to say it’s censored by the CBC for reasons which only raise our suspicions about this process, but not about Mr. Schreiber.
One clear fact emerges very strongly: Mr. Schreiber was an Agent for Thyssen, and he had a “relationship” with Thyssen ( in Germany.) so clearly Schreiber bought himself a Canadian Politician and helped him become Prime Minister of Canada!
Any fool can see that Schreiber gained great Status with Thyssen in Germany for this accomplishment of suborning our Canadian Prime Minister, and Thyssen considered Mulrony a “Trophy Catch.” We know this by the size of the “Schmere Gelder” ‘grease money’ ( over $27 million dollars ) paid to Schreiber by Thyssen.
Particularly when taken in the light of all the “lesser politicians” who were also on the “Schreiber Payroll” and accepting bribes too.
If nothing else is established, and the real subject of Air Canada and the Air Bus is Spiked, all Canadians have learned that the German Defense Manufacturing crown bought into the Ottawa Politicians with an orgy of Bribes and Payoffs.
Who knows what other disgusting things were bought and paid for during the Mulrony years by Schreiber, and subsequently by the junior politicians who were bumped-up in both Political Parties after Mulrony’s Conservatives were turfed out?
These facts must be perceived as such a threat to continued sub-rosa off-the-books payments from “outside interests today” from the Petrochemical Fossil Fuels & Nuclear Electricity Crowd the reason that the Inquiry has turned on the whistle-blower, rather than focusing their wrath on the obviously guilty former PM and his Close Policial Associates from both Political Parties.
It’s a sad day for Canada when the Canadian Public is denied full and complete uncensored access to these proceedings by our well trusted Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Having grown up in Ottawa and understanding that culture, I’m suspicious about the motivation of the inquiry members who are beating up on this old German Businessman Whistle-Blower because all of those characters are for sale, and all of them take money from other people almost every day.
Plainly, that is the nature of all Politics in Canada: politicians represent their constituencies and that costs money. This has been going on since ancient Rome, and it’s pure hypprocracy to deny it Mr. Newman.
Yesterday was great day for transparency, but today, not so much, and this so-called “streaming” on the computer is over-managed IE: censored. Who at the CBC decided not to continue on broadcasting this sensational Inquiry?
Who stands to gain the most from withholding and supressing this Information? That’s the big question on everybody’s mind today because of the restricted coverage, and the answer is obvious too. Who has the power to limit this Inquiry? What is their motivation?
Who is the Control Freak In-Chief? Everybody already knows the answer. This is not good and it means that PM S. Harper see’s himself and his Political Pal’s as Above The Laws’ of Canada while our children face Prison for harmless Federal Statute Offenses!
Respectfully,
William J. Doyle
Canadian Advanced Electricity Research Executive
Executive Director and CEO
Dear Mr. William Doyle
I am truly troubled about this inquiry, the Canadian people having being shut out from hearing something so important to all the citizens of Canada. What is going on?
Please send me your e-mail address,I will send you a site,if you can’t get it, which will be of great intrest to you. There is a program on KCTS Channel 9 which aried on April 7, 09 on Frontline called ” Bad Money”.
It shows what Karheinz Schreiber was doing, handing out cash for contracts. Many others have been doing the same thing, for over 20 years in different countries.
Thank for your write up. Truly Phyllis Erickson
Can someone send me a link to streaming video of the Inquiry please? I watched it for the first week but now I can’t find a link to it on the CBC website. They are still advertising it as being online. I am confused.
Go to http://cpac.ca for live coverage of the inquiry.