Richard Albert has a light-hearted and entertaining profile of Warren Kinsella, Liberal Party strategist extraordinaire, in The Politic today.
See: Warren Kinsella: Prince of Darkness
Honest to God: I ran because I felt I had a contribution to make. At the time, my wife thought I was crazier than usual–I think she voted against me, truth be told–but it was an honour and privilege. We hadn’t won the riding in a generation, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Some folks insinuate that I was parachuted into the riding, but that isn’t true: I fought for months to get the nomination, and was thrilled when I won it at a nomination meeting. But a variety of factors (calling an election during the ’97 Winnipeg flood was one) led to my keester getting kicked.
My wife, then pregnant with the second of four children, was delighted.
- Garry J. Wise, Toronto
Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net
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- Garry J. Wise, Toronto
Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net
EMPLOYMENT LAW • CIVIL LITIGATION • WILLS AND ESTATES • FAMILY LAW & DIVORCE
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG • SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG
The Prime Minister has made good on his promise to sue the Liberal Party of Canada.
Yesterday, he initiated a lawsuit against his political adversaries over their allegations that he knew of financial inducements allegedly offered by the Conservative Party in 2005 to Chuck Cadman, a deceased, former member of Canada's Parliament.
Harper filed a 32-page Statement of Claim in Ontario Superior Court of Justice at Ottawa, naming the Liberal Party of Canada and others as Defendants.
The Prime Minister claims damages totalling $2.5 million for defamation over the February 29, 2008 publication on the Liberal Party of Canada website of an article entitled "Harper Knew of Conservative Bribery."
The claim alleges that the Prime Minister's reputation was harmed by the article, along with subsequent articles on the Liberal Party website and related statements by Opposition Leader Stephane Dion and other Liberal Party officials.
The Prime Minister claims that "as a result of the defamatory publications in issue... he has been brought into ridicule, scandal and contempt both personally and as the holder of the Office of Prime Minister of Canada."
The Prime Minister did not sue Mr. Dion or other Liberals personally.
Once the Defendants have been personally served with Prime Minister's Statement of Claim, each must file a Statement of Defence within 20 days. A 10 day extension of this deadline may be obtained by any Defendant who delivers a short pleading known as a Notice of Intent to Defend.
None of the Prime Minister's allegations have to date been proven in a court of law
More background on the Cadman affair, or Cadscam, is here.
We will be following this litigation very closely.
Interesting questions: If the Conservative Party is defeated in the next election, will Plaintiff Harper blame it all on Cadscam and argue that he is entitled to damages for loss of the Prime Ministership? How would those damages be quantified by a Court?
And... who says you can't do one blog about law and politics?
More reading:
- Garry J. Wise, Toronto
Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net
EMPLOYMENT LAW • CIVIL LITIGATION • WILLS AND ESTATES • FAMILY LAW & DIVORCE
Stéphane Dion has been elected the 11th leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
He outdistanced Michael Ignatieff at this weekend's federal leadership convention in Montreal, with a fourth and final ballot win. Dion drew 2,521 votes (54 %), ahead of Ignatieff's 2,084 votes (45%).
Considered a "dark horse" candidate by some, Dion rose to victory from a fourth place finish on Friday's first ballot. The first ballot had been won by Ignatieff, widely regarded as the early frontrunner.
Dion, a 55 year old native of Quebec City, was first elected to Parliament in 1996. He previously served in the Cabinets of Prime Ministers Jean Crétien and Paul Martin.
He is perhaps best known to Canadians for his previous role as Unity Minister, in which he initiated the 2000 Clarity Act, establishing firm federal protocols for dealing with Quebec sovereignists' aspitations within a Constituitional framework.
His leadership campaign adopted a "three-pillar approach," focusing on social justice, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability.
In his speech to the Leadership Convention on Friday, Dion had rallied the party for an imminent election, and directly challenged the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper:
Eleven years ago, Jean Chrétien invited me to join his government to help keep Canada united, to bring clarity about the unity of our country. I stood up for Canada. And I delivered for my Prime Minister, my party and my country.
Two years ago, Paul Martin invited me to stand up for Canada’s environment – the most important challenge of our generation and the next. And I delivered for my Prime Minister, my party and my country.
Today, I humbly stand to serve you once again.
...Today we face a very right-wing Government, much more like the current US Republican Party than the old Tories, the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
Canada has a Prime Minister who thinks that the United States is not only our ally, but also our model.
A Prime Minister who would have immersed us in the Iraq nightmare.
A Prime Minister who, last Spring, blackmailed Parliament with the threat of an election, in order to impose on Canada, blindly, two more years in Afghanistan with no clear mandate.
A Prime Minister who is mirroring the style of his hero to the point that President Bush should be getting royalties from Mr. Harper’s speeches.
A Prime Minister who imposes ideological cuts to women, aboriginal people, official language communities, literacy, arts and culture.
...A Prime Minister who – make no mistake -- is undermining the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, sending a chilling signal for what he intends to do if he gets a majority government.
... A Prime Minister who tore up our Climate Change Plan, Project Green, which would have allowed us to honour our international Kyoto Commitments. Instead, he’s put forward an inept Clean Air Act, which is nothing more than an excuse not to act, a smokescreen.
A Prime Minister who is virtually pulling us out of Kyoto.
Remember that a year ago, here in the Montreal Convention Center, in the name of Canada, I presided over a United Nations conference which brought the world together, 182 nations, for a joint action plan against the greatest ecological threat facing humanity: climate change.
And this year, at the same Conference in Nairobi, this Conservative government has shamefully failed the world and tarnished Canada’s international reputation.
What a disgraceful way to govern.
I helped bring the world together to fight Climate Change. Since then, Stephen Harper has wedged the world apart.
Well, my fellow liberals, the world needs Canada. Under my leadership, Canada will not fail the world.
