The Black Rod

Corporate documents from Manitoba demanded by a federal government agency have turned up missing. Without them, there's no way to prove that a shadowy committee which oversees the spending of tens of thousands of dollars from Red River College was created legally. If those documents can't be found or it turns out they were destroyed, hidden or never existed , high-level executives and former executives of Red River College could face charges which carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a fine of $5000. This includes the college lawyer, a former vice-president and the Dean of Business. A whistleblower tried to warn Colleges Minister Erin Selby last year that the shady committee was not legitimate and that $275,000 of college money was at risk, only to receive a form letter telling him to take his complaint somewhere else. Once it was clear the minister intended to do nothing about the bogus committee, the whistleblower was dis...

While covering the annual NDP convention last weekend, the Winnipeg Free Press tripped over a story about NDP in-fighting that's pitting the party's labour faction against the Premier. It's a good story. But we're betting its only the tip of the iceberg and some digging would turn up an even bigger story. In a nutshell, the NDP's executive has refused to apply for a public subsidy to political parties despite a binding motion at last year's party convention and again at this year's. Labour is demanding that the party take the money---an estimated $250,000. But Selinger knows the subsidy, dubbed a vote tax by the Opposition, is the third rail of politics in Manitoba : Touch it and risk political death. He's willing to face down the strong labour contingent in the party and suffer a little public embarassment rather than commit political suicide. The subsidy is paid, by law, to any party that asks for it on the basis of $1.25 f...

Cabinet minister Dave Chomiak poked a thumb in Premier Greg Selinger's eye on Friday, and dared the Premier to do something about it. The mainstream media reported on the thumb, but ignored the eye, leaving it up to us to do their job again. "Six Months" Chomiak is one of 12 cabinet ministers who got caught taking free tickets to Winnipeg Jets hockey games from Crown corporations, Red River College and private companies that do business with the government. But he's the only one to declare that he intends to pick and choose what sections of cabinet policy on accepting freebies he will follow and what he won't---- because he can . Earlier in the month, the Premier gave a televised mea culpa for the scandal that's enmeshed his government and announced that ministers who enjoyed Jets games on someone else's dime would pay back the cost of their tickets, and do the right thing and apologize. Chomiak said 'blow it out...

Erin Selby used to pride herself for being an honest journalist. That was before drinking the NDP kool-aid. These days, as a cabinet minister in Greg Selinger's government, she finds herself sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand of unethical influence peddling, secret backroom lobbying and slippery moral judgement greased by cheap excuses. Her most recent performance was in front of the Legislature's Estimates committee. She tried to do a dance of seven veils when questioned about the enticement of a free ticket to a Winnipeg Jets game from Red River College. She came up several veils short. She admitted she found the offer of a Jets ticket from Red River President Stephanie Forsyth irresistible. "Yes, I was asked by the president of Red River College if I would go to a Jets game with her, to which I accepted," she said. But it was business, she insisted. A chore that comes with being the Minister of Advanced Education. "One of th...

Exactly one week ago, Finance Minister Stan Struthers was feeling pretty smug. The Opposition thought they had some traction with a scandal involving free tickets to Winnipeg Jets hockey games that the Liquor Control Commission had given to a few cabinet ministers. Struthers was confident the government had squashed the scandal. They had contained the damage to three cabinet ministers, announced that the ticket takers had paid back the cost of their freebies and that the NDP had a policy in the works to prevent MLAs from taking free tickets to any sports events in the future. During Question Period in the Legislature, Struthers spoke with unmitigated scorn at Opposition members who asked questions about the ticket scandal. Mr. Struthers: Well, again, Mr. Speaker, I know it must be frustrating for members opposite when the facts don't back up the narrative that they're trying to get across. I understand that frustration, but the facts of the mat...

When Premier Greg Selinger released a list of 13 NDP MLA's who got free tickets to Winnipeg Jets games he forgot one name -- his own. On Oct. 9, 2011, the Winnipeg Jets played their home opener and Greg Selinger was among the invited guests, along with former NDP Premier Gary Doer and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Blogger Allison Pattison, a Creative Communications student at Red River College, wrote about Selinger's attendance at the game. http://passittopatty.blogspot.com/2011/10/fans-still-love-ya-jets.html . "The MTS Centre was packed to the roof. Literally. I would say about 80% of the fans in there were in white, which was a good thing because that means when the Jets request a white-out, fans will know what to do." "The game started off with a ceremonial puck drop; Rick Rypien's mom had the honour." "Along with Rypien's mom in attendance were a few other known names. Our Prime Minister Stephen ...

It started March 21st. It was near the end of a long, boring meeting of a committee of the Legislature at which the Opposition gets to ask questions about crown corporations like the Liquor Control Commission. Out of the blue, Ron Schuler (P.C. St. Paul) asked," Is the MLCC a season ticket holder of the Winnipeg Jets ?" The resulting discussion was hardly momentous. Roman Zubach, acting president of the liquor commission, answered,"We do hold 10 season tickets..." Schuler asked Jim Rondeau, minister responsible for the Liquor Control Act, "Has the minister been to any Winnipeg Jets games using MLCC Jets tickets?" "No," said Rondeau. "Could we have a list who has access to those tickets?" asked Schuler. Rondeau squirmed a bit about providing names of citizens who won tickets in contests but "(i)f it’s talking about board members or MLAs or Cabinet ministers, absolutely. I have no difficulty whatsoever providing that to you...

A special envoy for U.S. President Barack Obama was in Winnipeg on Monday to reignite the hate campaign against Canada's Ukrainian community on behalf of the Asper-led Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Hannah Rosenthal, described as Obama's envoy to "monitor and combat anti-semitism" was here as a speaker at the "first annual Shindleman Family lecture at the Canadian Institute for the Study of Ai-semitism". CISA, you'll remember, is the front group created and financed by supporters of the museum with the task of smearing as anti-semitic anyone who challenges the Asper Family's plan for the CMHR. Rosenthal, reiterating she was here "as a representative of the United States government", praised CISA for being "one of only six institutions in the entire world dedicated to the scholarly study of anti-Semitism." She failed to mention that CISA is a one-woman show--- director and energizer bunny Catherine Chat...