So let's get this straight. A Minister of the Crown casually discussed a blackmail threat against the Leader of the Official Opposition. And the body making the threat was a bunch of CEOs, many of whom Raitt is almost certainly acquainted with in the course of her career. Not to mention, Raitt's party is the chief beneficiary of the blackmail. Surely this qualifies as extortion, doesn't it?Later in her conversation with Ms. MacDonnell, Ms. Raitt tells the man driving them around Victoria that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff had backed down from defeating the Conservative government on a budget a few days earlier because he got a message from Canadian bankers.
“They did it at the Canadian Council of (Chief) Executives, there was three presidents of major banks who stood up in the room — and this is not from cabinet so I can talk about it — stood up and said, ‘Ignatieff, don’t you even think about bringing us to an election,’” said Ms. Raitt.
“'We don’t need this. We have no interest in this. And we will never fund your party again.’ That was very powerful. So he heard it from very powerful people in the industry. He was definitely muzzled.”
Liberal finance critic John McCallum, who was present for the closed-door Jan. 20 meeting with about 100 executives, says they were against the coalition and an election, but there was “not even a hint of a veiled threat,” and bankers would never make such a threat in a meeting with so many people present.
346. (1) Every one commits extortion who, without reasonable justification or excuse and with intent to obtain anything, by threats, accusations, menaces or violence induces or attempts to induce any person, whether or not he is the person threatened, accused or menaced or to whom violence is shown, to do anything or cause anything to be done.Criminal Code of Canada. Just sayin'.
2 comments:
So just thinkin here. Of the 14 million used to finance the Liberals last campaign, apparently only 4 million is accounted for. The Liberals have operated on election "loans" for a long time. Perhaps the 3 "big banks" want some assurance in the repayment of what looks like 10 million before Ignatieff springs for another expensive election. "...or we will never fund your party again"--sounds reasonable to me.
How do you construe that this has ANYTHING to do with Lisa Raitt and the possibility of "extortion"--what a reach! (all this from a private conversation in which she did not know was being taped). But then when have the Liberals ever taken responsibility for themselves without trying to pin the blame on others? Hmmm, just thinkin'
"So just thinkin here. Of the 14 million used to finance the Liberals last campaign, apparently only 4 million is accounted for. The Liberals have operated on election "loans" for a long time. Perhaps the 3 "big banks" want some assurance in the repayment of what looks like 10 million before Ignatieff springs for another expensive election. "...or we will never fund your party again"--sounds reasonable to me."
Sure it would, except for this:
"...stood up and said, ‘Ignatieff, don’t you even think about bringing us to an election,’” said Ms. Raitt.
“'We don’t need this. We have no interest in this. And we will never fund your party again.’"
Nothing about repayment of the money there- it's about not bringing down the government.
"How do you construe that this has ANYTHING to do with Lisa Raitt and the possibility of "extortion"--what a reach!"
Well, I think that telling a political leader that you will pull all financial support from his party unless he co-operates could be construed as a "threat" that is intended to "induce a person to do" something. As far as Raitt's involvement, I doubt she was actually behind it, but she was clearly aware of it. Grounds for prosecution? Probably not, but it shows how close those CEOs are to the Cons.
"But then when have the Liberals ever taken responsibility for themselves without trying to pin the blame on others?"
Seldom if ever, but what's your point? A quick perusal of my other entries should show that I'm no fan of the Liberals; heck, if I was I don't think I'd be discussing a story about how their leader cravenly caved to the crudest form of pressure.
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