Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Opposition demands Tories return donations from fugitive businessman

OTTAWA – The Conservative Party didn’t respond Friday to opposition demands that it return thousands of dollars in donations it has received from fugitive businessman Nathan Jacobson.

For the second week in a row, Conservative MPs declined to answer questions from the Liberals about the money from Jacobson, who pleaded guilty to money-laundering connected to an illegal online pharmacy in San Diego in 2008.

Jacobson was released by American authorities and the plea deal was sealed, after which he became active in Canadian philanthropic and Conservative political circles, sponsoring charity events and becoming close to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Jacobson failed to show up for sentencing in San Diego in July, at which point a judge issued a warrant for his arrest and Postmedia reported on his case.

At the time, Kenney and Baird say they were unaware that Jacobson was under indictment and Andrew MacDougall, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Harper had met Jacobson but was not aware of his legal troubles.

“I understand the prime minister may have met with Mr. Jacobson at a community event, as he meets thousands of Canadians from all walks of life each year,” MacDougall said in July. “Our office was not aware that Mr. Jacobson was under indictment.”

On Friday, political web site ipolitics.ca published a photograph of Jacobson with Harper and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The photo was taken at a reception in the Railway Room on the evening of March 2, 2012, where about 150 or 200 people gathered to greet the two prime ministers.

“There were approximately 200 people, all of whom would have the exact same picture,” MacDougall said on Friday.

In Question Period on Friday, Liberal MP Scott Andrews asked whether the party will refund the money it has received in contributions from Jacobson.

“Has the government made the Conservative Party return the $10,000 in donations that it received for him and will it ask the NDP to do the same?” he said.

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan did not reply to the question, but said that the government “conducts itself with the highest levels of standards,” and pointed out that the Liberals previously received money through the sponsorship scandal.

Last Friday, when Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux asked if the Conservatives will return the donations, Conservative parliamentary secretary Pierre Poilievre responded by stating that the Liberals were trying to distract from a rule-breaking robocall made by Liberal MP Frank Valeriote in the last election.

Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey did not reply to emails on the question Friday.

Jacobson donated almost $10,000 to the party from 2004 to 2011, including donations to the central party and to the riding associations of former MP Wajid Khan, Environment Minister Peter Kent and Labour Minister Lisa Raitt.

He also donated $1,100 to the 2008 campaign of Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin, a high school friend, and made a $1,100 donation to the federal NDP on election day in 2011.

The New Democrats said Friday that they will consider sending the money back to Jacobson.

“Of course, we do not do background checks on all our donors but will review this donation,” said Nathan Rotman, national director of the party.

Elections Canada records seem to show that Martin returned his donation from Jacobson, but Martin said Friday that’s not the case.

“Nope. I didn’t give Nathan’s donation back,” he said in an email. “I only get one or two $1,000 donations. I’m grateful to receive it and see no reason to return it.”

Jacobson, who was in Asia in business in July, when he was supposed to be in a San Diego courtroom, has since been spotted in Toronto.

Jacobson is suing Conservative MP, Mark Adler, of York Centre, alleging that Adler has failed to pay him $140,000 he is owed. Jacobson alleges he loaned Adler the money to help Adler establish a branch of the Economic Club of Canada in the United States.

Adler’s statement of defence says that the money was a gift, provided out of friendship, and complains that Jacobson used threats and intimidation in an attempt to get him to open the books of the organization to Crestview Public Affairs, a Toronto-based consulting firm founded by Conservative strategist Mark Spiro, a friend of Jacobson.

After Postmedia reported on Jacobson’s legal problems, he withdrew as fundraising chair for a November event in Toronto where Kenney is to receive an honorary PhD from the University of Haifa.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Stephen Maher

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