Advisory:Current and former cabinet ministers to attend Mulroney celebration

Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |16/09/09

Friends and supporters will gather September 17 at Le Centre Sheraton Hotel Montreal to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the swearing in of The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney’s first majority government. Cabinet ministers from both the Mulroney and Harper governments will be present for the celebration.

This event is co-chaired by Premier Jean Charest and Ambassador Michael Wilson, who both served as cabinet ministers in the Mulroney government. In addition to the more than forty former ministers of the Mulroney governments, a number of current federal cabinet ministers are scheduled to attend, including:

  • The Honourable Jim Flaherty
  • The Honourable Peter MacKay
  • The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
  • The Honourable John Baird
  • The Honourable Tony Clement
  • The Honourable Jim Prentice
  • The Honourable Christian Paradis
  • The Honourable Rob Nicholson
  • The Honourable Greg Thompson
  • The Honourable Lisa Raitt
  • The Honourable Joseé Verner
  • The Honourable Bev Oda
  • The Honourable Rona Ambrose
  • The Honourable Diane Ablonczy
  • The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
  • The Honourable Jay Hill
  • The Honourable Denis Lebel
  • The Honourable Gary Lunn
  • The Honourable Peter Kent
  • The Honourable Rob Merrifield
  • The Honourable Keith Ashfield

    Laureen Harper, wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper (who is in Washington DC and New York and unable to attend) is also scheduled to be in attendance.

    When: Thursday, September 17, 2009.
    Doors open to the public at 5.30 p.m. Program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
    Where: Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel Ballroom
    1201 Boulevard René-Lévesque West, Montreal
    Media: Doors will open for media accreditation at 4:30 p.m.
    Ballroom will open for media at 5:00 p.m.

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    For more information and/or media accreditation please contact:

    Joseph Lavoie
    (416) 642-4044
    jlavoie@navltd.com

    The CBC’s Misleading Impression

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |06/05/09

    Ottawa, ON - Robin Sears, spokesperson for the Rt. Hon Brian Mulroney, today issued the following statement concerning a recent story at cbc.ca:

    “The CBC in a story posted to its website at 13:51 EDT creates a misleading impression of today’s testimony to the Oliphant Inquiry.

    They omitted the Lead Commission Counsel Richard Wolson’s three crucial points of qualification before introducing an accountant’s report today:

    1) That there is no evidence that Mr. Mulroney knew the source of the funds (he received from Mr. Schreiber).

    2) There is no evidence that the payments were for anything other than Bear Head, and were not related to Airbus.

    And most importantly,

    3) That the forensic accountant cannot determine in any certain way that the BRITAN funds were used to pay Mr. Mulroney.

    The CBC failed to report the above points as well as their confirmation by the witness under questioning by the Commissioner.

    The accountant further conceded under questioning that his ‘inference’ was not supported by complete documentation, and that it was based on his analysis of the path taken by millions of dollars in commissions over a decade as they moved through Mr.Schreiber’s more than twenty five bank accounts. Nor did the CBC report that under cross-examination the accountant admitted he had no access to more than fifteen bank accounts also controlled by Mr.Schreiber.

    A more professional report to viewers would have included both the Lead Counsel’s cautions about the accountant’s inference’ and the accountant’s own concessions under cross-examination.”

    Statement on Behalf of the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |26/03/09

    Ottawa, ON – The following statement on behalf of the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney was today issued in response to Justice Jeffrey Oliphant’s ruling on a request for clarification and direction:

    We are grateful to the Commissioner for agreeing to hear this motion and for his clarification that the inquiry should not be seen to delve into Mr. Mulroney’s private life. We are further grateful for the Commissioner’s assertion that he saw no relevance of the Criminal Code to the inquiry.

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    For more information, contact:
    Joseph Lavoie
    jlavoie (at) navltd.com
    (416) 642-4404

    Fairness Requires Knowing the Rules before the Game Starts

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |20/03/09

    NEWS RELEASE
    For Immediate Release
    Friday, March 2009

    Fairness Requires Knowing the Rules before the Game Starts

    Ottawa, Ontario – Counsel for the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney on March 16, 2009 requested clarification and direction with respect to Justice Oliphant’s February 25, 2009 Ruling on Standards of Conduct. Mr. Mulroney wants to ensure that the inquiry will deal with issues related to the public interest, and that it will not become an invasive inquiry into his private affairs. As a matter of fundamental fairness, it is essential that the standards by which his conduct be measured be understood clearly by all concerned and pertain to the original mandate set down in the Terms of Reference of the inquiry.

    On January 7, 2009, Justice Oliphant said: “…it is only fair to counsel to know what the rules are before the game starts and not after it’s completed.” To that end and in order for the request to be properly considered, counsel for Mr. Mulroney today asked the Commissioner for a brief postponement of hearings to April 14, 2009.

    Of all the parties involved, none desires a speedy resolution more than Mr. Mulroney and his family.

    The request for clarification and direction and application for postponement can be found here: http://www.oliphantcommission.ca.

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    For more information, contact:
    Dan Robertson
    416.642.4736
    drobertson@navltd.com

    L’équité exige de connaître les règles du jeu avant de commencer

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |20/03/09

    COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
    Pour diffusion immédiate
    Le vendredi 20 mars 2009

    L’équité exige de connaître les règles du jeu avant de commencer

    Ottawa, Ontario – L’avocat du très honorable Mulroney a présenté le 16 mars 2009 une demande de clarification et d’instructions afférents à la décision sur les normes de conduite rendue par le juge Oliphant le 25 février 2009. M. Mulroney veut s’assurer que l’enquête portera sur des enjeux d’intérêt public, et éviter une enquête générale qui examinerait ses affaires privées. En ce qui a trait au principe d’équité fondamentale, il est essentiel que les normes servant de référence pour évaluer sa conduite soient clairement comprises par toutes les parties impliquées et portent sur le mandat initial établit dans les règles de procédure et de pratique de l’enquête.

    Le 7 janvier 2009, le juge Oliphant a dit : « …ce n’est qu’équitable que l’avocat connaisse les règles avant le début des audiences et non pas lorsque celles-ci seront terminées. » À cette fin et pour que la demande soit bien examinée, l’avocat de M. Mulroney a demandé aujourd’hui que le commissaire accorde un court ajournement des audiences jusqu’au 14 avril 2009.

    De toutes les parties impliquées, personne plus que M. Mulroney et sa famille ne souhaite une résolution rapide de cette affaire.

    La demande de clarification et d’instructions et l’avis de demande d’ajournement se trouvent sur le site : http://www.oliphantcommission.ca.

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    A Reply to Mr. Szabo

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |26/02/08

    Guy Pratte today wrote to the House of Commons Ethics Committee Clerk declining Paul Szabo’s request for Mr. Mulroney to appear on Thursday, February 28, 2008.

    A detailed response will be sent to Mr. Szabo on Wednesday, February 27, 2008.

    Mr. Pratte and Robin Sears will be available for media inquires on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the National Press Theatre, 10am EST.

    Statement Regarding today’s Ethics Committee Hearings

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |07/02/08

    Today’s committee session was an embarrassment to its members and far below the standard Canadians expect of Parliament. It provided further evidence that its Liberal chair and opposition members have no legitimate agenda for this inquiry beyond an effort to continue the thirteen year partisan witch-hunt against former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

    Mr. Mulroney’s former spokesperson was subject to snide innuendo about his professionalism when members where unable to force him to agree with their tired allegations. Moreover, his former chef astounded the committee by his inability to endorse their narrative, denying them the tabloid-style headlines they were seeking when they compelled him to appear.

    The chair and his opposition member supporters on the committee might ask themselves whether this flagrant abuse of witnesses and parliamentary process in pursuit of their partisan agenda is worth the damage it is doing to their reputations and that of Canada’s Parliament.

    Statement concerning Maclean’s

    Email To Friend Email To Friend | Print Print |17/01/08

    Toronto, ON – The following statement, pertaining to “Secret U.S. Files Revealed” (Maclean’s, January 28, 2008), was released today on behalf of the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney:

    “Nothing in these allegations presents anything new, including the complaints from American sources.

    Boeing’s efforts to use their access to the embassy and other agencies of the U.S government to press their case are understandable.

    The U.S. Ambassador was asked by the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Derek Burney, to bring forth documented claims of interference if he had any. If the FBI had evidence of impropriety, there was nothing to prevent them from providing it to the RCMP through their normal channel.

    On April 22, 2003, after an exhaustive investigation in Canada and abroad, the RCMP concluded that the allegations of wrongdoing involving Airbus could not be substantiated and no charges would be laid. The case was closed. This was confirmed by David Johnston last week.

    It should be noted that as a matter of public record Air Canada has said that there was no interference with its board of directors or its management in its arriving at its decision to purchase Airbus.” (“No arms twisted, Jeanniot says,” Globe and Mail, December 13,1995 and “Mounties push airbus probe,” November 14,1995, The Financial Post).

    Continue reading Statement concerning Maclean’s…

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