*** "We are not going to allow any security defects to go unnoticed. We are going to deal with security the way any modern nation post-Sept. 11 must." ***
That was Paul Martin, Mar. 12, 2004.
The Liberal government and (first as Finance Minister and then as Prime Minister) Paul Martin's Actual Record on Investigating the Slush Fund Scandal and Criminal Investigations:
*** Whistleblower legislation? No! Not yet!
*** Adequate Security funding? No! Not yet!
*** Adequate manpower? No! Not yet!
*** Talk and promises? Yes! Always!
*** Smoke and mirrors? Yes! Always!
The Security defects are the fact that CSIS, RCMP, Customs and Immigration are short 5000 officers and severely underfunded. They could have used that $2 billion that's going into the gun registry. Crooks don't register weapons and terrorists don't register explosives.When will these security defects be fixed?
Mar. 12, 2004
Canada won't let down guard against terror: PM
WINDSOR, Ont. (CP) — The carnage in Madrid is proof positive that all countries must remain vigilant in protecting their people from the threat of terrorism, Prime Minister Paul Martin said today on the last leg of a pre-election swing through southwestern Ontario.
[. . . . ] "Whether it be Madrid, or what happened in Kenya or Bali, Sept. 11 did change the world, and we as Canadians understand that," Martin said, referring to the high-profile terrorism acts in recent years.
"We are not going to allow any security defects to go unnoticed. We are going to deal with security the way any modern nation post-Sept. 11 must."
. . . Martin said he doesn't favour the expression "security perimeter"
[. . . . ] At a news conference, Martin faced a barrage of questions — yet again — about the federal sponsorship scandal, which has been blamed on the Liberal drop in the polls, although the party remains the favourite heading into a vote.
[. . . . ] "We are going to get absolutely to the bottom of this, and those who perpetrated unacceptable practices are going to suffer the consequences, and we're also going to make sure it's never going to happen again."
The government could have put real money and staffing into security long ago -- but didn't. Much shuffling of paper, reorganizations, studies, reports, et cetera, but not much action. Most of the major criminal players are still conducting a lucrative $30 billion business across the country while the police spin their wheels trying to get out of the rut the government left them in.
The Canadian Police Agencies undertook a survey of front-line police investigators who are responsible for Organised Crime investigations in their jurisdictions. To date there have been detailed responses from more than 50 Investigators, with several hundred years of combined investigative experience. These responses are literally from coast to coast, with RCMP and municipal investigators from across Canada responding.
*** The preliminary analysis of these results underscore the need for more action, and less talk, in responding to the plague of organised crime in our communities. There is virtual agreement among investigators across the country that:
Canadian Police Agencies are presently ineffective in controlling Organised Crime in Canada. To quote one senior investigator, while 'we have had some major successes, we are barely coping'. ***
That was in 2000! Do you think this situation has improved? This has been the case for a long time. Somehow, Eliot's poem The Hollow Men came to mind.
The Hollow Men
Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow . . .
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow . . .
Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Falls the Shadow . . .
Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
and the descent
Falls the Shadow . . .
(1925: TS Eliot)
This leads us to a perfect example of what I am trying to bring to your attention, Funding fiddled while organized crime grows by Leo Knight, North Shore News, and note the date, April 12, 2000
[. . . .] Zaccardelli [when he announced the formation of the Organized Crime Directorate], said in an interview with the national media that organized crime is threatening our democracy.
"For the first time, organized crime, serious criminal organizations, are actually threatening the democratic institutions of this country and the values that we hold dear," said Zaccardelli.
"It is a real threat to the way of life that we have in this country. It is that serious."
[. . . .] The ramifications of organized crime and the inaction of various levels of our governments have long been a bone of contention with me.
Unfortunately, neither the federal nor provincial government seems to give a tinker's damn about the problem. In fact, their masterful inactivity smacks more of condoning the situation rather than seeking to combat the problem.
[. . . . BC Provincial Attorney General] Petter was quoted as saying that "staying ahead of organized crime is an essential element of public safety."
. . . . "This government's commitment was demonstrated last year when we established the agency (OCA) and we are increasing that commitment today by providing new provincial funding to target organized crime groups at their highest level."
In the first place, it is impossible for us to "stay ahead" of a problem that is spiralling out of sight.
[. . . . ] "We can't stay ahead of something we're merely trying to catch up to," [a police officer] said.
As far as "this government's commitment," there is none.
[. . . . All] Petter has done is what was being done before and following the recommendations of the Owen Report. [. . . .]
Funding Has Been, in Reality, Going Down!
On March 23, 1999, our erstwhile attorney general, now Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, announced the hiring of RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bev Busson as the head of OCA.
On that day, at the press conference done with the usual NDP fanfare, Dosanjh said the budget for the new agency would be set at $15.1 million. Any suggestions how we got from $15.1 million down to the $9.8 quoted in Petter's press release? Some commitment!
[. . . . ] There was a rumour going around that she left [the new agency after only 9 months] because the government -- you remember those guys who are committed to fighting organized crime -- cut her budget by $5 million.
[. . . .] Unless my calculator is broken, $15.1 million minus $9.8 million leaves $5.3 million.
Ta Da! A New Office!
"This is the way the world ends -- Not with a bang but a whimper."(Eliot)
Then there's the last line of Petter's press release. It says, "As part of its expansion strategy the agency will open its first branch in Victoria later this month."
Far be it from me to underestimate the importance of Victoria, but the majority of the organized criminal activity in B.C. runs through Vancouver. It would make more sense to open an office in Nanaimo, at least they have the Hells Angels and Vietnamese drug dealers. The only thing there is in Victoria is bureaucrats and politicians. Hmmmmm.
. . . "This would be laughable if it weren't so serious."
