I wrote the story and there was no leak. It was very apparent from sitting through 19 months of the Air India trial who would be the obvious choices for investigative hearings - all the names came out during the evidence at the trial. After the trial, I wrote my book on Air India, called "Loss of Faith: How the Air India Bombers Got Away With Murder" and reviewed documents related to the one Supreme Court challenge of the investigative hearing provision, launched and lost by Satnam Reyat - the wife of the only man convicted.
I have covered this story since 1985 so there are few mysteries or secrets. I first interviewed Darshan SINgh Saini back in 1988. I have a copy of parts of his police statement that came out during the Air India trial. The reason I wrote the story this week is because I just learned (through Sikh community contacts, not POLICE) that Saini was the father-in-law of Bains. I did not know that until very recently. I called up Saini and Bains and they confirmed it. I thought it was relevant.
So don't always look for a political conspiracy. In this case, there isn't one.
Kim Bolan | 02.23.07 - 2:17 am
Why isn't this all over MSM?
* * * *
Other bloggers following this developing story:
Crux - Who Is Slandering Whom?
Political Staples - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Molar's take on the terror provisions - Sunset Boulevard.
Dust My Broom - There was no leak.
Crux - Who Is Slandering Whom?
Political Staples - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Molar's take on the terror provisions - Sunset Boulevard.
Dust My Broom - There was no leak.
39 comments:
- Dion gets critical bloc of votes that put him over the top, from a group very interested in the Air India investigation (the greatest terroist event in Canadian history)
- once in power Dion does a 180 degree turn on the terrorism bill threatening the enquiry, even at the expense of fracturing his own party,
- a story comes out that a close relative of a sitting Lib MP (and presumably a member of the bloc referred to above) is a material witness in Air India,
- the Libs frantically try to silence Harper when he brings the above up,
- Goodale then makes up a false allegation of a "leak", smearing the PM, our intelligence, and the RCMP in the process,
- and that false allegation has now been made known, which allegation suggests the Liberals are panicked and frantically trying to cover on this issue.
Nope, no story there. Now, about that Pearson plaque that was covered up, now THAT'S a story!
joanne,
awesome pressure-keeping-up!
I detoured this morning onto Coyne and his awful endorsement of Andre Boisclair.
but, I think we need to keep this story chugging.
well done!
This is NOT all over the MSM as it serves no good purpose for their party of choice, the liberals. Plain and simple.
The irony is that the story was actually broken on a Liblog!!!
Hi Joanne -- I just added your URL to my update. You're right, why is this not all over the MSM? It was all "top of the news" yesterday.
Re: the Gloria Galloway story on Pearson being 'erased'.
When is the G&M going to stop paying this clown and let the Libs start paying her. She works for them just as much as her husband does, maybe more.
Well, Sandy, what puzzles me even more is why Kim Bolan hasn't gone public with this? So I guess I'm still a bit skeptical. But if it's true, this is huge.
This would sink Ralph's credibility for good. He would be Mr. Badale for casting false aspersions at the PMO.
And of course, Dion's whole leadership position would stink to high heaven.
Also, shameless plug for my own take on the topic.
I'd like to know why 72 hours of preventative arrest is such a fundamental affront to our freedoms. Check out my site if you haven't popped over yet.
Molar, here's David Akin's take on the Pearson statue:
But CTV News has learned that the Pearson display was routinely hidden by backdrops set up for the press conferences of Liberal ministers during the governments of Paul Martin and Jean Chretien.
That fact, though, did not deter Liberals from attacking the Conservatives.
"For somebody to think that you've got to put a shroud over it or build a wall to hide it to keep it out of view from American government officials, that is just pathetic and I think those American government officials will think it's pathetic too," Ralph Goodale, the Liberal Government House Leader, said outside the House of Commons.
Guess who's really pathetic, Ralph? All this false outrage is making you look like an idiot.
i guess it is evident to all that the liberals have not denied the truth of the vancouver sun article
i think they protest too much
Florence
Florence, that's true. At no time did anyone in the Liberal party deny anything that appeared in the article.
And Goodale is now 0 for 2 in slandering the RCMP!
Joanne -- if you go to the Gazetteer blog and scroll down to the link identified as "thread," you'll see what looks like Nolan's own comments. I don't think anyone could fake that. Take a look and let me know what you think. If its a legitimate post, she has, in effect, gone public. She must have realized it would be all over the blogosphere nearly instantly.
Liberals will help you get away with murder if you can get them enough money/votes. Hopefully they never form the government again.
I just posted a reference to The Gazetteer in a comment on Dark Blue Tory's site, in response to a couple of comments by our dear Liberal friends, Gayle and Red Tory. I'm interested in what they have to say, either there (DBT) or here, about what was posted on their friend's blog.
Perhaps The Gazetteer is a Liblog worth dropping in on from time to time.
Thanks Brian--
Regarding my correspondence with Ms. Bolan, it is important to point out that I focussed on a very narrow question, specifically - who approached whom?
I did this in an attempt to get an unequivocal answer to set the record straight given my earlier speculation.
To her great credit Ms. Bolan answered the question directly, straight-up.
This is detailed in my update here.
Please understand, however, that there are also a great many things that I did not learn from Ms. Bolan.
.
- Dion gets critical bloc of votes that put him over the top, from a group very interested in the Air India investigation (the greatest terroist event in Canadian history)
Let me be clear as this keeps coming up over and over again.
The majority of Kennedy's delegates came over to Dion, it was not simply one group of Sikh delegates. People of all backgrounds followed their candidate to Dion, so let's drop that accusation right off the bat.
Zac
Please understand, however, that there are also a great many things that I did not learn from Ms. Bolan.
Gazetter, thanks for dropping by. So you feel that this truly was Ms. Bolan who contacted you? You have no doubt at all?
Ah, I just answered my own question, after rereading your post.
Wow! David Akin picked this up!
...Dion won by 437 votes, of which 250 (57% of the winning vote total)
came from Bains voting bloc
That is Huge..
Absolutely. Very bad optics for Dion.
...Dion won by 437 votes, of which 250 (57% of the winning vote total)
came from Bains voting bloc
That is Huge..
Dion walked in to the convention with 694 delegates. With the 250 Sikh delegates, he would have had 944. Far short of the 1309 that Ignatieff walked in with.
Obviously there were others who came over and not only the Sikh delegates.
Kennedy came in fourth and threw his suppot over to Dion who subsequently overtook Rae on the next ballot. All that this block of delegates did was get him closer, they didn't it for him.
There is also an aspect here that I don't like. The first comment stated that this group is "very interested in the Air India investigation" implying that they only had one reason for moving over and that was to influence the party's stance on this issue.
We're overlooking the more obvious reason that they came over: they care about the party and wanted to select the person who they thought was best to lead the party.
Is it so crazy that a group of people, of a common ethnic background, decided to support a candidate (kennedy) like 500 others, and then largely supported who they supported after their first choice was eliminated?
Zac
Absolutely. Very bad optics for Dion.
I disagree.
There were over 5000 people at the convention. In contrast this group, which you all seem to view as dubious for some reason, was very small. I just noted how they mathematically did not have a huge impact. This is not an aspect of this story which deserves much attention.
Zac
Zac, Dion must have a verrrry good reason for letting the provisons sunset. But so far, he hasn't told anyone what they are.
He is so out there vs. his party on this one and the conjecture of the blogosphere seems to be the only rational explanation for his move.
When is he going to come out and explain why preventative arrest needs to be sunsetted? He better do it soon because this speculation is getting out of hand.
I want to know if he traded my security for the Liberal leadership. It's a damn good question and I'll keep asking it.
When is he going to come out and explain why preventative arrest needs to be sunsetted?
He said on many occasions that he fears that these measures may be abused in the future. Frankly, I hold the opposite opinion but that's fine.
Many people feel the same way as Dion so there is not consensus here in any respects.
But this is not why I commented on here today, and don't particularly feel like getting into this, as it is not an area of contention between you and I. What I do take offense to are comments such as this:
I want to know if he traded my security for the Liberal leadership. It's a damn good question and I'll keep asking it.
The question is not valid, no matter how many times you ask it though MM.
I've already stated how it was impossible for such a small group to have an influence on the leadership race. I've also stated how it is ignorant of any of us to assume that such a group supported one candidate so that they could influence the party's policy in this area.
I was on the floor of the convention and spoke with many other Sikh delegates who were supporting other candidates, such as mine. Not every Sikh delegate voted for Dion and not every Sikh delegate followed Kennedy to Dion.
Zac
so Zac,
are you saying Tarek Fateh was making stuff up --- re: Tamil Tigers delisting?
Certainly, we know that pamphlets were distributed amongst conventioneers warning delegates about the scary implications of Bob Rae's wife's jewishness.
Is it really such a stretch?
Certainly, we know that pamphlets were distributed amongst conventioneers warning delegates about the scary implications of Bob Rae's wife's jewishness.
I receieved one of those flyers and I told the person that I found them offensive. Anyone who's crossed my path before in the blogging world knows that I'm jewish and would find such a thing offensive.
The flyers which were distributed were done so by a small group of people. They, in no way, represent the party and I think its a shame that they would even stoop to such a tactic.
But, this is not the point of my earlier comment CC. I stated that there were many Sikh delegates present who did not vote for Dion and who did not follow Kennedy to Dion. A few came to Ignatieff and I was happy to welcome them.
Zac
zac,
I don't question you or your integrity or anything close to that.
I am sure those pamphlets came from a small cabal.
The point I'm making is twofold:
1) the Liberal Party has tripped itself up on its presumed monopoly of ethnic voting groups. This is the heart of the problem.
2) there are many small groups operating with these offensive tactics in the Liberal party. So its 100 Tamil Tigers here, 146 anti-Israelites there, 201 Sikh extremists.... add it up and it stinks.
Divorce yourself from it - embrace the embrace the emancipation from ethnic politcs that the PM is offering you! (okay, I'm smiling here)....
But seriously Zac, I really think I'm doing the Liberal party long term good and by consequence, CAnada. So does my hero, Stephen Harper.
Anon 645 PM. Have these known racists have been expelled from the Liberal Party? Were their credentials for the leadership convention withdrawn immediatly. Did you report the person who was handing out the flyers? The answers to all these questions should be yes.
So where is Goodale's apology to HM PM Stephen Harper???? He is a liar. He has become dion's attack dog. I am born in India. The fiberals have been playing the politics of race for a very long time. It is now coming home to roost. Many of us are questioning fiberal values. dion's pandering to some ethnics is making him a lot of enemies in other ethnic groups. dion should remeber he is Ledaer of HM Loyal Opposition, not a carpet bagger.
Have the anti semites on the floor of the fiberal convention been found? No, because Jews no longer have a place with the fiberals. They are too busy marching with Hamas, dining with tamil tigers,trying to get rid of security measures and trying to get papa Khadr out of prison.
Some figures for those wh have been claiming that the 250 votes did not effect the outcome of the leadership race. If those votes go to Rae the third round results are:
Ignatieff 1660
Rae 1625
Dion 1532
If they go to Ignatieff
Ignatieff 1910
Dion 1532
Rae 1375
In the first case Dion does not make the final ballot. In the second Ignatieff has a large enough lead that it would probably take an endorsement of Dion by Rae for Dion to win. Do ypou still think those 250 votes did not influence the outcome?
Not to mention the big story of the convention was how loyal all of Kennedy's supporters were to follow him to Dion. Maybe that isn't the true story.
Is it possible that this block of votes went soley because of this deal?
CC,
Let me tell you a story.
Nina Tangri wanted to win a nomination for Mississauga-Streetsville. Her opponent was the son of the beloved mayor Hazel MacCallion. Everyone thought the son had it in the bag until 5 busses from her mosque showed up. Nina won. This was in the CPC, by the way.
Emancipate myself from block politics in the CPC, I don't think so.
I have dozens of other similar stories also.
Zac
Have these known racists have been expelled from the Liberal Party?
To my knowledge they were never members of the party. The person who approached me didn't have credentials.
Did you report the person who was handing out the flyers?
I've experienced discrimination before in the past and have punched people in the face for less, so your answer is yes - I did report the person.
Zac
No, because Jews no longer have a place with the fiberals.
And you base that on what?
I'm jewish and I am a member of the party. So are many of my friends who are jewish.
Before you make blanket statements like that, you should have something to back it up with.
Zac
Not to mention the big story of the convention was how loyal all of Kennedy's supporters were to follow him to Dion
The majority of Kennedy's supporters followed him to Dion, yes. This would be why I'm wanting to know why anyone would unfarily single out a particular portion of his delegates.
Zac
Do ypou still think those 250 votes did not influence the outcome?
Your scenario's don't work because your forgetting when they came over.
They went to Dion after Kennedy dropped out, allowing him to overtake Rae. They didn't win it for him, they got him closer. So why isn't anyone questioning the credability of Dion's other supporters? Why only single out one ethnic group.
Zac
ZAC,
bussing in people on voting day is part of the game - I concede it happens on both sides. For example: you're damn right I'd haul in as many seniors on a Quebec election day because seniors don't vote to make new countries with coke-heads for founding fathers.
but, to me, there's something entirely more sinister when it becomes attacks on jews or horse-trading support for delisting the Tamil Tigers.
(my emancipation comment was a joke, of course. but your response was a good one!)
Zac, how would Dion have won the leaedership if he wasn't on the final ballot?
Zac, how would Dion have won the leaedership if he wasn't on the final ballot?
With the support of hundreds of other people. Go question their integrity.
Zac
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