The Common Thread in the Politicization of the National Police Force?

Diane Francis has shown how the RCMP has become politicized to a dangerous degree. (The National Post, Mar. 23, 04) They were used to falsely accuse Brian Mulroney of illegal bribe-taking for the Airbus affair. Then they were pressed into action to defame Francois Beaudoin, the BDB top executive. Then there is the case of Canada Post CEO, Georges Clermont. An RCMP raid was conducted on his office. Nothing was found that was illegal, but the man's reputation was damaged. It was then easy to ease him out of his job.

What is the common link to these misuses of our National Police -- soon to become our National Gestapo if this abuse continues? Jean Chretien, according to Diane Francis' article. To me, he was the hidden mastermind. Mulroney's reputation was to be destroyed because Mulroney was hated. On top of that, Chretien demanded the case be (expensively) continued, even though the RCMP were telling him that these accusations appeared baseless. Final result: Mulroney sued the government and was awarded two million dollars for the libel directed at him. Chretien just cost Canadian taxpayers another couple of million to play out his vindictiveness.

Next is Beaudoin. This man had the effrontery to challenge Chretien on a loan to a man who was wanted for fraud back in Belgium. The fact that Chretien owned part of an adjacent golf course was seen as the reason why he pushed Beaudoin to make the loan; so it appears. When it was obvious that Auberge Grand'mere was failing, Beaudoin wanted to call in the loan. That was when Chretien called in the cops, I suspect. Beaudoin's house was raided and he was sued for misuse of his perqs. Chretien's hand-picked BDB man, Michel Vennat, took his place.

And what was Clermont's offence? Nothing really; however, there had to be top jobs for old cabinet buddies. Hence and therefore, people had to be removed. The morality of this patronage or whether Andre Ouelette was even up to the job as CEO of Canada Post appear not to have been considered. He's a friend of JC, so he deserved a big salary. No moral qualms. Using the RCMP to destroy somebody for his personal ends was standard behaviour, to my mind. Thank God he's gone.

Francis was also not happy with how the phrase "no irregularities" concluded the 1997 Auditor-General's report on the Public Works. The report details numerous examples of nafarious deeds being committed. Somehow these got papered over as "administrative errors". Let us not find that that last great hope, the Auditor-General's office, is also partially corrupted by Chretien's undemocratic methods.

© Bud