Month: March 2006

(Please see my earlier post on NDP hypocrisy regarding the office of the Ethics Commissioner)

Consider that the NDP (the 3rd party) has asked for an investigation into the floor-crossing by David Emerson.

Consider that the NDP (again the 3rd party) didn’t ask for an investigation into the floor-crossing of Belinda Stronach into government (the NDP needed their budget amendment passed, didn’t they — how ethical) UPDATE: They now have… but it’s still long after the ‘NDP budget’ was passed. Perhaps the Ethics Commissioner should look into this delay in the NDP asking for a Stronach investigation?

Consider that the NDP Vancouver-Kingsway opponent Ian Waddell supported the notion of floor crossing when he was a member of the BC Provincial legislature.

Consider that the NDP tried to get Sheila Copps to defect from the Liberal party to join the NDP.

Consider that the NDP tried to get Charles Caccia to defect from the Liberal party to join the NDP.

Both Copps and Caccia were facing losses of their Liberal nominations during Paul Martin’s polarizing power grab and the NDP offered both secured nominations with the NDP.

Consider that former NDP leader Ed Broadbent says that the Ethics Commissioner does not enjoy the confidence of Parliament.

Consider that current NDP leader Jack Layton is pushing for Shapiro to investigate.

In fact, consider that the NDP tabled a non-confidence motion in Shapiro at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. That was then, the NDP has confidence in him now that he’s investigating Emerson and the Conservatives.

And now the NDP is questioning our noble role in Afghanistan? Should anyone take these guys seriously?

I received the following in my email inbox today from Ben Chin’s brother:

Dear Mr. Taylor,

I read your article on my brother Ben Chin and was surprised with all the attention. Perhaps I can clear up some of the concerns. There are couple of excellent articles in the internet on Korea’s political situation in the 70s.

http://robots.cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/asia/magazine/1999/990823/park1.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/752055.stm

These were turbulent times as indicated in the articles. President Park did wonders for the Korean economy but became more oppressive especially after his wife was killed. Assassination attempt on him by a North Korean agent killed the much loved and respected first lady in 1974. It is generally thought that the first lady brought considerable balance and wisdom to the president’s life. Her death must have been devastating for the president not to mention the enormous guilt that he must have felt that she took his position. President Park became less open, less trusting and more hard line around this time… “many political leaders were arbitrarily arrested, and the security apparatus entered its most draconian period, putting down dissent and becoming infamous for its use of torture” …according to the above article. President Park himself was assassinated in 1979. My father lost or resigned his position around 1974.

Pro-democracy movement in 1980 resulted in hundreds (if not over a thousand) being killed by paratroops under President Chun. If Korea was officially a democracy, it was a fledgling one in the 70s.

My parents and Ben were living in Korea in the mid-70s. When Ben was 13, he left Korea and joined me in Toronto. You could say that my younger sister and I “raised” Ben during his early teens (13 to 16). My sister and I were busy university students and not prepared to raise any teenagers…so I give full credit to Ben for turning out ok.

I suppose that you’re privileged if your dad has a chauffeur driven Mercedes or Cadillac. But my dad struggled all his life getting there and he let us know it. He survived Japanese occupation and the Korean war and slowly worked his way up as a carrier diplomat from the bottom.

Ben doesn’t always talk about his early teens. If the main question is about his car, he is not going to bring up political persecutions of his dad. This is not about deception, lie or double life. He is just being practical and sensible like anyone would.

Thank you, Jik Chin

I have the feeling that that’s all the clarification that one needs to sort out this story which originated over the confusion between the quotation in Ben Chin’s literature and an obscure puff piece on a car website. I have no reason not to take Ben’s brother (and thus Ben) at his word.

While this isn’t a retraction of my original post as that post merely quoted a few sources which were inconsistent with each other, I do regret my tone (“from humble beginnings” and “jet-set”) as we now have a corroborating piece of the puzzle that indicates that things weren’t as easy as assumed for the Chins. As this story developed, my goal had always been a full and fair presentation of the facts.

Now, I hope that the NDP and the Liberals can play nice in Toronto-Danforth because this issue seems insignificant at best.

According to CTV, Bernard Shapiro’s days are numbered. The network has learned that the Conservatives are already shopping around for a new ethics czar and I was happy to see that Ed Broadbent was tapped for the job. Broadbent was one of the most vocal critics of the embattled ethics commissioner and former head of McGill. In his package of Parliamentary and ethics reforms that he promised to implement during the election, the replacement of this so-called non-partisan Liberal appointee with a truly non-partisan officer of government makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, Broadbent has declined Stephen Harper’s offer as the NDP elder is caring for his ill wife.

Broadbent would have been a good non-partisan choice, especially in the face of what current NDP MP Peter Julian had to offer yesterday on Stephen Harper’s refusal to cooperate with the Ethics czar’s sham investigation into Emerson’s floor crossing.

I certainly hope that he’ll reconsider his position, that the reaction on the weekend was just a very strong reaction based on partisan motives — Peter Julian, partisan NDP MP

Of course, Peter Julian is part of the BC NDP federal caucus and is voicing his partisan and invested opinion into the matter. You see, this whole “ethics” row has been caused by Liberal and mostly NDP upset into the appointment of former Liberal David Emerson to cabinet by Stephen Harper. The NDP colleague of Julian’s ran second to Emerson in that riding and has been the instigator of much of the public outcry in that riding.

So, now we see a NDP partisan call into starting an ethics investigation by a Liberal Ethics Commissioner into the actions of a Conservative Prime Minister, which acted within the framework of the laws of this country.

Stephen Harper has called for a non-partisan appointment of an ethics commissioner, in the face of partisan opposition.

One should also note that this partisanship over ethics doesn’t come exclusively from the BC NDP MP. On Don Newman’s Politics program yesterday on CBC Newsworld, NDP leader Jack Layton said that he was “shocked” as to why the Prime Minister would criticize Bernard Shapiro.

Now, let’s deconstruct Jack Layton’s partisan silliness about what is supposed to be a non-partisan officer of Parliament. Jack should be working towards matching Broadbent’s legacy.

“I don’t want to impugn his honesty but the way [Shapiro] has handled the office, it leaves open the clear question of his impartiality because of what he has decided to do or what he has decided not to do” — Ed Broadbent, Edmonton Journal, May 11, 2005

Is Jack “shocked” at Broadbent’s criticism?

“He should seriously think about [resigning] … Mr. Shapiro has not performed well. This is a serious political position he’s in, and it’s a complex position. But he … demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about what ministerial accountability means.” — Ed Broadbent, Globe and Mail, June 3rd 2005

Ed thinks Shapiro should have resigned long ago…

“I think it’s totally, utterly, completely unacceptable and Mr. Shapiro should resign … On decision after decision, he’s made simply the wrong decision” — Ed Broadbent, Ottawa Citizen, June 18th 2005