These are faxes I've sent and or received involving various federal ministers and agencies over the past few weeks about the expense scandal. The start with a fax today to Ross Landry and run back through Revenue Canada and RCMP commissioner William Elliott's letters. The bottom line seems to be that it is up to Ross Landry to start any investigation but in real life (you and me) Revenue Canada would be all over this without any government assistance or involvement in fact somewhere there must be government involvement holding them off in my opinion.
Bruce DeVenne
If you haven't already done so please sign the petition calling for a full investigation at
http://www.petitiononline.com/BDeVenne/petition.html--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fax to Ross Landry today April 13
Bruce DeVenne
E Mail
b1devenne@ns.sympatico.caThe Honourable Ross Landry
Justice Minister for NS
Legislature
Fx. 424-0510
Dear Minister,
Included in this fax are letters I faxed to Revenue Canada, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, The Honourable Victor Toews and RCMP Commissioner William Elliott. They all concern the ongoing expense scandal and, more importantly, the total lack of action with respect to any criminal investigation by the RCMP and or Revenue Canada.
As you can see from the E Mail I received today (Tuesday April 13, 2010) Minister Nicholson’s office states very specifically that this falls under the provinces responsibility, in particularly yours and your department,
If this had been a private citizen both the police and Revenue Canada would have been involved long age. How much longer do the people of Nova Scotia have to wait until their elected officials are treated equally under the law?
It is evidently your responsibility to investigate this properly when can we expect such an investigation (done by outside agencies not the government itself) to begin?
Yours truly
Bruce DeVenne
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E Mmail from the office of Rob Nicholson today April 13
Dear Mr. DeVenne:
On behalf of the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence of February 10 and 16, 2010, concerning the Nova Scotia legislature. The office of your Member of Parliament, Mr. Peter Stoffer, has also forwarded a copy of your correspondence on the same issue. The Constitution of Canada divides jurisdiction between the federal and provincial governments, and each level of government has autonomy to act within its sphere of jurisdiction. As Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister Nicholson is mandated to provide legal advice only to the federal government. I hope you will understand that, for this reason, he is not able to intervene in, investigate or otherwise become involved in matters as you describe. It may be helpful for you to know that, while the Parliament of Canada is responsible for enacting criminal law, the administration of justice is the responsibility of the provincial governments. Therefore, if you have not already done so, you may wish to share your concerns with the Honourable Ross Landry, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Nova Scotia, who is responsible for the administration of justice in your province. The office can be reached by mail at 4th floor, Terminal Building, 5151 Terminal Road, P.O. Box 7, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2L6 or by email at justweb@gov.ns.ca. I note your questions with regard to the RCMP and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). As you are aware, the RCMP falls within the purview of the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, to whom I note you have already written. Matters concerning the CRA fall within the purview of the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue. I have therefore taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your correspondence to Minister Ashfield for his information and consideration.
Thank you for writing.
Yours sincerely, L. Bisson Manager Ministerial Correspondence Unit c.c.: The Honourable Keith Ashfield, P.C., M.P. Minister of National Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway Mr. Peter Stoffer, M.P.
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Fax to Revenue CanadaRevenue Canada
St. John’s NFLD
Reporting tax cheating
Fx 1-506-636-5316
To Whom It May Concern,
It has come to light earlier this year that lawyers who are sitting members of the Nova Scotia House of assembly (MLS’a) have their annual membership dues in the NS Barristers Association of $3,500 paid for them by the government (taxpayers) yet these expenditures don’t appear in their financial statements recently released by the Auditor General of Nova Scotia Mr. Jacques Lapointe. If it is true that they have this fee paid annually by the taxpayer isn’t it income?
Minister Hurlburt paid over $9,000 for a generator from tax funds, it was worth $1,000 where did the extra $8,000 plus go?
This raises a number of possible problems…..
Since there seems to be no record of this money was it added to the MLA’s T4’s?
If it was not added to the T4’s then isn’t it income tax evasion.
Did the MLA’s then deduct the receipt for the dues from their taxes as if they paid the fees themselves? If so that would be tax fraud.
The list goes on and on and involves dozens of MLA’s one with 5 cameras and a dozen printers. The Premier with a $2,100 digital camera (his hobby is photography) and two $2,600 laptops one of which his son used at school according to a local magazine.
Please investigate this matter fully with all the thoroughness, vigor and aggressiveness as you would if these people were not elected politicians. Like you did here
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100401/w5_taxman_100403/20100403?s_name=W5Yours truly
Bruce DeVenne
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Fax to RCMP Commissioner William Elliott Feb 16February 16, 2010
Bruce DeVenne
E Mail b1devenne@.s.sympatico.ca
RCMP Commissioner William Elliott
1200 Vanier Parkway
Ottawa Ont.
K1A 0R2
Fx. 1-613-993-0309
Dear Sir,
I am writing concerning the ongoing and growing scandal in the Nova Scotia Legislature. The latest sentiment from the premier is, “No need for expenses inquiry”, the full article in on line at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/02/11/ns-spending-scandal-report.html This and other articles go on to say that the Speaker of the Nova Scotia Legislature will investigate the wrong doings in the speakers department, a direct conflict of interest and that the Auditor General will decide is any charges are warranted.
With all due respect to the Auditor General, he is an accountant not a lawyer of criminal investigator. If this did not directly involve so many elected politicians and high level civil servants an investigation would have started months ago based on the original audit’s findings.
The people of Nova Scotia are fed up with being stolen from by their elected officials and are also outraged because it is evident that nothing will ever be done about except whitewashing the entire thing. You can gauge their outrage from the comments on the site that contains a petition calling for a complete RCMP investigation into this fiasco found at http://www.petitiononline.com/BDeVenne/petition.html
I find it impossible to believe that, in a country where everybody is supposedly equal, a country ruled by laws and the application of those laws to everybody that this can be happening. How can the people of Nova Scotia get a proper investigation started? If this didn’t involve elected officials it would be a matter of going to the local RCMP office and filing a complaint. Will this work in this case? If not what do I (we) have to do to start an full investigation? If nothing why not?
Please reply to either E Mail or Fax number to save time.
Yours Truly,
Bruce DeVenne
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Faxes to The Honourable Rob Nicholson and The Honourable Victor ToewsFebruary 16, 2010
Bruce DeVenne
E Mail b1devenne@.s.sympatico.ca
The Honourable Victor Toews
Minister Responsible for the RCMP
227 Main St.
Steinbach Man.
R5G 1Y7
Fx. #1 1-204-345-9768
Fx. #2 1-613-995-1049
Dear Sir,
Rather then repeat myself I have included a copy of my letter to RCMP Commissioner William Elliott and ask you the same questions as the Minister responsible for the RCMP.
I would also add that the prevailing attitude in government circles here seems to be, give it back or pay for it and all is forgotten and forgiven. Meanwhile generators have vanished, big screen TV’ shave been destroyed in floods that nobody other than the MLA involved seem to remember. Premier Dexter said that neither of the two $2,500 plus laptops he purchased went to his son yet his son’s schoolmates remember him having that laptop in class according to a local media outlet.
The voter has lost what little respect they may have had for Nova Scotian politicians but if the RCMP or Ottawa allows our MLA’s to walk away from this then there will be no respect for any of our elected or appointed officials only fear of retribution.
As you will see if you look at the petition site listed in the Commissioners Fax, the people are fed up and want justice not a fast double shuffle and a coat of whitewash.
To save time please respond using either the E Mail or Fax number listed in salutation.
Yours truly
Bruce DeVenne
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February 16, 2010
Bruce DeVenne
E Mail b1devenne@.s.sympatico.ca
The Honourable Rob Nicholson
Minister Responsible for Revenue Canada
2895 St. Paul Ave.
Unit 11
Niagara Falls Ont.
L2A 5F6
Fx. #1 1-905-353-9588
Fx. #2 1-613-992-7910
Dear Sir,
Included with this letter are copies of two letters faxed to Minister Toews and Commissioner William Elliott of the RCMP.
While they express the concerns of Nova Scotians very well I would like to emphasize the fast that the local government is working to bury this as quickly and deeply as possible. If I am caught after robbing a back there is now way that I’m going to be told give it back and everything’s A-OK. They use “inappropriately” spent it was stealing. and I am asking you, on behalf of all Nova Scotians, to step in and make sure a full police investigation is held and all criminal charges are laid.
Consider if a lower level civil servant or a member of the public was caught doing this and treat the politicians the same way we would be treated. To assure maximum speed in communication please respond via the enclosed E Mail address or Fax number.
Yours truly
Bruce DeVenne
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When the Trade and Convention Centre opened years ago one of it's pluses, or so we were told, was the ability to be subdivided to take any sized convention, meeting or party. Seems that doesn't impress NDP Premier Darrell Dexter or his government minion's. There was a list published last week showing the top 15 meetings/conventions that the provincial government ran and none of them were at the TCC. Why not? It's not in use that much so it couldn't have been booked for all those nights and, seeing it belongs to the province it wouldn't have cost a cent. Seems NDP Premier Double D is bent on spreading the tax dollars around to the selected few, no different than the other two parties. Here, for those interested in a list of those meetings, who held them, where they were held and what the price tag per event was. Bruce DeVenne
