Nov 2, 2011 3:11 PM ET
Treasury Board President Tony Clement is expected to fend off persistent accusations from opposition MPs that he created a slush fund when he testifies at a parliamentary committee Wednesday afternoon on his role in the controversial G8 legacy fund.
The G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund committed $50 million to Clement’s Parry Sound-Muskoka riding for its hosting of the meeting of world leaders in the summer of 2010. The money was used for a variety of projects, some nowhere near the summit site in Huntsville, Ont., including a community centre expansion worth $16.7 million, new sidewalks, gazebos and other outdoor furniture, landscaping and new public washrooms in towns throughout the riding.
http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=84e14e3296/height=550/width=300Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, who was infrastructure minister at the time and in charge of the legacy fund, is also appearing at the Commons public accounts committee to face a grilling from opposition MPs.
The NDP has been hammering away at Clement week after week in the House of Commons but the MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka has never stood to respond to the accusations that the legacy fund was really a slush fund designed to boost his popularity in his riding and that it was fraught with wrongdoing.
Clement has been accused of running the fund out of his constituency office instead of it being administered through Baird’s former department in Ottawa, and helping personal friends get contracts.
Emails obtained by the NDP also showed a tight and friendly relationship between Clement and the mayor of Huntsville, Claude Doughty. He asked Clement for help when payments for legacy projects were being delayed by bureaucrats who were examining the claims and Clement agreed it was “unacceptable” that they were being held up.
Each time the NDP has asked a question of Clement on G8 legacy fund spending in the House of Commons, Baird has risen to answer instead. He responded that there was no wrongdoing, that the fund benefited the region, the projects were completed on time and on budget and that the auditor general made helpful recommendations that have been accepted by the government.
Auditor general raised concerns
In her last report released soon after she retired in the spring, former auditor general Sheila Fraser reported that money for the legacy fund was diverted from a border infrastructure fund without MPs knowing. When they approved $83 million for the border fund, they had no idea $50 million was being used to pay for 32 projects in Clement’s riding.
The audit also found that there was no documentation from Baird’s department or others involved in the summit to show how the 32 projects were chosen out of 242 proposals. Bureaucrats would normally be involved in the selection process
After the release of the report, Baird and Clement explained that the border fund was used for expediency’s sake so that the legacy fund projects could get going quickly. Clement also explained that he, along with six local mayors in the riding and government representatives, drew up a list of project proposals and it was presented to Baird, who made the final decisions.
The Liberals have also questioned Clement’s involvement, and on Wednesday interim leader Bob Rae said he wanted to hear “the truth” from Clement.
“He had no authority to do what he did. And he turned what was supposed to be a border protection fund into a political slush fund. I think the facts are very clear, I think he needs to give us an explanation as to how that could have happened,” Rae told reporters in advance of the afternoon meeting.
from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/02/pol-g8-legacy-clement.html
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Tony Clement was born on January 27th, 1961 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Clement
January 27th, 1961
1 + 27 +1+9+6+1 = 45 = his life lesson = what he is here to learn = Secrets. Investigation. Things go horribly wrong.
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January 27th, 1961
January 27th
1 + 27 +2+0+1+1 = 32 = his personal year (from January 27th, 2011 to January 26th, 2012) = Arrogance. Fighting. Winning.
32 year + 10 (October) = 42 = his personal month (from October 27th, 2011 to November 26th, 2011) = Relationships. Misunderstandings.
42 month + 3 (3rd of the month on Thursday November 3rd, 2011) = 45 = his personal day = Secrets. Investigation. Things go horribly wrong.
[When his number (45 (his life lesson number)) comes up, that’s when he gets to live/experience what he is here to live/experience. So Thursday November 3rd, 2011 is HIS day!!!]
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numerology behind the news 