The Bernier Fiascos & Resignation

[Colin Parkinson]

I was watching CBC this morning interviewing a security consultant, who was rather dismissive of the attempt by the reporter to make this a huge affair, he kept saying that RCMP noted the concern, passed it up to the PMO, who advised Beriner, who cut off relations, end of story.

 

[armyvern]

I was watching CBC this morning interviewing a security consultant, who was rather dismissive of the attempt by the reporter to make this a huge affair, he kept saying that RCMP noted the concern, passed it up to the PMO, who advised Beriner, who cut off relations, end of story.

Exactly. But, hey when you're the opposition -- facts don't matter, you just have to spin it into a "matter of gravest importance to national security and vital importance to the Canadian public" because it looks good in the headlines. The twits. So, the RCMP and Bernier have dealt with the matter and continue going about their jobs -- when the heck is the opposition going to STFU and get back to actual "business"?

 

[Remius]

Well, I'm quite sure ... with the seizing of Aid currently occuring in Burma ... and with Bernier's having offered up the DART as a response to that disaster ... that the opposition will soon be standing within the hallowed halls to claim that he's caused those Burmese events simply to take the Canadian public's minds off this "so very important issue of National Security."  :

Nah, the Conservatives will announce the next CDS to get the media off his back  

 

[a_majoor]

Really, this is nothing more than another drive by smear. Like all the others to date,they fail the all important test:

People who make the accusations are required to supply the proof

Like all the other "issues" raised to date, from Chuck Cadman to Brian Mulroney to "In and Out" and beyond, the opposition makes claims which are defamatory but never actually supply proof that any of these things actually happened (or happened in the way that is implied). Indeed, the Prime Minister has launched a libel action against the Liberal Party for openly making such statements on their website.

You may accuse all you want, but if you are unable or unwilling to stand up and present documentation, witnesses, bank records and other evidence, then you are really only crying "Wolf" and simply erode your own credibility. The only puzzeling thing I find in these affairs is how swift the MSM is to broadcast these claims while they remain silent and never dig deeper into issues where there is evidence of wrongdoing. (ADSCAM is only the tip of the iceberg in that regard....)

 

[c1984ml]

Spouse here (with dh's knowledge  )

Maybe the Minister of Public Safety needs to be doing his job better, ditto the PM to ensure are borders are secure all this stuff is going on during their watch.

I've been following the twists and turns and leaps of logic on this thread and apparently my brain has been twisted far too hard because for the life of me, I can not understand how the ex-wife of a biker dating an MP has affected the security of our borders.

 

[armyvern]

I can not understand how the ex-wife of a biker dating an MP has affected the security of our borders.

You're safe here. It doesn't. 

 

[stegner]

I can not understand how the ex-wife of a biker dating an MP has affected the security of our borders.

You are quite right.  Though I am not sure how you came to that conclusion as no one has stated this here.  However, ArmyVern presented the argument Parliament and the opposition should not be concerned with this matter of Bernier's biker babe, but with the security of our borders given recent concerns expressed by the Auditor General.  I noted that the fault of our current situation lay not with Parliament or the opposition, but with the PM and Minister of Public Safety who are responsible for the borders.  It was a brief tangent that's all. 

 

[aesop081]

When Bernier was sworn in August he brought Julie and she was a present girlfriend-at least present girlfriends should be checked out.  You don't necessarily have to go back 20 years but you should consider present girlfriends who have present access. 

Access to what ?

She was his girlfriend, of course she had access to HIM......Duhh !!

Access to sensitive information ? Are you saying that because she is his girlfriend , Bernier told/showed her sensitive information ?

I'm sorry but people around me are used to hearing "I can't talk about it"..........

 

[stegner]

Access to sensitive information ? Are you saying that because she is his girlfriend , Bernier told/showed her sensitive information ?

Not necessarily, but when she traveled to the Middle East with him she was exposed to certain things that the average Canadian is not.  Mr. Bernier also brings documents home.  What steps are made to ensure not only in this instance, but others as well, that those documents that are sensitive are stored securely?

I'm sorry but people around me are used to hearing "I can't talk about it"

Good for you.  Loose lips sink ships. 

She is a looker though. 

 

[Kat Stevens]

Sooo, she came back from the ME and reported to her biker handlers what, exactly, that would be of benefit to them?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

This is starting to go down the National Enquirer code of journalism.

 

[stegner]

Hypothetically?

Here's a quick one.  Biker's are in the drug business.  Afghanistan has most of the world's heroin and lots of weed too.  CF transportation policies in the ME (i.e. where they land for stopover & refuel) might be of use to people who are in the drug business and would like to smuggle drugs into Canada.

 

 

[Kat Stevens]

So she learned that:
a)  The CF airplane she rode on loaded up at a CF air base,
b)  The CF airplane she rode on stopped for fuel in the ME
c)  The CF airplane she rode on took her to a secure base in Afghanistan
d)  There is lots of drugs in Afghanistan
e)  The CF airplane she rode on took off from a secure base in Afghanistan
f)  The CF airplane she rode on refueled somewhere on the way back
g)  The CF airplane she rode on landed back here in Canada

Yup, I'm convinced, all vital info for a bunch of guys who usually just funnel their dope through much more accessible means, such as border rez's.

 

[George Wallace]

Hypothetically?

Here's a quick one.  Biker's are in the drug business.  Afghanistan has most of the world's heroin and lots of weed too.   CF transportation policies in the ME (i.e. where they land for stopover & refuel) might be of use to people who are in the drug business and would like to smuggle drugs into Canada.

Talk about grasping at straws.

 

[stegner]

Talk about grasping at straws.

Well at least I am answering the questions posed to me on this thread.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Well at least I am answering the questions posed to me on this thread.

Hilariously, one must add.

 

[PMedMoe]

Geez, I bet she knows where the host nation is too.  :

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Stumbled onto this thread rather late in the discussion, but since we are discussing security concerns, and having spent 25+ years in the intel business I thought I would throw-in my two cents.

First off, I agree with most of the posters here that this a big deal over nothing. Yes, the lady in question was once associated with the a member of the Hell's Angel’s (apart from this connection no one has presented any evidence that she was actually involved in HA business), but that was 10 years ago and so far no one has presented any evidence that she still maintains any ties with the organization. Heck, according to the Montreal Gazette article posted at the beginning of this thread, it appears that Couillard’s marriage to Sirois was partially responsible for his decision to become a police informant.

I think ArmyVern’s comment below says it all: 

Stenger,

Seeing as how the Hells Angels thought about killing her, and Sirois was given the choice to "choose her OR the Angels" ... I'd say that apparently the Hells Angels didn't hold her too close to their bosom no?

BTW, if the HA were trying to infiltrate someone into the government I doubt they would use someone with known connections to them, however remote.

Not necessarily, but when she travelled to the Middle East with him she was exposed to certain things that the average Canadian is not.

Such as? The fact that they landed at a not-so-secret base in middle of the desert? Since the beginning of our mission thousands of military and civilian personnel have traveled through Camp Mirage so the idea that there is anything secret about the place was lost a long time ago.

Mr. Bernier also brings documents home.  What steps are made to ensure not only in this instance, but others as well, that those documents that are sensitive are stored securely?

First off, how do you know if Mr Bernier brings documents home or not? Secondly, it is against security regulations to take classified documents home. Yes, permission can be obtained, but only in special circumstances and the material has to be stored in a security container (safe/cabinet) appropriate for the classification of material being stored in it. And, if I remember correctly (I could be wrong) the house/apartment has to be inspected by the security folks to make sure its OK (e.g. secure location/doors/windows/storage container/etc).

Thirdly, Mr Bernier is the MP for the riding of Beauce (located south of Quebec City), so its unlikely, he would have permission to take documents that distance. Like most MP’s Bernier likely has an apartment in the Ottawa area, but unless the apartment is really secure, its unlikely he would be able to store documents there.

Here's a quick one.  Biker's are in the drug business.  Afghanistan has most of the world's heroin and lots of weed too.  CF transportation policies in the ME (i.e. where they land for stopover & refuel) might be of use to people who are in the drug business and would like to smuggle drugs into Canada.

And the Military Police and Canada Customs (or whatever they call themselves these days) don’t already know this? I’ve never been to Afghan but I’m willing to bet that when our guys/girls land in Canada the MP’s/Customs folks are waiting to check their baggage (and aircraft). Plus, security in Kandahar is pretty intense I understand so it would be pretty tricky to smuggle any drugs through multiple levels of security without getting caught.

Well, there's my two cents worth. Its Saturday morning and I've got things to do. Talk with you folks later.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

The story gets more interesting. Apparently, this news about Couillard's links to the Angel's has been common knowledge among the Ottawa media but they considered it a non-issue. However, the Liberals and Bloc have been lobbying them to report it for some time. More info here:

http://stevejanke.com/archives/262078.php

http://www.thestar.com/Canada/Columnist/article/423208

 

[stegner]

but that was 10 years ago

How do we know that was 10 years ago.  Impossible for you or I to know, especially since no one investigated whether she has present connections to outlaw biker gangs.

BTW, if the HA were trying to infiltrate someone into the government I doubt they would use someone with known connections to them, however remote.

But Bernier claims he did not know about her connections until after the fact.  Therefore, she was not known by government to have known connections.

First off, how do you know if Mr Bernier brings documents home or not? Secondly, it is against security regulations to take classified documents home. Yes, permission can be obtained, but only in special circumstances and the material has to be stored in a security container (safe/cabinet) appropriate for the classification of material being stored in it. And, if I remember correctly (I could be wrong) the house/apartment has to be inspected by the security folks to make sure its OK (e.g. secure location/doors/windows/storage container/etc).Thirdly, Mr Bernier is the MP for the riding of Beauce (located south of Quebec City), so its unlikely, he would have permission to take documents that distance. Like most MP’s Bernier likely has an apartment in the Ottawa area, but unless the apartment is really secure, its unlikely he would be able to store documents there.

Just because these are the rules for military intelligence (if that's where you spent 25+ years in) doesn't mean they apply for Cabinet ministers. 

Most concerning to me are these excerpts from the Calgary Sun (noone can claim this paper to have a liberal bias). 

Fri, May 9, 2008
Girlfriend said to have stood out in crowd

OTTAWA -- The cabinet minister's girlfriend always stood out in the diplomatic crowd that inhabits the foreign affairs building.

Whether smoking cigarettes in an ambassador's limousine or striding into meetings snapping bubble gum and clad in leather boots and tight jeans [Wtf is she doing in meetings at Foreign Affairs?] , Julie Couillard raised eyebrows.

But government insiders say they were most surprised by the influence she seemed to have on Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier.

Sources characterized several framed portraits of the former model perched atop Bernier's office furniture as an innocent reflection of his deep affection for her. They became annoyed at other aspects of the relationship. They say she started trying to influence his speeches and urged him to contradict government policy and speak publicly at every available opportunity.

One source cited Bernier's visit to the UN General Assembly, claiming Couillard encouraged him to cast the Afghanistan conflict as a peace mission despite the government's repeated insistence it's a combat mission.

"She got involved in everything. She wanted to control things all the time."

One Tory described how Couillard would urge Bernier to increase his public profile when she saw another Quebec cabinet minister getting too much TV airtime for her liking.

Another government official described how there was grumbling within Conservative ranks recently about unauthorized public remarks by Bernier.

Bernier and Couillard were introduced by a common friend in Montreal and their relationship had its coming-out party last summer at the cabinet ceremony where Bernier was sworn in to his new job.

He was touted as possible future leadership material, and was entering a prestigious portfolio once held by the likes of Lester Pearson, Joe Clark and Jean Chretien.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2008/05/09/5517336-sun.html

There is more to this story than her HA connections.  But let's forget about investigating it because she was a girlfriend of Bernier.  In my opinion this is a big sign for foreign intelligence services that Canada has lax security measures.  Why bother trying to infiltrate DND, CSIS, CSE, RCMP, IAS, SIS, DFAIT's SIB, TCI, OCIPEP, CBSA or any other Canadian intelligence service-all you need is to date a minister to get access and apparently influence.  All the opposition is saying is that Cabinet minister's need to be thoroughly checked out to ensure that there are no breaches.  It doesn't have to be every MP or even every government MP just those that have access to more sensitive materials than most.