Author Topic: WE Scandal  (Read 3257 times)

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Offline wilber

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #60 on: July 29, 2020, 09:55:38 pm »
Why would they have even thought to “look into” the journalist’s wife and kids in a “defamation issue”?

Why indeed.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC
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Offline eyeball

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #61 on: July 30, 2020, 01:48:48 pm »
facts matter!

Does it matter at all that Trudeau and Morneau apologized, why would they do that if facts mattered?
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Offline waldo

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #62 on: July 30, 2020, 01:58:53 pm »
Testimony given to-date confirms neither PM Trudeau or Minister Morneau had any involvement, any engagement with the public service that chose WE, then recommended WE. But yes, they both should have recused themselves when that recommendation made its way to Cabinet.

Does it matter at all that Trudeau and Morneau apologized, why would they do that if facts mattered?

are there... facts... you're particularly wanting to question... to emphasize?

Offline eyeball

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #63 on: July 30, 2020, 02:23:18 pm »
are there... facts... you're particularly wanting to question... to emphasize?
I'd have to actually see the facts to even know where or who to begin asking about them.  As always we're left in the lurch without any meaningful institutions of accountability in our governance.  This typically stinks but that's apparently an unalterable aspect of governance.

I'm way more interested in how much partisanship plays a role in rationalizing and normalizing it.

Offline waldo

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #64 on: July 30, 2020, 09:42:56 pm »
I'm way more interested in how much partisanship plays a role in rationalizing and normalizing it.

& how much {CONDP} partisanship plays an agenda-driven role in generating baseless/unsubstantiated "alternative facts" intended to... rationalize & normalize fake scandals (aided & abetted by an obliging media that favours yellow journalism at the expense of genuine unbiased investigative practice)

a twitter thread roll-up of today's testimony:

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Offline wilber

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #65 on: July 30, 2020, 10:35:16 pm »
So is Katie going to fall on her sword because she didn't advise JT he was in conflict, or did she just assume he should know by now?
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC

Offline waldo

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #66 on: July 31, 2020, 02:51:28 am »
So is Katie going to fall on her sword because she didn't advise JT he was in conflict, or did she just assume he should know by now?

hey now member wilber, I'd expect nothing less from you! How on brand for you to personally assign conflict. I guess you missed the part where Ms. Sophie was previously given a green-light by the ethicsCom... but go ahead, spell out the conflict - specifically state your perceived conflict - sure you can.

pro-tip: there's your favoured appearance/perception of... then there's reality!


member squiggy - grow a set... don't hide behind your perpetual reach for yet another DumbTag.
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Offline eyeball

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #67 on: July 31, 2020, 11:56:20 am »
& how much {CONDP} partisanship plays an agenda-driven role in generating baseless/unsubstantiated "alternative facts"
As much as anyone if it suits I suppose and that's the issue that we as the governed need to address because too much time, resources and public goodwill towards the government are wasted on this ****.  Unjustly accused politicians should benefit from being able to correct alternative facts by pointing to a public record of real one's immediately. Anyone trying to present alternative facts the way you fear would be nuts to even try if they knew the record would make them look like idiots the minute they tried.

We govern ourselves at our own as well as our representatives peril without adequate institutions of accountability in place to protect everyone's interests.  Think of accountability as being like shielding. Power corrupts and exposing our representatives to it is like exposing nuclear workers to radiation. Both need shielding.  You could also think of politicians as being like irresponsible partiers whose recklessness leads to them catching a disease and then infecting society around them.  You wouldn't want a radiated nuclear worker sitting next to you on a subway would you?

And we just keep putting up with it so....a pox on everyone's house I guess including the public's but especially on those who prefer things just the way they are.

Offline JMT

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #68 on: August 01, 2020, 11:27:18 pm »
So, I think we may have lost the plot. It seems like some people have a real vendetta against WE.

Offline BC_cheque

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #69 on: August 02, 2020, 02:40:09 am »
Yeah, I don't know what to make of it.  On paper, the two brothers appear exceptional but listening to them they come across very smarmy.

Offline kimmy

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #70 on: August 02, 2020, 03:28:24 am »
Leaving aside the relationship with Bill Morneau or the Trudeau family, there's still lots of questions around WE. All the ex-employees sharing negative stories, the NDAs, the directors resigning, real-estate flipping, the nature of the relationship between WE and ME to WE.  Last week we found out that they hired a Republican-linked firm to plant negative articles in the media to attack Canadaland, and posted "micro-jobs" for search-engine manipulation work to boost positive stories about WE and hide negative stories.

It seems like there is lots to question even without the issue of trying to foster a cozy relationship with politicians. Morneau and the Trudeaus might not have felt like they were being courted, but it sure seems like the WE brothers were trying to court them. And you have to wonder how many others they have influenced in the same way.  Did they likewise try to foster this sort of friendly relationship with school board officials in order to get their organization embedded in schools?

And the whole "voluntourism" idea seems shady to me. Send your kids on an expensive vacation to Africa, get a charitable tax deduction... to me it sounds like a tax dodge for rich families.  Writing a big cheque to the charity and then getting a complementary luxury vacation "to see your charity dollars in action" is particularly distasteful.

 -k
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Offline waldo

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #71 on: August 02, 2020, 10:39:36 am »
Yeah, I don't know what to make of it.  On paper, the two brothers appear exceptional but listening to them they come across very smarmy.

smarmy? How so? I've seen extended videos of the testimony. In the face of the most antagonizing, belligerent, interrupting tactics displayed by the likes of Poilievre, Cooper, Angus, Fortin, etc., it's a wonder they didn't just walk out. Instead, they held fast, maintained a positive presence and tried to answer questions in the face of the CONDP & BQ clown show!

Offline waldo

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #72 on: August 02, 2020, 10:47:22 am »
All the ex-employees sharing negative stories, the NDAs, the directors resigning, real-estate flipping, the nature of the relationship between WE and ME to WE.  Last week we found out that they hired a Republican-linked firm to plant negative articles in the media to attack Canadaland, and posted "micro-jobs" for search-engine manipulation work to boost positive stories about WE and hide negative stories.

that's quite the laundry list! Other than your fav source Canadaland, care to offer citations for your individual points... ones that don't themselves source back to Canadaland?


Offline kimmy

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #73 on: August 02, 2020, 12:31:02 pm »
that's quite the laundry list! Other than your fav source Canadaland, care to offer citations for your individual points... ones that don't themselves source back to Canadaland?



The claim that WE was working with Republican media consultants actually traces to IRS filings:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/politics/article-we-charity-spent-hundreds-of-thousands-on-us-political-consultants/

The claim that WE used micro-jobs to manipulate search engine results actually traces to postings on Microworkers.com.

https://nationalpost.com/news/its-highly-unethical-someone-paid-nearly-200-people-to-promote-positive-we-charity-stories-on-google/wcm/bd05f17e-fa0b-46bb-9657-8f85be87a38d/

There were a number of resignations from the board of directors, including Michelle Douglas who testified last week that she resigned in March (before the CSSG was in planning) because WE would not provide her with financial records and cancelled her meetings with the CFO. That's not one you can blame on Canadaland either.  The questions about the relationship between WE and ME to WE have been raised by Charity Intelligence Canada.  The document from WE's private investigator was posted on Twitter, and specifically references Brown's kids.  Are you really trying to suggest that all this was just fabricated by Canadaland?

 And now we have Toronto city council asking why they paid millions of dollars to lease space from WE.  I wonder if somebody in Toronto's city hall got free vacations too.

 -k
Paris - London - New York - Kim City

Offline JMT

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Re: WE Scandal
« Reply #74 on: August 02, 2020, 08:20:18 pm »
I often wonder how any of us would really look under the microscope. Sure, Trudeau broke the rules. Morneau broke the rules, and probably should go. He's too naive for politics. In the process, we've destroyed a Canadian charity with very low overhead that is a big deal to many students.