CANADA
A5 Harper rejects Crimea ballot
MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014
PROTESTERS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Canada has denounced the controversial referendum in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on Sunday that showed overwhelming support to split off and join Russia, saying it would lead to further isolation of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “The so-called referendum held today was conducted with Crimea under illegal military occupation. Its results are a reflection of nothing more than Russian military control,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. “This ’referendum’ is illegitimate, it has no legal effect, and we do not recognize its outcome,” the prime minister said, adding Canada is working with other countries on the possibility of further sanctions. “Any solution to this crisis must respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the constitution of Ukraine. Mr. Putin’s reckless and unilateral actions will lead only to Russia’s further economic and political isolation from the international community.” Earlier Sunday, protesters in at least two Canadian cities joined the international condemnation against the ballot. Some protesters applauded Harper’s decision to travel to Ukraine this Friday to show support for the temporary government in the face of Russian aggression in the strategic Black Sea region. “This is an already an important symbolic visit showing support to the Ukrainians,” said Lada Roslycky, a human rights campaigner who organized an Ottawa protest across the street from the Russian embassy. About 100 protesters staged a mock referendum outside the heavily-guarded embassy. They brandished signs that denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as organizers passed out fake cash, and urged mock voters to vote as often as they liked for either of two options to cede from Russia — yes and yes — as demonstrators in military garb stood over a fake ballot box. They were joined by hundreds in downtown Toronto who braved frigid temperatures to march against what they called an illegitimate ballot. They took to the streets just hours before the committee managing the referendum released results that said 95 per cent of voters supported joining Rus-
Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS
Protestors take part in a mock referendum to draw attention to the Crimean referendum Sunday outside the Russian Embassy in Ottawa.
CRIMEANS VOTE TO JOIN RUSSIA A6 sia. That was based on half of the ballots counted by Sunday evening. Standing across the street from the Russian embassy, Yaroslav Baran, a former senior Conservative aide, denounced the Crimea ballot as “an old style Soviet election.” “It’s really frightening,” said Baran, who is of Ukrainian descent and has relatives living close to the Crimean Peninsula. “This is classic Putin playbook. We’ve seen it in Georgia, we’ve seen it in Azerbaijan — doing this in the name of protecting minorities . . . and it turns into a permanent military occupation.” Andrew Tsylke, a Kyiv native living in Ottawa, was
visibly struggling with his emotions as he contemplated the situation in his homeland. “It’s a very dangerous situation. It’s close to real war,” he said. Roslycky suggested Canada and its allies could impose travel restrictions on the wives of Russian oligarchs, “the ladies who are associated with the men who are running the Crimea because they have a tendency to go and shop in very expensive places, spend a lot of money in Europe and in the U.S.” Roslycky said that could put pressure on Russian officials “to cool it.” She said Russians who typically get to travel abroad are not the poor people who suffer under Putin’s oppression. Canada and its allies say Sunday’s snap referendum is illegal and they will not recognize its result.
Red flags raised Spy agency accused of needless secrecy in wake of ethics breaches over Métis group’s finances BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The federal government took a close look at the group that represents Métis people across Canada after questions arose over its expenses, newly released documents show. The findings of that examination, which until now have not been made public, offer a glimpse of what was happening behind the scenes before new measures were unveiled to help make the Métis National Council more transparent and accountable. For its part, the council says most of the issues raised by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, whose probe covered the period from 2008 to 2011, have been addressed. Council president Clement Chartier says a draft report that first raised red flags was biased and deeply flawed. But Aboriginal Affairs evidently took the draft report seriously enough to launch its own audit of the council’s management practices and financial controls. The council received a lengthy summary of the department’s findings in a December 2012 letter, which The Canadian Press obtained. “In our view, following a detailed review of the auditor’s findings, there are control weaknesses and differences of interpretation that hinder the effective administration of MNC funding agreements with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada,” wrote the department. “Until these weaknesses and misinterpretations are adequately addressed, the MNC will continue to face ongoing financial challenges.” The letter goes on to say the council claimed costs that were not included in a work plan that it gave to the department in order to receive funding. Some of those expenses included staffing costs for jobs not in the work plan, salaries and benefits that were higher than the “prescribed percentage,” the council’s interventions to the Supreme Court and donations and sponsorships to other organizations. The council told the department it used its own money from “administrative recoveries” to pay for activities it felt were important but not funded. The audit also flagged the council’s procurement practices, and made an observation about lobbying. “Individuals on contract with MNC who are communicating or arranging meetings on its behalf with ’public office holders’ should be registered as lobbyists on behalf of the MNC.” There were also questions around conflicts of interest. In one case, a company owned by the vicepresident’s wife was paid for “liaison services” between her husband and Chartier’s office. Chartier says the department knew about that situation. “This relationship was known in advance and she was deemed to be the most effective person to provide these services,” he told The Canadian Press. In another instance, the acting CAO approved the purchase of copies of his own book. A senior manager, meanwhile, signed off when the council bought copies of a book written by Chartier. In a two-page written response to detailed questions about the audit, Chartier said the council has since dealt with most of the audit’s findings. “These issues are not new to the MNC. Our board of governors and the Métis National Council General Assembly have reviewed all of these issues and have approved the MNC audits for 2008-2012 and have given us direction on moving forward,” he wrote. “The MNC and the government of Canada have acted responsibly and addressed all of these issues and built a new financing platform going forward. We practice democratic responsibility and accountability and we will not hesitate to protect our interests in this matter.”
OTTAWA — An investigation at Canada’s secretive eavesdropping agency has uncovered misuse of public assets and “serious breaches” of the spy outfit’s values and ethics code. The findings, prompted by confidential information from a whistleblower, led Communications Security Establishment Canada to revise policy, improve training and boost oversight. However, CSEC will say little more about the episode — leading opposition MPs to accuse the spy agency of needless secrecy as it comes under intense scrutiny due to widely publicized leaks by former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Ottawa-based CSEC monitors foreign computer, satellite, radio and telephone traffic of people, countries, organizations and terrorist cells for information of intelligence interest to the federal government. It is a key player in the Five Eyes intelligence network that includes partner agencies from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian agency says its findings of asset misuse and ethics breaches are not related to national security information, the privacy of Canadians or the continuing construction of CSEC’s elaborate
new Ottawa headquarters. However, the investigation led to recommendations concerning purchasing practices, asset management, and financial controls and accountability. It resulted in changes including “more rigorous training of staff and managers” and “increased monitoring of financial authorities,” CSEC says. In addition, the agency took “various measures” with regard to the employees in question. CSEC spokesman Ryan Foreman said that for privacy reasons he could not release any information about “specific employees involved in this disclosure of wrongdoing.” Foreman also refused to discuss the number and type of employees implicated, whether anyone was disciplined or fired, what kind of public assets were involved or their value. Nor would he say when the matter came to CSEC’s attention, or when were the corrective steps were taken. “They basically tell you nothing,” said Liberal public safety critic Wayne Easter. NDP defence critic Jack Harris said the response “shows an unwillingness to be up-front with the public.” “It just seems to me to be a public-relations response which doesn’t do much to inspire trust and confidence, frankly,” Harris said.
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