Mass detention of 300 Tamil migrants cost $18-million, says Canada Border Services Agency

The detention of more than 300 Tamil migrants who landed on Vancouver Island last summer aboard a rusty Thai cargo ship called the MV Sun Sea has so far cost $18-million, the Canada Border Services Agency says.

With 107 of the Tamils still in custody—and only five so far publicly linked to accusations of even indirect links to Tamil Tiger fighters in Sri Lanka—the high cost for the mass detention has prompted opposition MPs to renew calls on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's (Calgary-Southwest, Alta.) government to withdraw a controversial bill it claims will counter human smuggling.

The detention terms of

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Tories raise whopping $17.3-million, parties question 'Republican-style' tactics

The minority governing Conservatives' staggering lead on the other main parties in financial donations last year and a lingering question about its creation through a merger of the former federal Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties have sparked more comparisons between Conservative tactics and U.S. Republican Party political methods.

A senior Conservative Senator has confirmed to The Hill Times that the former Progressive Conservative Party, until its merger with the Canadian Alliance eight years ago to form the Conservative Party of Canada, had retained one of the most prestigious fundraising and direct marketing firms in the U.S. during its majority government years under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney.

And, a former member of the Conservative Party who did not want to be identified, told The Hill Times the direct mail solicitations for donations he continues to receive from the Conservative Fund Canada, the financial arm of the party, contain the same kind of messaging, style and appearance as the solicitations he once received from the Progressive Conservative Party.

Conservative Senator Don Oliver, a former board member of the Progressive Conservative Party's fundraising arm, the PC Canada Fund, confirmed the PC Party retained the Falls Church, Virginia, firm of Odell, Simms & Lynch when he was on

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the

Ouimet still hasn't responded to Commons committee request

Canada's former public sector integrity commissioner, Christiane Ouimet, still has not responded to repeated requests sent since mid-December for her to appear before the House Public Accounts Committee at its first meeting of the Commons winter session on Feb. 1.

The committee's chair, Liberal Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) told The Hill Times last week that he'll ask the committee whether it wants to give him the authority to track down Ms. Ouimet and get her before committee.

That might mean issuing a summons. He will also ask if the committee wants to expand the study of Ms. Ouimet's former office to hear from experts in governance and transparency who have asked to appear on the topic.

Ms. Ouimet suddenly retired Oct. 18 three years into a seven-year term. She was the first head of the office created in 2007 to shield whistleblowers in the public service from reprisals.

Three complaints about Ms. Ouimet's managerial style led Auditor General Sheila Fraser to investigate her office and release a report Dec. 9 that found that Ms. Ouimet berated her staff and "failed to properly perform her mandate." During her tenure, Ms. Ouimet handled 228 cases, many with no investigation. She found no wrongdoing or reprisals for whistleblowing stemming from the complaints received.

The House Public Accounts Committee tasked with studying Ms. Fraser's report asked that Ms. Ouimet appear Dec. 14. But it had trouble reaching her without the proper coordinates.

The committee authorized Mr. Volpe to write Ms. Ouimet to ask her to appear Feb. 1. A letter was sent Dec. 16.

"The committee clerk has left messages on her voicemail. We sent a letter by priority post," Mr. Volpe told The Hill Times Jan. 25. "[The clerk has] followed up with another phone call and we're still not getting a response."

The messages were left at her home address, said Mr. Volpe.

The committee didn't get to the point of knocking on her door, but it might come to that.

"I anticipate that, on the basis of the committee's view before we broke for Christmas break, that it was the committee's intention to have her here. So we'll just look at how to do that," he said.

It could issue a summons and Ms. Ouimet would be obligated to come. Only MPs, Senators and the Governor General can choose not to attend when summoned to a committee, Parliamentary Law Clerk Rob Walsh told the Ethics Committee last June.

Besides Ms. Ouimet, the committee has invited Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters to appear Feb. 1.

This study is a priority for the committee, said Mr. Volpe. But there are other important items on its agenda this winter including the study of the 2010 Public Accounts, the auditor general's fall 2010 report on the acquisition of military helicopters, and perhaps even aspects of the contracts issued by the public works department for renovation of the