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Les Faucons ont remporté un deuxième championnat !
Les Faucons d’Aylmer (Atome B) ont remportés le tournoi provincial de Masson-Angers le 27 janvier 2008 à Masson-Angers avec quatre victoires et aucune défaite. Ils ont vaincus les Sharks de Masson-Angers (2-1) en période supplémentaire. Le but éga-lisateur a été compté avec seulement 21 secondes à faire en troisième période. (FR)
Photo : Mario Elibani, Entraîneur chef
Questions touch Prime Minister’s Office — thanks to Aylmer’s Dimitri Soudas
Julie Murray
Aylmer resident and former Western Quebec School Board Commissioner Dimitri Soudas is in hot water, facing allegations that as deputy press secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he improperly intervened on behalf of Rosdev Group, a Montreal developer involved in multi-million dollar litigation with Public Works over the management of two office buildings housing thousands of civil servants. Mr Soudas is claimed to have apparently convened a meeting, August 2, 2006, between senior staffers from Public Works, in order to lobby on behalf of the developer.
Mr Soudas, it is reported, called the meeting because some Conservative organizers, includ-ing his friend Leo Housakos, thought that Rosdev owner Michael Rosenberg could become the party’s ally and thus help win seats in Montreal. During the meeting, Mr Soudas is alleged to have suggested that the litigation be dropped and that Public Works and the Rosdev Group go to mediation, an idea previously raised months earlier by Mr Housakas, a Conservative fundraiser.
According to media reports, Mr Soudas and Mr Housakos attended a meeting last year with officials representing a military company that wanted to sell hardware to National Defence.
During Question Period, January 31, Bloc MP Michel Guimond asked whether Mr Housakas had ever been a guest at 24 Sussex Drive. Prime Minister Harper did not answer, but said, “The Bloc member mentioned two people who are of Greek origin, one who was an employee here in Ottawa, another one who’s a supporter of the Conservative Party in Montreal. The fact that these are two Montreal gentlemen of Greek origin doesn’t mean there’s a conspiracy here.”
The comment outraged opposition MPs. Liberal MP John Cannis, also of Greek origin, said that Mr Harper’s comments insulted the Greek community. “Why was it necessary for him and others to continually refer to these people? Why did he have to refer to them as Greek Canadians? I don’t see how that ties together.”
Dion’s mistake and apology
Liberal leader Stéphane Dion also stumbled during the same Question Period by suggesting that Mr Soudas was a party to extortion. “There was an attempt to extort taxpayers’ funds to benefit a party supporter and therefore change the decision process, and [they say] it’s not important because it didn’t succeed. I think the Prime Minister has a lot to explain.”
After Question Period, Mr Dion apologized, saying, “Yesterday I used an inappropriate term: ‘extortion’. I apologize for that, and that was not the appropriate word. I will choose my words well this time: it appears like political interference.’’ Mr Soudas’ lawyer says Mr Dion defamed his client.
Marcel Proulx on warpath
Hull-Aylmer MP Marcel Proulx plans to pursue the Soudas matter. “I asked questions in Question Period, February 1. The government is saying anything to get away from the Rosdev file. The [meeting] happened in 2006. The government first said Montreal’s Councillor Tambourello was behind this. But Mr Tambourello left council in 2005,” Mr Proulx says, adding, “Then the government said a Mr Tremblay, the brother of Montreal’s mayor, was involved. But Mr Tremblay has said, ‘No, I never intervened. I don’t know what they are talking about.’
“We will certainly pursue this. This is a serious matter, a huge file with a lot of money involved,” Mr Proulx told The Bulletin. “You have someone from the Prime Minister’s office who calls ministerial staff into a meeting, to discuss the possibility of Canada dropping the lawsuit. This is interfering with the work of a department [Public Works]. This is political arrogance and we want to get to the bottom of it.”
“Patronage and cronyism” in Canada
The Soudas affair comes on the same day that the Washington-based non-government group Global Integrity released rankings of democracies around the world; Canada ranks just eighth out of fifty-five countries in terms of government accountability and integrity, behind newer democracies like Romania and Bulgaria as well as Spain, Italy, Latvia and Japan.
Duff Conacher, coordinator of Democracy Watch, commented on the report, “Many Canadians would find [the lack of accountability] rather shocking,” adding that Canada suffers from “patronage and cronyism.” He says Canada lacks a merit-based appointment process for boards and tribunals, as well as whistleblower protection. “Secret lobbying … [should] be illegal and all lobbying would be disclosed. As well, we’d have a much stronger access to information law.”
The Bulletin contacted two childhood friends of Mr Soudas in Laval who described Mr Soudas as “straight as an arrow” and “hardworking and honest”.
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