Ottawa faults Couillard for lost dossier

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA — A federal government report on the missing classified documents that cost former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier his job concludes that his ex-girlfriend may have broken Canada's secrets laws.

The report, drafted by the Foreign Affairs Department, which Mr. Bernier headed until May, concludes that there is no reason to disbelieve Mr. Bernier's statement that he never took the classified documents out of his unlocked briefcase during a visit April 4 and 5 to the apartment of girlfriend Julie Couillard.

“Ms. Couillard may have put herself in jeopardy of having contravened a provision of the Security of Information Act,” the report adds.

The report doesn't say whether officials believe Ms. Couillard removed the classified documents from the briefcase – only that Mr. Bernier had them when he arrived, didn't take them out at any time during the visit, and left without them. Ms. Couillard did not agree to be interviewed by investigators.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080801.wcouillard02/BNStory/National/home


So we have a bigger problem! It was not a forgetful loss of documents. It was something more!

The jack is out of the box.

Politics, Sex and Gerda Munsinger
If Lucien Cardin had kept his mouth shut on March 4, 1966, the sensational political sex scandal may have never surfaced. But, fuelled by taunts, the Liberal minister implied that a German playgirl and alleged KGB spy had relationships with top ministers in Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's government. In the frenzied atmosphere of the Cold War, Cardin's allegations sent the country into a tizzy, sparking the first political sex scandal in Canadian history.

http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/national_security//topics/69/
For some reason clicking on the link doesn't bring one to the article.

[daleo]

1. There's no reason to believe Bernier either

Bernier seems perfectly capable of leaving documents strewn about. Frankly, given their respective public demeanors, I would have to say that Julie seems like by far the more competent of the two.

The Conservatives seem to be stuck on slandering people - girlfriends, reporters, other party leaders, scientists, nuclear regulators...

[CHIMO]

2. If Bernier

Didn't remove the documents from his suitcase then someone else did. It then brings on the question that a minister put himself and the government in jeopardy.

Either it was his error or it was an outside job.

The new whitewash is digging the New Canadian Government deeper into the mire because they can't be wrong.

They are making the whole thing a hornets nest because they can't be at fault!

[daleo]

3. The briefcase was lockable

He should have had it locked.

They don't actually exonerate Bernier, they just say "we have no reason to disbelieve him". It's a classic non-denial denial. A veritable whitewash, I agree.

[CHIMO]

4. Whether It Was

Locked or unlocked is of no concern. If someone opened the luggage and removed the material it was theft.

Forget about locks. That is Harper's theme. If it was confidential it should have had hundreds of locks.

They keep on digging a deeper hole.

[TaffyMoon]

5. Sure, blame the bimbo, not the Tory.