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Liberals spent millions on flags that wouldnât fly
Only in Canada....Back in 1996 then-heritage minister Sheila Copps trumpeted a plan to give away one million flags to Canadians as part of a national unity push. Flag Unlimited, in Barrie, Ont., is under new management now, but in 1996 it was paid $3 million to make flags for the government handout. But Ottawa paid more because it didnât buy the flags directly from the manufacturer. It bought the flags from Lafleur Communications, an ad firm that is now part of Groupaction. Lafleur Communications was headed by Jean Lafleur, who had close contact with the PMO. Doreen Braverman, Canadaâs largest flag retailer, says what doesnât make sense is why the government used a middleman to begin with. "Theyâre (the federal government) supposed to go to the manufacturers. Thatâs where youâre going to get the best price," she told CBC News. Hey that bottle of Chateau Petrus is not cheap, but thatâs a whole 'nother story... The flag story wasnât noticed in the auditor generalâs report, but it was noticed by Allan Cutler of Public Works, who blew the whistle two weeks ago. "The contract had a three-day term and was subject to the standard commission rate of 17.65 per cent payable to Lafleur," said Cutler. Should of used Halliburton? That wouldâve added up to $600,000 out of the $3.4 million paid to Lafleur Communications - and it was all authorized by Chuck Guité, the man in the middle of the sponsorship scandal. "Moreover, the contract was amended to permit immediate payment on submission of an invoice," said Cutler, "a practice which is highly unusual in government procurement." It also turns out that Jean Lafleur was in regular contact with other top officials in the Chrétien government, especially Jean Carle, who was the director of operations at the PMO, as well as former chief of staff Jean Pelletier, former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano and Chuck Guité. Terms, Full, Inst. "Have another glass of CP" But thereâs one final twist. The flags from Lafleur didnât meet government specifications. According to Braverman "there was no way of attaching (the flags) to anything. So theyâd bring them into the shop and say, âI got this from Sheila Coppsâ office, what do I do with it?â" The flags had no sleeve, so they couldnât be attached to a flagpole. Flags wonât fly, army canât fight, borders wonât close....need we say more? Posted by: john 2004-04-01 |
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