Gagliano stoops to a new low

[the patriot]

Gagliano under attack for helping wife of Mafia figure with immigration file

JIM BROWN
Canadian Press

Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano responds to questions during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa last year.(CP/Tom Hanson)


OTTAWA (CP) - Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano faced calls to relinquish his post and submit to a public inquiry Friday after it was disclosed his office contacted the Immigration Department on behalf of the wife of a reputed Mafia kingpin. Gagliano should be "relieved of his duties" pending an investigation, Bloc Quebecois MP Real Menard told the Commons.

"It‘s a question of honesty and integrity."

Gagliano, who was not in the House, issued a statement saying he was not personally involved and "never signed any letter or document whatsoever."

The minister said staff in his Montreal-area riding office were approached by Maria Sicurella di Amodeo, who asked for help with her immigration file.

Staff members wrote to the department as part of a "normal administrative followup that in no way constitutes an intervention in the file," said the statement.

Sicurella is the wife of Gaetano Amodeo, who was arrested in Montreal on Tuesday and is facing deportation proceedings.

He‘s wanted on murder charges in Germany and murder and attempted murder charges in his native Italy. His name appears on Interpol‘s list of 500 most dangerous fugitives.

Once his wife had successfully obtained landed immigrant status, she attempted to sponsor Amodeo for permanent residency as well - an effort likely to be cut short by his arrest.

Canadian Alliance MP Diane Ablonczy was skeptical of Gagliano‘s claim of personal non-involvement in the case.

"I find it odd that something that comes out of your own office is somehow divorced from the member of Parliament," she said. "I don‘t think that‘s a very credible explanation."

She stopped short, however, of joining the call for Gagliano to step down, saying more evidence is needed of exactly what transpired.

The Bloc said they weren‘t demanding that the minister resign outright - only step aside pending an investigation. He could resume his post if cleared.

"It could be (any of) several kinds of inquiry," said MP Caroline St-Hilaire. "It could be a commissioner named by the House to look into the question and shed light on the facts."

This is not the first time Gagliano, a cabinet heavyweight and chief Liberal organizer in Quebec, has been in hot water over alleged dealings with organized crime figures.

In 1994, the RCMP reported to Prime Minister Jean Chretien that Gagliano‘s accounting firm had done work for companies owned by Agostino ****rera, who had served time in prison for conspiracy in the slaying of another mob boss.

The accounting firm dropped ****rera as a client, but the controversy kept Chretien from naming Gagliano to cabinet for several months.

After a second report from the RCMP cleared him, Gagliano became a minister in late 1994 and has held several portfolios.

© The Canadian Press, 2001
**********************************************************************

It boggles one‘s mind when incidents such as this are casually dismissed and our serving members have sworn to die for morons such as Gagliano. Pretty soon all of Sicilly and its penal colony population will want asylum here (Sicilly is where most of the Mafioso come from). Is Gagliano a traitor messing around with national security?! Can we hang him?! Probably not...

-the patriot-

 

[Pikache]

http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1076411361261&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

Move comes an hour before auditor‘s report tabled


FROM CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA (CP) - Alfonso Gagliano‘s fall from political grace ended with a long-distance thud today.
Prime Minister Paul Martin recalled the ambassador to Denmark just before the release of a scathing auditor general‘s report that revealed how taxpayers were cheated out of millions of dollars under Gagliano‘s watch as a former cabinet minister.

But the attempt by the Prime Minister‘s Office to distance itself from a spreading political scandal by cracking down on the ex-public works minister - widely seen as the principal actor in the drama now unfolding - was immediately attacked by the opposition as too little, too late.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham defended the move, and said it couldn‘t have been done any sooner because "we didn‘t have the information we have today." That despite the fact the government has had the report in its hands for two months.

But Graham appeared at odds with Martin and other cabinet ministers when he also defended former prime minister Jean Chrétien‘s appointments - which included Gagliano.

"The former prime minister, when he made appointments, always was careful to make sure that they were in the interests of the integrity of the diplomatic service," he said.

Martin and his inner circle have taken pains to distance themselves from the Chrétien regime in which Martin served as finance minister. One Liberal insider said today that nobody knows exactly how many Liberals will be touched by a public inquiry into the matter which will span at least five government departments and agencies including Canada Post, Via Rail and the RCMP.

Opposition MPs lambasted the 11th-hour recall as a symbol of all that was wrong with Martin‘s response.

"Gagliano‘s bags should have been packed a long time ago," said Conservative MP Peter MacKay.

"His toothbrush, his underwear should have been in the baggage and he should be on a plane right now.

"They‘ve waited so long because they‘ve been so successful in the past by delaying, by denying, by distracting, by doing anything they possibly could to avoid accountability."

Waiting until Fraser‘s report was tabled before recalling the minister responsible was "cowardly," said New Democrat MP Pat Martin.

"(Gagliano) is going to take the fall for this one. It shouldn‘t stop there. We‘re going to insist the investigation goes on to the (Prime Minister‘s Office)," he said.

"It‘s shameful, it‘s cowardly, the prime minister should prostrate himself before the Canadian public like Jimmy Swaggart, the televangelist that got caught with a hooker. That‘s the stage of disarray these guys are in."

Graham would not confirm whether Gagliano remains on the payroll; he said it is up to the department to determine details such as a severance package or pension.

Gagliano will get his affairs in order and return to Canada, Graham said, adding that it will be up to the inquiry and the courts to decide his ultimate fate.

"We have a situation in this country where people are innocent (until proven guilty) and Mr. Gagliano will be speaking to clear his own name," he said.

"(The recall) in no way touches on whether he personally will bear any consequences - that is a matter for the inquiry, that is a matter for the court to determine."

Conservative MP John Williams said he‘d like Gagliano to testify before the public accounts committee, which Martin has also asked to look into the affair and make recommendations.

The prime minister has already cancelled the sponsorship program, which existed from 1997 to 2003.
***
Graham, I think you‘re a bag of ****.

 

[RCD]

You can‘t trust any of them. No matter what party their from.

 

[Jungle]

Gagliano blames the bureaucrats for the fraud, see article here

But Gagliano repeated statements by Martin that a "small group" of federal bureaucrats in the ministry are to blame for the questionable funnelling of contracts.

"She (Fraser) was clear, it‘s the public servants," said Gagliano.

What happened to: "you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility" ??? The words "government" and "Leadership" should not be used in the same sentence, it degrades the latter...

 

[Slim]

God in Heaven, those people amaze me.

They actually think that is some kind of defense or explanation...

Why are our politicians so screwed up!? I mean, do they never feel shame??!! :skull:

Andrew

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Why are our politicians so screwed up!? I mean, do they never feel shame??!!

Slim,
In order to feel shame, you need a concience. Something that is lacking in lower forms of life, like pond scum and politicians.

 

[Slim]

Geez Dave...No kidding!

The way that they carry on...It‘s embarrassing.

Andrew

 

[Brad Sallows]

As the saying goes, "politicians", from the roots:

1/ poli - many
2/ tics - bloodsucking insects who leech off passersby

 

[bossi]

In my opinion, Alphonse is an ill-principled stooge of "Da Liddle Thug From Shawinigan", a scumbag, and maybe even a criminal.
After reading this story, I think he's feeling the heat and getting desperate ... to the point of absurdity and fear-mongering as he attempts to obfuscate.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2004/10/29/691425.html

Gagliano: PM dividing nation
SAYS MARTIN'S HELPING, NOT FIGHTING SEPARATISTS
By Stephanie Rubec, Ottawa Bureau - Fri, October 29, 2004
 

CANADA'S FORMER public works minister is blaming Prime Minister Paul Martin for breathing new life in Quebec's separatist movement. Alfonso Gagliano lashed out at the PM during an interview with Sun Media, accusing Martin of taking Canada back to pre-1995 conditions and laying the foundation for a new sovereignty referendum.

"I think the Martin government will bear the responsibility," said Gagliano, the Liberal at the centre of the sponsorship scandal.

Gagliano said Martin's failure to defend the unity plan that spawned the controversial sponsorship program, as well as the PM's handling of AdScam, has driven Quebec back into the hands of separatists.

"They're laughing at us here in Quebec," he said, adding Martin whipped up the sovereignty movement by using "excessive language" to condemn sponsorships.

"We're giving them fuel for their cause."

Gagliano said the PM has given the auditor general's report on sponsorship too much clout, pointing out that Public Works had conducted internal audits on the program and measures were taken to fix the situation.

The AG revealed earlier this year that the sponsorship program was grossly mismanaged by public servants and was used to give hefty commissions to Liberal-friendly ad firms for little or no work.

Justice John Gomery is conducting a public inquiry into the mismanagement of the $250-million sponsorship program.

Gagliano is expected to testify early next year. Testimony from Public Works bureaucrats say Gagliano handpicked the sponsorships and directed them to Liberal friendly ad firms.

Gagliano said he won't condone any wrongdoing if Gomery finds some, but can't stomach Liberal ministers who deny the success of their post-referendum strategy and the sponsorship program.

Gagliano said Martin's government has developed amnesia on the run-up to the 1995 sovereignty referendum which federalists won by a slim margin.

"Whatever was done after '95 was thrown into the drains," he said.

Gagliano pointed to the whopping Bloc Quebecois victory in the June election and the rising popularity of the separatist Parti Quebecois as proof that Martin is failing Canada.

"They're already talking that if the PQ takes power in the next election there will be another referendum within three years of their mandate," he said. "We're going to be back to square one."

Gagliano called on the PM to bring unity back to the country and fight the separatist forces.

"I definitely will continue in my own way to fight to keep the country together," he said.

 

[pbi]

I definitely will continue in my own way to fight to keep the country together," he said.

Ummmm......no-don't bother, please. We'll take it from here, Alphonse.

Cheers.

 

[HollywoodHitman]

Kind of difficult to know what to say to something like that isn't it? The seperatist thing is REALLY old......... :threat:

 

[I_am_John_Galt]

This is interesting ...

Stoolie: Canada pol in mob

BY GREG B. SMITH
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Alfonso Gagliano has held titles in Canada that include labor minister, deputy House leader, ambassador to Denmark and minister of public works.

In New York he held a different kind of title, according to secret FBI documents obtained by the Daily News: "made" member of the Bonanno crime family.

Gagliano was identified as a longtime soldier in the Bonanno crime family by Frank Lino, a former Mafia capo-turned-informer.

Lino is now cooperating with the FBI and federal prosecutors as they slowly take apart the mob family to which he once swore allegiance.

Gagliano's name surfaced as Lino described the Bonanno family's operations in Montreal, which has served as an outpost for the Brooklyn-based group for decades.

He said he and a group of top Bonanno gangsters traveled to Montreal in the 1990s to let the northern branch office know the family had a new boss, Joseph Massino.

The group met at a catering hall, and during the meeting, a Bonanno gangster, Joseph Lopresti, introduced Gagliano to Lino as a made man in the family, FBI documents state.

Lino made a point of telling the FBI that only actual members of the Bonanno family were allowed to attend the meeting at the catering hall. Associates were banned.

Gagliano attorney Pierre Fournier did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.

For years, Gagliano was a fixture in Canada's national politics, rising through the ranks of the Liberal Party.

But his most powerful position was undoubtedly Canada's minister of public works and government services, the office that oversees the Canadian mint and awards most of Canada's government contracts.

In that capacity, Gagliano found himself embroiled in a growing scandal over potential corruption in the awarding of contracts for government advertising.

In February, he was dismissed as ambassador.

There is an ongoing investigation into allegations that government funds were funneled to large contributors to the Liberal Party for no-work contracts.

Lino was shown an array of photographs and identified Gagliano, the FBI documents state.

When he began cooperating with the FBI, Lino admitted he was involved in six murders, several attempted murders, loansharking, extortion and gambling.

Originally published on November 18, 2004

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/253857p-217343c.html

 

[teltech]

Sheesh... I knew the Lieberal Party was full of crooks, but this is ridiculous! :rage:

 

[Bograt]

I am surprisingly not outraged. We all know that he is a liar, thief, scoundrel, extortionist, and thug. So what if he also cohorts with murderers, drug pushers and pimps?

If the allegation is true, what are the ramifications. Don't we as Canadians have the right to associate with whom ever we want? (tongue in cheek).

If this is true, I would think that the FBI would forward this information to RCMP or CSIS? The scandal would be if there was political interference in their investigation and that was the reason he was shipped off to Denmark.

 

[Dreadnought]

This is a time for us Canadians to rise up against the government and replace them by electing the opposition party.  Obviously there is a power circle in Ottawa that we need to get rid of.

 

[Shec]

Well it does stand to reason:  Public Works is the department responsible for cement and boot contracts ;D

 

[Long in the tooth]

Piper - it doesn't surprise you because politicians and mobsters gain political power the same way - connections, money, coercien, nepotism (they're not called families for nothing), bribery and intimidation.  I'm sure most (politicians) started out with principles, but by the time they're elected they owe to much to those who got them there.

 

[ramy]

wouldnt surprise me either......

 

[bubba]

gotta love it troops the canadian version of the sopranos. 8)

 

[RorerQuaalude]

Hmm, well his position in the government, mainly the Public Works Minister isn't that surprising, considering, as stated, the job involves awarding contracts. Think of it this way, if he was to give a construction contract to a company, who would he choose a legit company charging top dollar, or a wiseguy-owned company giving a cut rate (an extremely cut rate if he were a made man)? We all know how having to spend less is always a top consideration for the government, so a politician with wiseguy connections would be the perfect way to save money on contracts.