Ambrose took holiday on billionaire's yacht

[zerograv]

"A spokesperson for Rona Ambrose has confirmed that the interim Conservative leader took a vacation on a billionaire’s yacht but says there are no ethical violations.

According to an iPolitics report, Ambrose and her husband spent nearly two weeks during her winter break on the yacht of Murray Edwards, oil sands financier and co-owner of the Calgary Flames. Edwards is a friend of her partner, J.P. Veitch.

The report states they were in the Leeward Islands chain in the Caribbean.

Ambrose has been outspoken in her disdain for Trudeau’s vacation, tweeting in January saying Trudeau should have known better but “couldn’t resist the billionaire lifestyle.” (The tweet was published while she was still on vacation on the yacht.")

True, Murray Edwards is not a lobbyist, but the CEO of his company, Steve Laut, is registered to lobby on all of these files.

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Even then, what makes this a story is less about suspicions and more about Rona Ambrose's bizarre decision to tweet about Trudeau's hobnobbing with billionaires at the very time she was hobnobbing with a billionaire...

[maryjane48]

the right are hypocrites of the highest order .

[The Green Barbarian]

the right are hypocrites of the highest order .

why don't you call her a bimbo and a moron and prove once again that the hypocrisy of the left knows no bounds.

I am just curious though - did she tell her staff to hide this from the media like JT did? Did she fly on private helicopters? Is she the current PM? Did the government give $55 million to Edwards' charity? If so did Ambrose have anything to do with that?

[hobbyguy]

Ambrose wiggles and squirms for technicalities, but guess what? It has the same optics for the Alberta Reform Party masquerading as "Conservatives". And those optics are made far worse by the whining about Trudeau's holiday.

https://ipolitics.ca/2017/02/03/ambrose-took-holiday-on-billionaires-yacht/

[maryjane48]

Off Topic

[w84u2]

*removed*

[maryjane48]

*removed*

[hobbyguy]

I actually have more respect for Rona than to use such terms.

I may not agree with her, but she seems a decent sort. Just because she is a libertarian and a fan of Ayn Rand (whom I think is a dark and shallow thinker) doesn't mean that using silly terms is appropriate.

I actually think a spirited debate with her over coffee would be enjoyable. That's more than I can say for a lot of politicians.

[Omnitheo]

Her vacation is of little concern to me. I care about as much as I do about Trudeau's recent holiday. It's just wealthy influential people doing wealthy people things.

Sounds like she did her due diligence of checking with ethics before and was told it was fine (and which for the same reasons I'm sure Trudeau's will have been).

As for Rona pressing Trudeau on a potential ethics violation, that was simply her doing her job as official opposition. I'd expect no less from any party in that position.

As for the supporters though, who exaggerate the severity of issues and act as though they are inexcusable actions all the while excusing similar actions from their own idols, well put simply those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

[w84u2]

I didn't know there were travel restrictions placed upon Canadian citizens. Did I miss that somewhere on the news? Could someone please provide a list of countries or areas that Canadians are not allowed to vacation?

[JLives]

What is the appropriate income level for friends? We hear on the "idiot left" we're just jealous when discussing the income gap. Are rich people ok or not ok? Are lefties allowed to have rich friends or are just conservatives allowed? I prefer more equality and would add a maximum wage to complement our minimum wage but that's not how things are currently. I still enjoy the company of the people in my life with a higher income level than me. What are the parameters on this issue?

[Veovis]

So what is right.

Example. Two different people hit a kid while driving.

PM then drives away and tells people, "don't mention it it's not important"

Opposition stops and calls police to report issue.


Same issue different responses and a massive difference in actions. The PM was bad, the opposition did their job and reported actions that happened before they happened and was open and transparent. The Trudeau "open and transparent government" hid as much as possible till caught.

[hobbyguy]

The right thing is take note of such such issues as evidence in making an overall judgement of character.

As was previously pointed out, the rebel-rousers like to make a big deal of such issues, whilst ignoring the major issues. The overall major issue involved is the influence of big money on ALL parties in Ottawa and elsewhere.

Thus in actual fact, making things a little "warm" for all politicians who appear to basking in the big money freebies is not a bad thing. regardless of the technicalities of the ethics rules (remember who wrote them). However, such heat really accomplishes little unless we can gain momentum toward reforms that remove the influence of big money in politics. Even such activities as Rona's holiday, while within the rules, point out the weakness of the rules, and the general problem.

One has to wonder how much of this would actually go on if campaign/political party contribution rules were actually designed so that 1 person = 1 vote meant something. If I were to talk to Rona and espouse position "A", and Murray Edwards espouses position "B" - pretty sure Murray Edwards would get 1,000 times more consideration, and multiply that by the lobbying he maintains in Ottawa.

[Chyren]

The right thing is take note of such such issues as evidence in making an overall judgement of character.

As was previously pointed out, the rebel-rousers like make a big deal of such issues, whilst ignoring the major issues. The overall major issue involved is the influence of big money on ALL parties in Ottawa and elsewhere.

Thus in actual fact, making things a little "warm" for all politicians who appear to basking in the big money freebies is not a bad thing. regardless of the technicalities of the ethics rules (remember who wrote them). However, such heat really accomplishes little unless we can gain momentum toward reforms that remove the influence of big money in politics. Even such activities as Rona's holiday, while within the rules, point out the weakness of the rules, and the general problem.

One has to wonder how much of this would actually go on if campaign/political party contribution rules were actually designed so that 1 person = 1 vote meant something. If I were to talk to Rona and espouse position "A", and Murray Edwards espouses position "B" - pretty sure Murray Edwards would get 1,000 times more consideration, and multiply that by the lobbying he maintains in Ottawa.

here here!

[Omnitheo]

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/p ... le33920459

Mr. Storeshaw said Ms. Ambrose travelled between Jan. 3 and 14, but only checked in with the Office of the Ethics Commissioner on Jan. 12 – six days after Mr. Trudeau's trip was first revealed by the National Post, and on the same day she sent her "billionaire lifestyle" tweet.

NDP MP Nathan Cullen said Monday that working Canadians are going to have a hard time identifying with either party.

"So the sanctimonious and angry tweets of the Conservative leader … to the Liberal leader was from one billionaire's yacht to another billionaire's island. Must be tough being Liberal and Conservative leaders, because maybe it was billionaire envy," he said.

"If you're going to throw stones, make sure you're not standing in a perfect glass house."

As recently as Friday, Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen was criticizing the Liberals for having "a lot of money for vacations on private islands."

Conservative MPs on Monday defended Ms. Ambrose, even as none seemed aware she was on a billionaire's yacht as she was criticizing Mr. Trudeau.

"Nope," Conservative MP Tony Clement said when asked if he knew of Ms. Ambrose's vacation. "I didn't have that conversation with her, as to where she decided to take her holiday," Conservative MP Michael Cooper said.

Mr. Edwards, who is also co-owner of the Calgary Flames, is ranked as the 30th richest person in Canada by Canadian Business magazine, with a net worth estimated at $2.96-billion. He is also chairman of the board of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., which lobbies the federal government.

The glass houses statement is quite apt. I normally wouldn't care at all about someone taking a vacation, regardless of how luxurious it is provided it's not conflicting with government. In this case though, because there's been so much rhetoric and hyperbole against the liberals made by the conservatives and their supporters, who turn a blind eye to the same behaviours in their leadership, both past and present, that I feel exposing the rampant hypocrisy is necessary.

This corrects my previous statement of her clearing this with ethics prior to the trip. It appears she did so part way through her trip, and likely only then because she was in the process of attacking Trudeau for doing the same thing. Oh politicians.