https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies
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David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos@wrbennettnl and
This kind of situation Anthony describes smacks of the same kind of old time politics Derek Green described in Chapters 9 and 10 of his report on the spending scandal that came to light in 2006 EH@lorrainemichael ???
#nlpoli
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/anthony-germain-skategate-1.5121515
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The public reaction to Here & Now's reporting on how Liberal MHAs and cabinet ministers appear to have scored 34 free tickets to an ice show in Marystown last year in exchange for a $1,500 grant illustrates an interesting divide.
On the one hand, condemnation for Mark Browne, the MHA for Placentia-West Bellevue, for how his assistant allegedly leaned on a local skating club to secure the tickets.
On the other: There's nothing to see here folks. It's only $1,500 dollars for 34 politicians and guests to see Kaetlyn Osmond skate in her hometown.
It's chicken feed. Move on.
But often in politics, small stories have larger consequences and reveal bigger truths about accountability. (And, it needs to be underscored, that this story has nothing to do with Kaetlyn Osmond herself.)
Remember Bev Oda and her $16 glass of orange juice? Ironically, what got the federal Tory cabinet minister in trouble in 2011 (she eventually resigned) was the fact that she provided receipts and billed taxpayers for her juice, and other parts of a swanky trip to London.
In the Marystown story, it's the opposite: there are no receipts or documents to back up the Liberals' account for how the tickets were bought, or whether a $1,500 grant that appeared out of nowhere was used to lean on the skating club to cough up the tickets.
In a statement to CBC News, Browne explains he used his personal funds to buy the 34 tickets, so no receipt for the $640 purchase was required.
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Liberal MHAs Mark Browne, left, and Carol Anne Haley, right, accompanied Olympic skating champ Kaetlyn Osmond on her April 2018 visit home to Marystown. (CBC)But an email his constituency assistant, Tara Planke, sent to the local skating club portrays an entirely different kind of transaction:
"With the extra funds that we can secure for the club, the granting of these tickets will be more than covered from a monetary perspective," she wrote.
Planke took an extra step: "I have included the names of those who are planning to attend."
That list included many of the people you can see in photos and video that were taken at the Kaetlyn Osmond Arena for the April 2018 event: Dwight Ball; cabinet ministers Lisa Dempster and Al Hawkins; Mark Browne; Planke herself; and various MHAs.
There are many unanswered questions.
First, why did Planke link the "granting of the tickets" to the "extra funds" that would "more than cover" the cost?
Shouldn't her email have simply said: "Mark would like to buy 34 tickets for the premier and other dignitaries and VIPs he has invited. He's paying for this out of his own pocket. Attached is a cheque for $680"?
In his statement, Browne also said: "The premier gave me clear direction last spring to purchase tickets for the event. The tickets used by me and my guests were purchased. No free tickets were used."
Presumably, Browne paid cash for the 34 tickets.
Ball was clear about his own transaction. "I ordered the tickets through Mark," he said. "That was money I would have given to Mark. He paid for those tickets for me."
Ball added, "That grant wasn't awarded to pay for tickets."
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Liberal Leader Dwight Ball says he gave money to Mark Browne for his ticket to the skating exhibition. (Katie Breen/CBC)That statement about the $1,500 grant is the crux of the story. Were those tax dollars used to buy 34 tickets for Liberals or not?
There are no receipts for the tickets.
There is no record of an application from the skating club for a grant, although officials for cabinet minister Lisa Dempster (who attended the event) did provide a budget prepared by the Town of Marystown which shows a $1,500 line item for the Ice Crystals.
The problem is the Ice Crystals Skating Club never asked for a single penny from anybody.
Browne's assistant dangled the "extra funds" in front of the club's executive in connection with her request for tickets.
Members of the club's executive won't speak on the record, but CBC News has been informed members felt as if they had no choice but to accept the money.
If you're on the "this is fake news" side of this story, you won't like how this article ends. Stop reading.
When Chief Justice Derek Green examined the failures of MHA accounting procedures in 2007, in the wake of a legislative spending scandal that embroiled all three main parties, he came up with 80 recommendations.
Some have bearing on this story.
One recommendation says that the House of Assembly "place responsibility with individual members to conduct their public and private affairs so as to promote public confidence."
So when an MHA uses his own cash to buy something as minor as three dozen figure skating tickets, particularly when he claims it's at his boss's direction, is it unreasonable to expect a receipt?
And it leads to a larger question: If something small is kept "off the books," what about the bigger stuff?
If this is indicative of how government works, what else do we not know?
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CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
33 Comments
Lorraine Michael
This kind of situation Anthony describes smacks of the same kind of old time politics Derek Green described in Chapters 9 and 10 of his report on the spending scandal that came to light in 2006. Without any paper work to prove what is being claimed we are left with nothing but questions. I'm disgusted.
Eddie Grant
Liberal politicians can't seem to manage budgets in government, so I suspect that they are just as bad at it in private life. It seems to me that would explain why they feel compelled to reap as much from the public as they can while they are in office. Their ability to manage money is hurt'n.
Daniel White
Excellent article but I don’t think it is going to have much effect on the election.
Paddy Healey
Is there anyone out there that is surprised by this story? Ball has shown his true colors with the way he’s handled the Nalcor CEO Ed Martin affair. Lieing to the people about his knowledge of the settlement
John Smith
....but in the grand scheme of things this is hardly a blip on the radar. Ball, and his intellectually lazy policies have affected the lives of every middle class family in this province in a negative way. When you add together how much in real dollars it has cost us to pay for the 15% on insurance( all insurance), the 15 cents a liter on gas, the added HST, the higher provincial income tax, the levy, the 400 other fees and licences that have increased...these are the things that have made my life harder since Ball was elected Premier. These are real dollars that he has removed from my income. He is a weak, ineffectual leader, he is a pharmacist from Deer Lake who doesn't know what he is doing, his caucus had to meet in a bathroom, his own personal life is questionable, and we think he is the guy to run our province for the next 4 years? Wow, I guess we really do get the government we deserve...
Doug Chafe
I'm sick of the election ads with Ball's face plastered all over every news station, does he think this is in any way going to sway people to vote for him and his party. We all know Dwit that you guys have the most money in your war chest to plaster these all over the place but I doubt it will convince rational people.
Shawn O'Neil
Another Liberal over up. I've noticed Mark Browne has this weird infatuation with Kaetlyn Osmond. For a while Mark couldn't stop talking about her in the house. I'm sure that's what Kaetlyn wants a greasy middle aged loser hanging around.
Lenny Lewis
ny liberal knocks in your door u should hand them a blank receipt. Tell them they may need it someday lol
Insane how much they use our hard earned taxes like it is there own piggy bank and then Say they paid because they got caught
Jim Hughes
This is disturbing no matter what your political persuasion. It is not the amount of money involved, it is principle that needs protection. Does this extend to the Premier...on that I am not sure however, it surely will if his office does not act. A courageous leader would remove Mr. Browne before the election and promise an investigation. He would do so notwithstanding the political cost to the party and the loss of the seat. An allegation of this type accompanied by the evidence available surely amounts to a foundation of serious wrongdoing that cannot be ignored. How much do we appreciate our democracy? The election in Mr Browne’s district will now be a silent referendum on that issue while the leadership of the Premier will be the second silent question to be answered.
Sean Shott
walks like a duck ,talks like a ........well we all know the rest.
Richard Byrd
It’s not that people are on the “fake news” kick. It’s your style of journalism. You fill out a request for information at confederation building and create a story based on that. Why don’t you travel down to Marystown and interview the volunteers with the skate club who were selling the tickets? Surly it won’t be to hard to find the people who sold them. Ask them if he paid. Then you would be like a real reporter, following leads and getting statements, finding witnesses, reporting facets. Until you do that, your story is nothing short of your own views and of how you decipher context through email. It’s not fake news, it’s lazy news. I’ll give the benefit of doubt. Perhaps you did contact the sellers in Marystown and they contradicted what you have reported? “Oh no” says Anthony, “now I don’t have a story”. Lazy tabloid journalism from Anthony Germain again. Maybe he did pay, maybe he didn’t. But until all the leads are followed, this is just a junk story designed to sway the voters. This is what you do. One sided stories, based on your views, intended to grab the readers attention. Shame the CBC allows it to continue.
Richard Byrd
To top it all off, you call the it a scandal and title it “skategate”. A shining example of your style of journalism. Catchy title Mr Germain. That will grab some attention. But...What if he paid cash???
Thomas Carter
Ed James
Since the grant paid for all the tickets, what did Browne do with poor old Ball's hard earned money? Buy chicken for himself? The scumbag!!!
Ed Munn
Anthony gets what he feels is public opinion from CBC Facebook page. That isn't public opinion, that's CBC facebook fans opinion!!
Richard Byrd
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Thank you Anthony Germaine for your excellent journalism, keeping these politicians feet to the fire. I love it, I love it.
Richard Byrd
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
MHA Mark Browne, sleazy politics. Who voted for this guy, the electorate must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Is that Colin Holloway in the photo, front and centre?
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Ball told me to do it, Ball told me to do it, pants on fire, pants on fire Browne.
Steve Dueck
Walter Thomas Beckett
Great story Anthony - now ask for the Liberal expense accounts for that evening/day, please
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Brian Thornhil
This is yet another example of Dwight Ball and company self-inflicting damage on themselves. Think of Carla Foote being handed that job at The Rooms and whatever went on with that numbered company lease of land to Canopy Growth and so on and so on.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos@wrbennettnl and
This kind of situation Anthony describes smacks of the same kind of old time politics Derek Green described in Chapters 9 and 10 of his report on the spending scandal that came to light in 2006 EH
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/anthony-germain-skategate-1.5121515
'Skategate': How the Liberals got a free ticket to a campaign controversy
This story is not about figure skating; it's about how the government conducts business
· CBC News·
he assistant for Placentia West-Bellevue MHA Mark Browne, circled, procured 34 tickets for Liberals at the April 2018 skating show in Marystown. (CBC)
The public reaction to Here & Now's reporting on how Liberal MHAs and cabinet ministers appear to have scored 34 free tickets to an ice show in Marystown last year in exchange for a $1,500 grant illustrates an interesting divide.
On the one hand, condemnation for Mark Browne, the MHA for Placentia-West Bellevue, for how his assistant allegedly leaned on a local skating club to secure the tickets.
On the other: There's nothing to see here folks. It's only $1,500 dollars for 34 politicians and guests to see Kaetlyn Osmond skate in her hometown.
It's chicken feed. Move on.
But often in politics, small stories have larger consequences and reveal bigger truths about accountability. (And, it needs to be underscored, that this story has nothing to do with Kaetlyn Osmond herself.)
Remember Bev Oda and her $16 glass of orange juice? Ironically, what got the federal Tory cabinet minister in trouble in 2011 (she eventually resigned) was the fact that she provided receipts and billed taxpayers for her juice, and other parts of a swanky trip to London.
No documents to back up account
In the Marystown story, it's the opposite: there are no receipts or documents to back up the Liberals' account for how the tickets were bought, or whether a $1,500 grant that appeared out of nowhere was used to lean on the skating club to cough up the tickets.
In a statement to CBC News, Browne explains he used his personal funds to buy the 34 tickets, so no receipt for the $640 purchase was required.
"With the extra funds that we can secure for the club, the granting of these tickets will be more than covered from a monetary perspective," she wrote.
Planke took an extra step: "I have included the names of those who are planning to attend."
That list included many of the people you can see in photos and video that were taken at the Kaetlyn Osmond Arena for the April 2018 event: Dwight Ball; cabinet ministers Lisa Dempster and Al Hawkins; Mark Browne; Planke herself; and various MHAs.
Questions without answers
There are many unanswered questions.
First, why did Planke link the "granting of the tickets" to the "extra funds" that would "more than cover" the cost?
Shouldn't her email have simply said: "Mark would like to buy 34 tickets for the premier and other dignitaries and VIPs he has invited. He's paying for this out of his own pocket. Attached is a cheque for $680"?
In his statement, Browne also said: "The premier gave me clear direction last spring to purchase tickets for the event. The tickets used by me and my guests were purchased. No free tickets were used."
Presumably, Browne paid cash for the 34 tickets.
Ball was clear about his own transaction. "I ordered the tickets through Mark," he said. "That was money I would have given to Mark. He paid for those tickets for me."
Ball added, "That grant wasn't awarded to pay for tickets."
There are no receipts for the tickets.
There is no record of an application from the skating club for a grant, although officials for cabinet minister Lisa Dempster (who attended the event) did provide a budget prepared by the Town of Marystown which shows a $1,500 line item for the Ice Crystals.
The problem is the Ice Crystals Skating Club never asked for a single penny from anybody.
Browne's assistant dangled the "extra funds" in front of the club's executive in connection with her request for tickets.
Members of the club's executive won't speak on the record, but CBC News has been informed members felt as if they had no choice but to accept the money.
What else do we not know?
If you're on the "this is fake news" side of this story, you won't like how this article ends. Stop reading.
When Chief Justice Derek Green examined the failures of MHA accounting procedures in 2007, in the wake of a legislative spending scandal that embroiled all three main parties, he came up with 80 recommendations.
Some have bearing on this story.
One recommendation says that the House of Assembly "place responsibility with individual members to conduct their public and private affairs so as to promote public confidence."
So when an MHA uses his own cash to buy something as minor as three dozen figure skating tickets, particularly when he claims it's at his boss's direction, is it unreasonable to expect a receipt?
- Keep track of the campaign: All of our stories and columns on the May 16 election
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And it leads to a larger question: If something small is kept "off the books," what about the bigger stuff?
If this is indicative of how government works, what else do we not know?
About the Author
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
33 Comments
Lorraine Michael
This kind of situation Anthony describes smacks of the same kind of old time politics Derek Green described in Chapters 9 and 10 of his report on the spending scandal that came to light in 2006. Without any paper work to prove what is being claimed we are left with nothing but questions. I'm disgusted.
Eddie Grant
Liberal politicians can't seem to manage budgets in government, so I suspect that they are just as bad at it in private life. It seems to me that would explain why they feel compelled to reap as much from the public as they can while they are in office. Their ability to manage money is hurt'n.
Daniel White
Excellent article but I don’t think it is going to have much effect on the election.
Paddy Healey
Is there anyone out there that is surprised by this story? Ball has shown his true colors with the way he’s handled the Nalcor CEO Ed Martin affair. Lieing to the people about his knowledge of the settlement
John Smith
....but in the grand scheme of things this is hardly a blip on the radar. Ball, and his intellectually lazy policies have affected the lives of every middle class family in this province in a negative way. When you add together how much in real dollars it has cost us to pay for the 15% on insurance( all insurance), the 15 cents a liter on gas, the added HST, the higher provincial income tax, the levy, the 400 other fees and licences that have increased...these are the things that have made my life harder since Ball was elected Premier. These are real dollars that he has removed from my income. He is a weak, ineffectual leader, he is a pharmacist from Deer Lake who doesn't know what he is doing, his caucus had to meet in a bathroom, his own personal life is questionable, and we think he is the guy to run our province for the next 4 years? Wow, I guess we really do get the government we deserve...
Doug Chafe
I'm sick of the election ads with Ball's face plastered all over every news station, does he think this is in any way going to sway people to vote for him and his party. We all know Dwit that you guys have the most money in your war chest to plaster these all over the place but I doubt it will convince rational people.
Shawn O'Neil
Another Liberal over up. I've noticed Mark Browne has this weird infatuation with Kaetlyn Osmond. For a while Mark couldn't stop talking about her in the house. I'm sure that's what Kaetlyn wants a greasy middle aged loser hanging around.
Lenny Lewis
ny liberal knocks in your door u should hand them a blank receipt. Tell them they may need it someday lol
Insane how much they use our hard earned taxes like it is there own piggy bank and then Say they paid because they got caught
Jim Hughes
This is disturbing no matter what your political persuasion. It is not the amount of money involved, it is principle that needs protection. Does this extend to the Premier...on that I am not sure however, it surely will if his office does not act. A courageous leader would remove Mr. Browne before the election and promise an investigation. He would do so notwithstanding the political cost to the party and the loss of the seat. An allegation of this type accompanied by the evidence available surely amounts to a foundation of serious wrongdoing that cannot be ignored. How much do we appreciate our democracy? The election in Mr Browne’s district will now be a silent referendum on that issue while the leadership of the Premier will be the second silent question to be answered.
Sean Shott
walks like a duck ,talks like a ........well we all know the rest.
Richard Byrd
Reply to @sean shott: Maybe it’s a cormorant and not a duck at all....
Richard Byrd
It’s not that people are on the “fake news” kick. It’s your style of journalism. You fill out a request for information at confederation building and create a story based on that. Why don’t you travel down to Marystown and interview the volunteers with the skate club who were selling the tickets? Surly it won’t be to hard to find the people who sold them. Ask them if he paid. Then you would be like a real reporter, following leads and getting statements, finding witnesses, reporting facets. Until you do that, your story is nothing short of your own views and of how you decipher context through email. It’s not fake news, it’s lazy news. I’ll give the benefit of doubt. Perhaps you did contact the sellers in Marystown and they contradicted what you have reported? “Oh no” says Anthony, “now I don’t have a story”. Lazy tabloid journalism from Anthony Germain again. Maybe he did pay, maybe he didn’t. But until all the leads are followed, this is just a junk story designed to sway the voters. This is what you do. One sided stories, based on your views, intended to grab the readers attention. Shame the CBC allows it to continue.
Richard Byrd
To top it all off, you call the it a scandal and title it “skategate”. A shining example of your style of journalism. Catchy title Mr Germain. That will grab some attention. But...What if he paid cash???
Thomas Carter
Reply to @Richard Byrd: If the tickets were paid for legitimately then someone from the town or the ice club should be able to come out and verify they were purchased and what was used to pay for them. Personally I believe a receipt would have been issued for such a purchase. When ever I buy a ticket or item from a non profit group I always get a stub or hand written receipt. A quick check could be made with someone who attended the event to see if they were provided with a receipt (Anthony get on it!)
Mae Fogarty
Reply to @Richard Byrd: Obviously an upset Liberal supporter. He may have paid cash but the bottom line is he used his position to obtain a greater number of tickets (by dangling the grant money as a carrot) than the imposed limit placed on the public.
Thomas Carter
Reply to @Mae Fogarty: Excellent point regarding limitation on the number of tickets that could be purchased by one person. Even if Browne used cash and was not issued a receipt, then it is clear he is at least in conflict of using his political influence to bypass the rules.
Richard Byrd
Reply to @Thomas Carter: %100 agree with you. Yes Germain, get on it. Back up your story. Source the person who sold the tickets and verify what you’re speculating. I just searched back through 2 months of Atipp requests on the governments website. I have yet to find the request pertaining to Browne and the “skating scandal”. When did you put in the request for information regarding this? I bet it was many months ago and Germain just sat on it. Only to make a story of it during election time. Shady or skeety, call it what you want. I’m very suspicious of the timing of all this. I remember when David Brazil took a few old computers from confederation building and gave them to some organization on Bell Island. It was a very decent thing to do and helped out a non profit group. But Germain made him look like a thief. Brazil is a good guy and didn’t deserve and negative attention. I’ll give Browne the same benefit of doubt until someone confirms he didn’t pay.
Richard Byrd
Reply to @Mae Fogarty: I could care less about liberals or conservatives or any party. I care about proof. There has yet to be any with regards to this news item. All speculation. Amazing how narrow minded people can be when you speak out against something. Your labelled a liberal or conservative supporter. I call a spade a spade. I support the person and hate parties.
Ed James
Since the grant paid for all the tickets, what did Browne do with poor old Ball's hard earned money? Buy chicken for himself? The scumbag!!!
Mae Fogarty
Reply to @Ed James: The grant money didn't pay for the tickets but it did support an exception being made to the number of tickets one person could purchase. Just plain abuse of his position
Richard Byrd
Reply to @Mae Fogarty: How do you know the grant money didn’t pay for the tickets? Are you saying he paid cash? What is it Mae? Truthfully, none of us know.
Ed Munn
Anthony gets what he feels is public opinion from CBC Facebook page. That isn't public opinion, that's CBC facebook fans opinion!!
Richard Byrd
Reply to @Ed Munn: I’m not on Facebook but I understand and agree with what you said.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Thank you Anthony Germaine for your excellent journalism, keeping these politicians feet to the fire. I love it, I love it.
Richard Byrd
Reply to @Admiral Michiel de Ruyter: I don’t care about Ball, Browne, Crosbie or any of the politicians. They are all the same. History proves that. But “ excellent journalism “ ?? Clearly you have no experience in what excellent journalism is. You just have an opinion. Just like everyone else. You’re entitled to yours, and I’m entitled to mine. Neither opinion is more valid that the other.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
MHA Mark Browne, sleazy politics. Who voted for this guy, the electorate must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Is that Colin Holloway in the photo, front and centre?
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Ball told me to do it, Ball told me to do it, pants on fire, pants on fire Browne.
Steve Dueck
Reply to @Admiral Michiel de Ruyter: ...and if he told him to jump off a bridge....?
Walter Thomas Beckett
Great story Anthony - now ask for the Liberal expense accounts for that evening/day, please
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Reply to @Walter Thomas Beckett: Call in the RCMP to investigate.
Brian Thornhil
This is yet another example of Dwight Ball and company self-inflicting damage on themselves. Think of Carla Foote being handed that job at The Rooms and whatever went on with that numbered company lease of land to Canopy Growth and so on and so on.
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
Reply to @Brian Thornhill: Just imagine how many other sleazy deals go on everyday that we don't hear about.