The story of two political scallywags

Val Sears, who wrote political commentary in the Ottawa Citizen, aptly said, “Politics as it turns out, lends itself admirably to storytelling. Where else can you find such a mix of greed, power, lust, conspiracy, sacrifice and secrecy?” Notwithstanding the fact, as history has shown us, citizens have been blessed by being served by some magnificent politicians who have done a great deal of good to their constituents and their nations alike but unfortunately, for the most part, politicians are in it for the money, the power, the privilege and the glory and nothing else.

This article is about two Canadian members of parliament and their antics and what has brought them toppling back into the muck from which they truly must have originally emerged. The two I am writing about are, Helena C. Guergis and Rahim Jaffer.

Guergis was born on February 19, 1969 and has represented the people of Simcoe—Grey in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004 as a member of the Progressive Conservative party. On October 30, 2008, she was appointed Minister of State (Status of Women) on October 30, 2008, following the October 14, 2008 Canadian federal election. She and Rahim Jaffer were married on October 15, 2008, the day after the election.

On February 19, 2010, Guergis had a verbal confrontation with Air Canada and Charlottetown Airport security staff while she was attempting to board an Air Canada Jazz flight to Montreal. According to an anonymous letter from an airport employee, Guergis arrived with an aide very late for her flight to Montreal and publicly berated airport staff and security.

During pre-boarding airport screening, Guergis reportedly refused to remove her footwear, which had set off the alarm as she walked through the metal detector. When Guergis was asked again to take off her footwear, Guergis was rude and uncooperative. According to an employee, Guergis and her assistant showed up 15 minutes before her scheduled Air Canada Jazz flight to Montreal around 5:30 p.m., already nagging employees to hurry up. “She was yelling at the Jazz agent to hurry up and that he was wasting her time and that she had to get going because she wanted to get home to her husband because it's her ‘effing’ (fucking) birthday,' the employee said. They were told they could not tote their oversized bags as carry-on and would have to check them. The pair approached the gate and began banging trying to break through. A staffer went to the gates to tell her to just hang on because she was literally banging and kicking on the glass at the security doors, according to the employee. When they reached security, she ran through the metal detectors, setting off the bells. She took her boots off and she threw them at a security official, berating them the whole time. Then she was waved over by another staffer. Guergis screamed, ‘I'm going to be stuck in this shit hole because of you.” I don’t think the people of Prince Edward Island took kindly to that remark. After clearing security, the two had to wait at the security gate for an Air Canada staffer who had left to search for Ms. Guergis and her aide. “They started kicking and banging on the glass at the gate trying to get out.” according to the employee. Guergis and her aide were finally allowed on the plane, which had since been delayed so Guergis and her aide could board.

On February 25, 2010, Guergis issued an apology by news release. During the week of March 15, 2010, Guergis indicated that she was considering taking legal action against Air Canada and its employees for violation of her privacy. Guergis was criticized by members of the Federal Conservative party who felt her actions hurt the party. Guergis was later dumped from her party and at the time of this writing, she is sitting as an independent pending the results of the investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She was also forced to resign from Cabinet on April 9, 2010.

Guergis’ executive assistant Jessica Craven, Ms. Craven’s mother Dawn Richards, constituency office staff member Valerie Knight, former riding association president Paul Shaw, and Bonnie Ainsworth an assistant to Ms. Guergis’ colleague, MP Patrick Brown allegedly engaged in a coordinated letter writing campaign to the local media praising the abilities and achievements of Guergis. They did this without first disclosing their close association with the Conservative Minister.

According to CTV News, the RCMP is investigating allegations that Guergis allowed Jaffer to conduct commercial business out of her office unrelated to her parliamentary work and accompanied Jaffer to business meetings. Reportedly, Guergis even went as far as to give Jaffer a parliamentary email account. On April 13, Guergis' former chauffeur told The Globe and Mail that Guergis frequently let Jaffer use her government-issued car for personal use. On April 15, The Toronto Star reported that Jaffer accompanied Guergis on an official trip to Belize, at government expense according to pictures posted on a Canadian government Website

In a letter dated Sept. 9, 2009, Guergis wrote to her cousin, the warden of Simcoe County, and the county council, encouraging them to consider a presentation by a constituent of hers, Jim Wright, owner of the Richmond Hill, Ontario-based Wright Tech Systems Inc. "I feel it is my responsibility to encourage you to consider this presentation about alternative waste management technology," Guergis wrote in the letter, which is on Simcoe County's website.

The waste management company that was reportedly about to be taken public by a Toronto-area businessman has ties to her husband, ex-Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. The federal Conflict of Interest Act forbids public office-holders, including cabinet ministers, from using their position to influence a person or organization to benefit their interest or that of relatives or friends.

The federal ethics watchdog later announced that she wouldn’t investigate the matter further based on the information she had at that time. Guergis has denied any wrongdoing or conflict-of-interest in connection with her efforts to promote Wright Tech Systems, as firm in which her husband is connected.

And now, I turn your attention to her husband. Rahim Nizar Jaffer was born on December 15, 1971 in Uganda and is a former member of the Canadian Parliament. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2008, representing the Alberta riding of Edmonton—Strathcona as a member of the Conservative Party. He was the first Muslim elected to the Canadian Parliament.

On September 11, 2009, Jaffer was stopped by Ontario Provincial Police while he was traveling at a rate of 93 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on Regional Road 50 in town of Palgrave, Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Police officer noticed a smell of alcohol on Jaffer's breath and after gibing him a test, found him to be over the legal blood-alcohol limit. Jaffer's driver's licence was suspended for 90 days and he was charged with drunk driving and possession of an undisclosed quantity of cocaine. The location of the cocaine is a source of contention between police and Jaffer, the arresting officer states that the drugs were found in Jaffer's pant pocket whereas Jaffer's defense claim that the cocaine was in his suit jacket. It is really immaterial where it was found. Earlier in the evening Jaffer had met with Nazim Gillani who claimed he was a banker for the Hells Angels.

Jaffer was initially scheduled to appear in court in Orangeville, Ontario on October 19, 2009. On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, Jaffer pleaded guilty to one charge of careless driving and was sentenced to a $500.00 fine. The cocaine possession and drunk driving charges were withdrawn. Mr. Justice Doug Maund told Mr. Jaffer "I’m sure you can recognize a break when you see one." The light sentence and the dropping of the more serious charges triggered outrage across Canada, as well as more extensive investigation of events leading up to the incident prompting the arrest, which led to allegations Jaffer met with several escorts. (hookers) How did Jaffer escape serious charges with a slap on the wrist? I would certainly like to know why the serious charges were withdrawn. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was fined $500. More serious charges of impaired driving, cocaine possession and speeding were dropped. In addition to the fine, he also made a voluntary charitable donation of $500.

Nazim Gillani of International Strategic Investments, four business associates, and three busty hookers dined in style last Sept. 10th 2009. Jaffer, a self-described peddler of government grants, credits and loans, was in fine form, chatting up prospective clients. Early the next morning, Gillani would greet the day with a colourful email to the night’s guests: “Mr. Jaffer has opened up the Prime Minister’s office to us,” he boasted, unaware at the time of how Jaffer’s night had ended. Gillani is a character. By last September, at least two major police departments and the federal taxman were after him on fraud or tax evasion allegations as are investors he allegedly cheated. Gillani is also facing a charge of carrying a handgun in B.C. These matters have not been heard in court as of yet.

This raises another question – was the former MP selling government access he did not have? Though Jaffer has not been an MP since he lost an election in 2008, he still gives out his MP business cards. I once was made aware of a former member of parliament using her parliamentary letterhead in her business dealings. I put a quick end to her practice of doing it.

Nazim Gillani lives and works out of a rented, million dollar, two-storey home on a busy stretch of Kipling Ave. in Etobicoke. Hanging around the house at any given time are a former CFL offensive guard who once faced steroid production and marijuana possession charges (they were dropped); a lawyer suspended three times for not cooperating with Law Society probes into his business; a creeping nest of would-be-titans-of-finance; and an odd parade of 20 something interns from business schools across the country.

York Regional Police detectives charged Gillani, Mihelic and several others in November with fraud in connection with a deal Gillani allegedly orchestrated. A former senior employee of Rona was coerced into using his computer and finance knowledge to wire $1.5 million of Rona money to a dummy account in Hong Kong.

Gillani sent out an email to investors full of positive bluster. “As most of you may have heard, we had a rather earth moving experience last night at dinner with Rahim Jaffer and Dr. Chen. Mr. Jaffer has opened up the Prime Ministers’ office to us and as a result of that dinner – he today advised me that hr is as excited as we are and joining our team seems to be the next logical step,” Gillani wrote to a dozen close associates. Tory insiders say Jaffer has no such access and the office of the prime minister denies ex-MP Jaffer has any influence inside Parliament. Jaffer removed the Conservative logo from his website after allegations that he had promised to obtain government funds for associates with questionable backgrounds.

Under questioning from members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, Jaffer said he has not registered as a lobbyist with the federal government because he never received funds from any client for lobbying work. He is however a partner in Green Power Generation Corp., a company that promotes sustainable technologies and renewable energy products. Jaffer denied discussing his company’s business in meetings he took with ministers, MPs and senators, saying he often told them about his new career only as a means of catching up with friends.

How did this former Member of Parliament come to align himself with Gillani, an accused fraudster who fled Vancouver with several outstanding lawsuits launched by angry investors and creditors? He was introduced to Gillani by Aleem Lakhan, a former friend who was a cousin of Gillani. Over Jaffer’s career, the two men occasionally met for coffee or lunch. Last summer, about a year after Jaffer lost his seat in the 2008 election, the former politician told Lakhani that he was embarking on a new career securing funding for companies that produced environmentally friendly technologies. Lakhani’s cousin, Gillani meanwhile, had lined himself up with a company, Wright Tech that was seeking financing for a product that turned waste into fuel. To Lakhani, it seemed like a perfect match for Jaffer’s new venture. At this point, I can’t fault Jaffer for agreeing to meet Gillani since it is unlikely that he knew anything about Gillani’s sordid background at this time. However, after he met Gillani, he should have done some background research about the man he was about to do business with. Tying one’s self to the tail of a horse that is galloping at full speed from the wolves nipping at its hooves is not the smartest thing to do.

In an e-mail that Gillani wrote to potential investors the day that the two men met, he called Jaffer the “Canadian government money access point” Did Gallani make it up or was he prompted to make such a statement because Jaffer wanted to be in the ground floor of Gallani’s firm and suggested that he had the ear of the prime minister? I can’t give you affirmative answer. I have an opinion and it is no different than those of the members of parliament who queried him at a hearing.

Jaffer told a House of Commons committee on April 22nd that he never did drugs and he never engaged in illegal lobbying. But the MPs on that committee ---- including his former Conservative caucus colleagues ---- weren't buying some of his claims, with one of those Conservatives accusing Jaffer of lying to the committee over boasts Jaffer made on his website about his connections to the federal government. Those claims are one of the key factors behind allegations, made by some on the committee; that Jaffer tried to sell his influence with his former political colleagues or engaged in improper and potentially illegal contact with government officials.

Canadian politicians of all types like politicians worldwide, have broken election promises and, along with government officials, misled the public in between elections. As in war, the first casualty of politics is truth. Very likely fewer politicians and government officials would be dishonest if they faced significant penalties. Helena C. Guergis has faced a significant penalty, if not for acting like a creepy thug at the airport, then at least because close associates of her wrote letters on her behalf without disclosing their relationship with her. She denies that she knew that her close associates were doing it. That’s like being in Europe in 1944 and stating that you didn’t know that there was a war going on in Europe.

What is honesty or dishonesty in a politician? Is it possible for a politician to be honest at all? The question goes to the heart of democracy. Must we write off politicians per se as being dishonest? I am afraid that we must. It is unfortunate that ninety percent of politicians give the remaining ten percent a bad name. Unfortunately, we need them because without them, there would be chaos. We must choose the lesser evil. Our ordinary standards of decency and righteousness are not always applied by those whom we vote into office. There are politicians, like the two scallywags I have just written about who infest our parliaments, legislatures and city councils and we have to rely on the honest members of those great bodies to clean the barrels of the rot that infests them. Fortunately, the voters decided in 2008 that Jaffer wasn’t the delegate they wanted anymore to represent them in parliament. Imagine if you will, that rot still sitting in parliament like an infested boil just waiting to burst and spread its pus in that hallowed chamber.

Considering the roles these two scumbags have played, one is forced to look at their faces as faces covered both in mud and whitewash at the same time. We as a society don’t need or want their kind of ilk sitting in parliaments, legislatures, city councils or any other governing bodies. They would look more in place if we saw them in our city sewers.