Election spending questioned - Video
CHBC Web posted on Friday, 14 September 2007
Several Okanagan MP's are implicated in an election spending scandal
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including Colin Mayes
Showing posts with label Colin Mayes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colin Mayes. Show all posts
Friday, September 14, 2007
Colin Mayes election scandal?
Friday, April 20, 2007
MP Mayes if you build homeless shelters ->more homeless there will be ...
Way too much party line
Apr 18 2007 Salmon Arm Observer Editorial
Okanagan Shuswap MP Colin Mayes may have his heart in the right place, but his inability to allow reality to infiltrate his spouting of the party line leaves much to be desired. Mayes held a town hall meeting in Salmon Arm last week, where he reviewed his party’s accomplishments. While a survey included in Mayes’ parliamentary report mentions that 31 per cent of respondents said an MP should be an advocate and 30 per cent said he should be a listener, he is doing neither on several issues.
One of the most astounding examples of his ignoring of both reality and his constituents is his undying support of his party’s policies on child care. Despite the fact he has met with child-care providers and others who have explained to him that his government’s $100 per month for parents of children under six neither allows a parent to stay home nor makes it feasible to access reliable day care, he continues to tout it as a solution for parents.
The facts today are that in order to be able to afford groceries and a roof over their heads, both parents of most two-parent families must work. While Mayes might look with nostalgia at the good old days of the 1950s, when a father would work and a mother would stay home with the kids, those days are no longer economically feasible for most people. Only those parents with very high incomes, or those parents whose parents have very high incomes, can afford the luxury of staying home.
It’s also highly unlikely, as he says, that people will forget how to parent if affordable child-care centres proliferate. Right now, there’s a shortage of child care, with parents forced to book spaces while their children are still in utero. Parents aren’t looking for child care because they want to escape parenting duties, they’re looking for child care because they have to work to survive economically.
Knowing that a child has been well-cared for in a professional, caring setting is much more likely to provide a good parenting style than a parent going to work while worrying if the nine-year-old left in charge of his five-year-old sibling is coping all right. Or wondering if the neighbour the children have been shunted off to is really reliable.
Mayes made other statements that deny reality.
He said nuclear power is clean power. Tell that to the folks in Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. As most people are aware, nuclear waste is the gift that keeps on giving.
Mayes said the more homeless shelters you build, the more homeless people there will be. Right.
It would be refreshing to hear more about reality and less party line reflected in the speeches from Mr. Mayes and the rest of Mr. Harper’s foot soldiers. Otherwise the electorate is just going to adopt one of their traits – and quit listening.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Which one will replace Colin Mayes?
FridayAm April 5
Liberal candidate: Buffy Baumbrough
NDP candidate: Alice Brown
or
Green Party selects candidate
By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff Mar 28 2007
Huguette Beaudin-Allen isn’t wasting any time when it comes to spreading the Green message.
Beaudin-Allen was selected Green Party candidate for Okanagan-Shuswap over Aaron Vallejo Monday, and she is already making plans for the next federal election.
“We need a campaign manager, fundraising and a volunteer co-ordinator,” said the Lumby computer analyst and business consultant.
“We will also draft a campaign plan so once the election is called, we will know what we are doing.”
Beaudin-Allen is confident a strategy can be put together quickly because the Green Party now has an official riding association in Okanagan-Shuswap.
For Beaudin-Allen, a critical issue will be to get residents across the riding familiar with both her and the party.
“We need to get the message out there,” she said.
Among them is correcting the common view that the Green Party is only interested in the environment and is not interested in issues such as the economy and social programs.
But Beaudin-Allen says the party has extensive policies on a variety of issues, including co-existence between the environment and the economy.
“The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment,” she said.
“If people think if they vote for the Greens they are voting for no more forestry, they won’t vote for it. But the Greens can increase both jobs and the quality of life.”
Beaudin-Allen is optimistic about the party’s chances in the next election, especially based on attendance at the nomination meeting.
“There were a lot of young people present. They were very interested and asking questions,” she said.
“A lot of young people feel like there’s no party out there for them and they want a change. They need to be aware of what the Greens can do for them. I want them to be part of the team.”
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
emerson is coming to town ... i would suggest donate 25 toward the local food bank instead! more bang for your buck; towards a more worthy cause!
Upcoming Special luncheon with Minister Emerson
http://www.colinmayes.ca/EN/5261/52020
The Honorable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade, the Pacific Gateway and the 2010 Olympics will be speaking at a luncheon hosted by MP Colin Mayes on Saturday, April 14th, at the Prestige Inn, Salmon Arm from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Come and find out how the Pacific Gateway Initiative could impact BC and the Okanagan – Shuswap.
Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling 1-800-665-5040.
For information on upcoming Town Hall meetings with Colin Mayes, please click here.
come heckle / taunt colin mayes ...
Town Hall Meetings
http://www.colinmayes.ca/EN/town_hall_meetings/town_hall_meetings/
Your point of view matters!
Join the hundreds of other constituents who have attended one of Colin’s town hall meetings. The town hall meetings are informal and offer constituents the chance to gather and discuss with their MP the issues that are important to them.
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings
Sicamous Town Hall Meeting, Tuesday, April 3rd, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Red Barn Arts Centre
Armstrong Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, April 4th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Seniors Centre
Salmon Arm Town Hall Meeting, Tuesday, April 10th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Salmon Arm Recreation Centre
Cherryville Town Hall Meeting, Saturday, May 26th, 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Seniors Hall
For further information, please contact the office of Colin Mayes at 1-800-665-5040 or locally at (250) 260-5020.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
local student and farmer lost ....
courtesy of VernonBlog who always seems to ahead of the game with reporting local news and details:
Local Vernon Councillor to lead Liberals in next Federal Election !!!
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now will someone else come forward other than Alice Brown to challenge the local NDP nomination?
Saturday, March 17, 2007
local liberal back in the race: who will it be the student, farmer or councillor ...
Liberal Race Back To Three
March 16 107.5kiss fmn Vernon
Scott Blurton says he's happy to be back in the race.
24 hours after the Okanagan Shuswap Liberal Association declared the university student was ineligible to run for the nomination, he's now been allowed back in.
Blurton says a committee ruled he couldn't be held responsible for his nomination papers not getting to Vernon on time, due to a problem with the mail system.
He's from Enderby but is currently attending university in Ottawa.
He mailed his papers prior to the March 10 deadline but they didn't arrive until Tuesday.
It means Blurton, Buffy Baumbrogh and Jake Ootes will contend for nomination Saturday in Vernon and Salmon Arm.
Baumbrough is a Vernon city councillor while Ootes is a farmer in Celista.
250 party members are eligible to vote. (Pete McIntyre)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Mayes says he wants to keep his MP job ... i don't think so ...
Mayes hints at budget bucks
Scott Neufeld March 15, 2007 VernonDailyCourier.ca
He won’t reveal the details but Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes said that constituents will be pleased at what’s in the federal government’s budget.
“I know there are some things on there but I can’t be specific,” he said. “We’re not going to be missed.”
The budget will be unveiled on Monday and Mayes hinted the North Okanagan and Shuswap would benefit specifically from federal funds. He said he couldn’t say if the money would be for local highways or some of the other areas where residents have been seeking federal funding.
In advance of the budget Mayes has kept busy holding town hall meetings in communities throughout the riding. He said it has been his first opportunity since winning his seat last January that he’s been able to tour the riding.
“I intended to have town hall meetings in the summer but I got sidetracked with the nomination meeting,” Mayes said. “I made a pledge that I will have a town hall meeting at least once a year.”
Mayes said he’s been encouraged by the public participation at the town hall meetings. He said the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are quite positive about what the government is doing,” he said. “A lot of people say, ‘I didn’t know you were doing that, you should let more people know.’”
The Conservatives’ tough stance on crime has drawn the most positive feedback, Mayes said. Many people also approved of the government’s environmental platform while others wanted a childcare allowance given to parents, rather than see the money go to the province.
For the rest of this week Mayes will be in Toronto for what he said would be one of the largest political conventions in Canadian history. While there, he and other local party members would be trained with dozens of other Conservatives on how to run a riding association, how to be a finance manager and more. It may appear as if the Tories are preparing for an election but Mayes said the government won’t force one. He said he would rather delay an election to gain more on the job experience.
“Personally I would like to see it in another year,” he said. “I want to show the folks in this constituency what I can do.”
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
MP websites altered to mirror Harper page
MPs' websites altered to mirror Harper page
Several rural offices unaware of changes to their sites
Ottawa Citizen March 13
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office has centralized control over the design and content of websites of Conservative MPs, many of whose Internet sites are now virtual replicas of Mr. Harper's government site.
__
go look, any i have seen all look the same
.... mirror mirror on the wall ...
Monday, March 12, 2007
Conservative pre-election Boot Camp, (Colin Mayes goes to camp?)
Tories off to pre-election 'boot camp'
Candidates to be drilled: Possible revival of the Big Blue Machine?
Andrew Mayeda, CanWest News Service March 12, 2007
OTTAWA - Hundreds of federal Conservative candidates and campaign workers will converge on a Toronto convention centre this week for a political "boot camp" designed to prepare them for the next election.
They will get a first-hand look at a party organization that, in just three years, has evolved from a makeshift collection of amateurs into the most well-funded, well-oiled machine in federal politics.
Over three days of activities starting on Friday at the Toronto Congress Centre, candidates will be drilled in everything from the basics of door-to-door canvassing to the art of delivering the pithy sound bite.
Party operatives will get crash courses in get-out-the-vote techniques and the Conservatives' sophisticated database program for pinpointing such voter categories as "soccer moms."
On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to address the troops at a morale-boosting rally.
Billed officially as a "political training conference," the boot camp is the latest sign the Conservatives are gearing up for a spring election.
"The Prime Minister said he doesn't need an election, and he's governing like he doesn't need one, but if the opposition decides to defeat us, we're ready any time," said John Reynolds, who co-chaired the past Conservative campaign and is expected to play the same role this time.
In recent months, the Conservatives have launched preemptive attack ads against Liberal leader Stephane Dion and established a new campaign headquarters in the Ottawa suburbs outfitted with television equipment for media interviews.
Conservative insiders say campaign buses and planes have been booked; candidates have been nominated in close to three-quarters of the 308 federal ridings; and the development of an election platform is well under way.
For years, the Liberal party was known as a formidable machine. But is it time to start talking about the revival of the Big Blue Machine?
The emergence of the Conservative party as a disciplined, professional organization has been "extraordinary," said David Taras, a professor at the University of Calgary.
"This is one of the great stories in Canadian political history. If you look at where Stephen Harper was in 2003, he was the leader of a party going nowhere. He was so far from power that it was almost laughable."
The Conservatives had little time to prepare for the 2004 election, in which former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin lost his majority but clung to power.
Mr. Harper had only recently won the leadership of the party, which formed after the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives in late 2003.
Advisors from his leadership bid were rushed into prominent campaign roles, and the party famously ran out of scripted announcements before the end of the campaign.
For the 2006 election, the party streamlined its campaign team and rolled out a tightly scripted platform focused on five priorities.
Now, many of the individuals who played key roles in the past election, including national campaign director Doug Finley and the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Ian Brodie, are expected to figure prominently in the next campaign.
"They've been through '04; they've been through '06. Now it's '07 and it's largely the same people," Mr. Taras said.
"Everybody knows their role; everybody knows each other. They've built up trust. And the mastery of technology and campaign techniques is really impressive."
Mr. Reynolds, like other senior Conservatives, hints that leadership will be a prominent theme in the coming campaign. Recent polls put Mr. Harper well ahead of Mr. Dion in terms of leadership, even though the Conservatives' lead in overall support is slim.
"The Liberals have one heck of a brand name. It's like fighting Coca-Cola," Mr. Reynolds said. "So you have to beat them with other things. Of course, we have a Prime Minister who we think is one of those things."
local liberal nomination meeting ...
Local Liberal Nominees Come Forward
107.5 Kiss FM Vernon March 12,2007
Okanagan Shuswap Liberals have set the date to select their candidate for the next federal election.
The nomination meeting and voting will be held Saturday March 17-th at the Salmon Arm library and the Prestige Inn in Vernon.
Three candidates have come forward: Vernon city councillor Buffy Baumbrogh, former MLA
Jake Ootes of Celista, and university student Scott Blurton of Enderby.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Colin Mayes, building a stronger and better canada ... clear your calander ... and it isn't april fools day!
Mayes on Canada
SalmonArmObserver March 7
The Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce will be meeting at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort on Wednesday, March 14 at 11:45 a.m. for networking, with lunch at noon. At 12:30 p.m., guest speaker MP Colin Mayes will give a presentation on Building a stronger, safer and better Canada.
To attend, call 832-6247 as soon as possible.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
1 exec. left for Colin Mayes : Be Proud Harper!
More turmoil on local Conservative board
Scott Neufeld Mar 6/07 Vernon Daily Courier (viaVernonBlog)
Citing issues with a fellow board member, the president of the local Conservative association has resigned. Although Lori DeJong said that she wouldn’t comment on exactly what the board member did that led her to quit, she said the issue was significant. DeJong is the 17th board director on the 30 member board to step down since March 2006 including the vice-president and financial agent. “I (resigned) because of the actions of the secretary (Al Schalm),” DeJong said. “I still support the party but for now I won’t be on the executive.”
Salmon Arm resident Schalm, is now the last remaining executive member on the board. DeJong said she won’t rule out a return to the board in the future. “We’ll see what the future will do,” she said. “I would still like to be involved.” The party has also cancelled its last two meetings before its annual general meeting in April. There is disagreement, however, as to who stopped the meetings. DeJong said that she didn’t realize that the meetings, including one on Tuesday night, had been cancelled. However, Ethan Gorner, the party’s organizer for the B.C. Interior said they were called off after he spoke with DeJong.
With no more meetings until a new board is elected at the AGM, Gorner denied that the move has effectively dissolved the board. He said there is no pressing reason for the board to meet within the next month. “(National office) hasn’t taken over, there’s nothing to take over,” he said. “They wouldn’t dissolve the board, national office doesn’t have any power to dissolve the board.” Gorner will be chairing the AGM and said he is interested to see who will come forward to join the board. He said he’s hopeful that things will run more smoothly for the next edition of the board. “We’re hoping that people will start working well, work toward liking our guy again,” he said. “We’re hoping the old battles in the past are behind us.”
Thursday, February 15, 2007
harper is all ready to go; with money to burn ... ...
but can he really muzzle 'all' of his candidates? is there another candidate for the Okanagan -Shuswap?
Tories prepped for March campaign
Party has airline, bus contracts in place, plan to play Harper's image as strong leader
BRIAN LAGHI Feb 15 Globe and Mail
OTTAWA — The Conservative Party's chief election strategist has laid out a detailed campaign blueprint for Tory insiders warning that the government expects to be fighting an election battle by March.
The plan would see the Tories exploit polling numbers that they say show Stephen Harper possesses substantially better leadership qualities than Liberal counterpart Stéphane Dion.
As articulated on Tuesday by Doug Finley to about 75 Conservative candidates, organizers and nomination hopefuls, the Tories are ready to run a highly centralized, quick-response campaign that includes a 1,600-square-metre war room.
They have also arranged for bus and air transportation and want nominations wrapped up by March 25 or 26, sources quote Mr. Finley as saying.
Mr. Finley, the national campaign chairman, made his remarks at a closed-door luncheon at Toronto's Albany Club.
Sources said he told listeners that the government has no intention of triggering an election, but that he expects to be planning for a vote soon after the budget, anticipated on March 20.
Election speculation has increased over the past week, given improving polling numbers for the Tories and a series of environmental announcements.
One Tory insider said Mr. Harper and Mr. Finley might be purposely talking up a possible vote to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy and wouldn't necessarily be upset that news of the speech leaked out. Although Mr. Harper might want to capitalize on an election, it would be very difficult for him to call one himself because he has already put forward a bill that would set the next election for 2009.
The insider noted that polls are still inconsistent and that the date of the election is essentially controlled by the opposition.
In his remarks, Mr. Finley said the cornerstone issue of the campaign would be the leadership qualities of Mr. Harper. Despite the dead heat in the polls, the surveys show that Mr. Harper is substantially ahead of Mr. Dion when it comes to perceptions of competence and trustworthiness.
“Leadership is an issue that they're going to be well aware of,” a source who was at the meeting said. Mr. Harper is seen as the party's biggest asset, Mr. Finley is quoted as saying.
The campaign would also be highly centralized in the sense that a newly expanded party headquarters would devote more time to ensuring that individual candidates don't make missteps, as happened in previous campaigns. At 1,600 square metres, the size of the new headquarters is equivalent to the largest Shoppers Drug Mart retail stores.
Sources said that within 60 minutes of a significant campaign event or remark, candidates would be told how they should respond. The new office is located outside Ottawa's downtown and is substantially larger than the previous election headquarters. The party also plans to identify which candidates might be provoked into making off-the-cuff or damaging remarks.
“They're going to enhance some of the elements within the [election war-room], like, for instance, the communications department, the seat-targeting process, etc.,” the attendee said.
The campaign would also make efforts to get its message out early and bypass the Ottawa press gallery, instead emphasizing a presence in local outlets. The party would also increase the use of e-mail. And the new headquarters has its own television studio, making it easier to do interviews with local news sources.
Mr. Finley also addressed the recent series of Tory ads criticizing Mr. Dion, saying that, although some critics believe they look like the work of amateurs, they are cost-effective and they work. The party would sooner spend money on repeat purchases than on glossy ads, he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, yesterday, some Liberals were also speculating about an early election after their weekly caucus meeting, with some suggesting May 28 as a possible day.
With a report from Jane Taber
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Colin Mayes:local riding an utter joke!
Tories too ‘immature’ for teen?
Scott Neufeld / Daily Courier Vernon February 14, 2007
One of the youngest board directors in the history of the Conservative Party of Canada is stepping down because her colleagues are “immature.”
Ashlee Chartrand, 15, joined the board of the local Conservative association last year. But after less than a year as a director she said she is no longer interested in witnessing the squabbling among her fellow members.
“For the most part the people left on the board are ineffective, they set a bad example and that’s not something I want to be a part of,” she said. “I think they’re being immature, I don’t think they’re being open with constituents.” Chartrand said the final straw was when MP Colin Mayes questioned her commitment to the board.
“He actually at that meeting brought up the idea of removing me because he said I’d missed, like, four meetings or something but I’d actually only missed two,” she said. “That was not how I expected an MP to act.”
However, Mayes said he did not ask for Chartrand’s dismissal. He said that he asked if Chartrand wanted to remain on the board since she had missed a couple of meetings.
“I said that if we don’t have regular attendance by several of the board members then we need to phone them to ask whether they’re still interested,” Mayes said.
Although she had hoped to increase youth involvement in the party, Chartrand said she was accused of wrongdoing when she tried to sign up her friends.
Terri Jones, Mayes’ executive assistant, said she does not know of anyone accusing Chartrand of misconduct.
“No one said she couldn’t sign up other youth,” Jones said. “There is a process anybody has to follow when they sign up people, part of which is they’re not allowed to pay for people’s memberships.”
Despite her decision to leave, Chartrand said she is still excited about what the Conservatives are doing at a national level. She said she still hopes to work in Ottawa.
“I guess it has just given me more inspiration to get up there and change the kind of people working in government,” she said.
The departure of the youngest board member comes on the heels of two more departures from the Conservative board.
Financial agent Ray Ivey and vice-president Arnold Walter have left citing business and personal commitments.
Since March, 13 of the board’s 30 directors have resigned or been fired.
leadership .... Colin Mayes
Stand up to jokes that insult ethnic minorities
Salmon Arm Observer / Letters / Feb 09 2007
Jokes that insult ethnic minorities are no longer simply, “politically incorrect”, but completely unacceptable in any communication. An e-mail of the kind received by Mr. Mayes is an opportunity to challenge and correct ideas that insult and demean. I believe leadership means taking actions that stand up for and show high regard for all peoples in our communities. ‑‑
Janna Francis
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
protest targets MP Colin Mayes office ...
oh darn ... local support for Colin Mayes and the conservatives is sliding .... down, down, down and downward!
Okanagan MP targeted
06 February 2007 CHBC
Protests were held Tuesday in the Okanagan and across the province. Parents and daycare providers picked up placards to protest federal and provincial governments they say are turning their backs on the needs of children and young families. One demonstration at the office of a local MP turned into a heated debate.
video
06 February 2007 CHBC
Protests were held Tuesday in the Okanagan and across the province. Parents and daycare providers picked up placards to protest federal and provincial governments they say are turning their backs on the needs of children and young families. One demonstration at the office of a local MP turned into a heated debate.
video
Friday, February 2, 2007
Colin Mayes and his board:support me or just go away
i can almost see a conservative going bye bye in this riding come the next election .... perhaps this is the good thing of being plagued with mayes as mp; eyes have opened up not only to the riding association but to the public!!! and / or to the rest of the riding! as in the past election, mayes did not do so well here in salmon arm (where he was once the mayor) in comparison to the rest of the candidates. so keep tripping mayes, we will shut the door behind you!
Controversy erupts over joke
Salmon Arm Observer Jan 31 2007
Okanagan-Shuswap MP: Colin Mayes says calls for his resignation are a partisan smear.
For Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes, a controversy about a joke he received is an example of politics at its worst.
The joke, sent to him by e-mail in October last year from a Vernon member of the Conservatives, attempted to make fun of bureaucrats by featuring a First Nations man who spoke broken English and was referred to as “chief” and “Tonto.”
Mayes responded to the e-mail by writing, “Good joke.”
The e-mail and Mayes’ response to it were made public last week, sparking a small storm of controversy.
Mayes chairs the parliamentary Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
After hearing of Mayes’ e-mail response, Anita Neville, a Liberal member of his committee, called for Mayes to step down as chair of the committee and apologize for praising the joke.
Mayes sees it differently.
“Actually it’s unfortunate that the game of politics in this place is you basically are scrutinized about everything. Anita has leveled this cheap partisan smear against me,” Mayes said from Ottawa Friday.
Mayes termed the joke “completely inappropriate” but said he took the same approach that someone might take who hears a risque´ joke at a party.
“Everybody looks at each other – you don’t usually say you don’t approve - you might smile,” he said.
However, the joke response didn’t generate any smiles from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. The group issued a news release Friday.
“To openly applaud a blatantly racist joke and then to attempt to trivialize the matter represents acts of arrogant disregard of the duties of a responsible member of Parliament,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
“Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather this is a violation of fundamental human rights. It is not a joking matter; in the event that Colin Mayes refuses to apologize, he must resign.”
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs’ media release was issued following Mayes’ interview with the Observer. E-mailed to see if he had a further response in light of the release, he said no.
During the interview, he referred to media attention the issue has generated.
“A number of newspapers didn’t even run the story – they knew it was somebody trying to discredit me. I don’t want to trivialize the joke – I don’t endorse insults to the cultural heritage of any people. But this is the game in politics. I’m there to do good works as chair of the parliamentary committee. I have been told by a number of people I run a good committee,” he said, noting that one of them was Anita Neville, who complimented him at summer break.
As to how the e-mail became public, it appears to be a symptom of unrest that has been plaguing the board of the Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative Association.
Director Miles Lehn was recently removed from the board. He told the Observer that the e-mail response was brought to his attention in October by a First Nations party member. He said he forwarded it to the board president and he saw no action taken, but, as a board member, was not allowed to speak out. Now he can.
“Next time he gets an e-mail that suggests racist tones, he needs to say, ‘I find that offensive,’” Lehn said.
Lehn has a list of complaints regarding Mayes, ranging from a dictatorial style to the mixing of religion and politics.
Wayne McGrath, former president of the Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative Association, said he believes there’s a significant division amongst the members of the party in the riding.
“I guess the question is, how significant it is.”
Of a maximum 30-member board, nine have left.
Asked if he’s concerned, he said he is. “I would hope that the board and the MP can get together and work together rather than continue the battle that is being carried on right now.”
Asked if he is worried about how voters in general will view the party, he said that, too, concerns him.
“Internal conflicts can often defeat politicians as well as opposition from the political adversaries.”
Lori DeJong is the current board president. Asked if she is concerned about the board, she said no.
“I think we’re coming together and moving forward.”
As to the e-mail controversy, she said the association is standing solidly behind Mayes.
“He said to CHBC, too, yes sometimes you say the wrong things. He wouldn’t say that again... It was maybe just the wrong choice of words.”
Mayes says that of the nine people who have left the board, just two resigned because they weren’t comfortable with his nomination.
Once he took the nomination with 70 per cent of the vote, he thought things would be different.
“I thought they would either come on board and support me or just go away. Unfortunately a few of them just didn’t go away. They have forced the hand of the president and board to start administering some discipline within the board. I feel badly for that.”
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Harpers boy, Colin Mayes now says
the joke was about govt. employees ... ya right. well this storm might have blown over for you, as always, i'm sure the next blunder will come soon enough; your colours are appearing upfront and centre! you can fool some of the people, but you can't fool them all the time!
Joke blows over Ottawa
Scott Neufeld February 1, 2007 Vernon Daily Courier
Less than a week has passed since the Liberals called for his resignation but Colin Mayes says the storm has blown over.
On Tuesday, parliament’s aboriginal affairs committee met for the first time since the Liberals accused the Conservative MP of promoting a joke they considered racist. Mayes, who chairs the committee, said the issue never came up at the meeting.
“Nothing was said. Not a word,” he said. “I think when they really looked at it they realized how unsubstantiated their actions were.”
Mayes said that several other members of the opposition came up to him and talked about how “silly” the issue was. He said they have given him their support.
A memo was sent to the rest of the committee clarifying the issue, Mayes said. In the memo, he said he addressed some of the comments that were made in the media.
“I wanted to clarify any doubts about the media attention,” he said.
Among the mix-ups was a CBC comment that the joke was about Natives. Mayes said the joke was actually about government employees.
The former Salmon Arm mayor found himself under the magnifying glass of the national media after one of his e-mails was made public. The message from a local Conservative Party member includes a joke that refers a First Nations man as “chief” and “Tonto.”
Mayes’ began his response to the e-mail with the phrase, “good joke.” The Liberal party interpreted the MP’s response as an endorsement of aboriginal stereotypes.
The e-mail was sent to a local media outlet by Miles Lehn who had recently been fired from the board of the local Conservative riding association.
“It was definitely the person that (leaked) the e-mail who twisted it into basically a personal attack against myself,” he said.
Since the Liberals sent out a press release calling for Mayes’ resignation from the committee, he said he’s yet to receive a negative response from any First Nations people. He said that the comments from Okanagan Indian Band chief Fabian Alexis and others have “uplifted” him.
“Quite frankly I’ve had a number of e-mails from aboriginal people just saying how foolish these accusations are,” he said.
****
Okanagan/Shuswap: Mayes admits to making a mistake in email comment
or
Native leader demands apology
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Colin Mayes muzzled by party; won't apologize, but admits mistake
Okanagan/Shuswap: Mayes admits to making a mistake in email comment
CHBC 28 January 2007
A defiant Colin Mayes admits he made a mistake but will not apologize for his actions. On Friday, The Okanagan-Shuswap MP was told by BC's First Nations leader he should formally apologize for finding humour in what they're calling a racist joke or resign from his job leading a national committee on Aboriginal affairs. But Mayes doesn't think an apology is necessary for what he calls a minor error in judgement.
When reached by phone Sunday morning at his Ottawa office, Mayes told CHBC news, he continues to feel that "this is just a partisan smear" levelled at him by the Liberal party. He goes on to say that the issue has been completely misrepresented.
But Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the BC Union of Indian Chiefs says this is not just a political issue between the Liberal party of Canada and the Conservative government.
"In our view, he has completely destroyed his credibility and his integrity. And unless he's prepared to formally apologize, then in our view he has no other choice but to resign."
When it comes to Chief Phillip's demand for an apology or resignation, Mayes told CHBC news, "My mistake was that I didn't react by saying this was not appropriate. I should have been more outspoken. The comment wasn't an endorsement of the inappropriate words used in the joke."
But Mayes would not offer an apology.
His remorse may still not be enough to satisfy natives in Canada, according to Phillip.
"His efforts to defend his actions in our view just reveals the arogance of his character. That he believes that he can brush something like this aside."
Mayes agrees that he's overwhelmed by the attention to the email comment and was warned by the party not to comment further. He defends his commitment to Aboriginals both in his constituency and across the country. Mayes suggested that the issue will come up this week when the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs meets in Ottawa, but stopped short of revealing how they will deal with the matter.
[*Colin Mayes, obviously didn't read the press release by the Union of BC Chiefs]
unbelievable how conservatives handle colin mayes
apparently, a senior tory officials had earlier investigated the controversy over Colin Mayes regarding the emails; seeing how many native leaders did find it offensive and unacceptable. for an example the Union of BC Indian Chiefs put out a press release regarding the issue, Stewert Philip of the Penticton Indian Band expressed his sediments, and one can watch one of the chbc news interview in the video if they have any doubts. and further, an insult and / or offensive to many of us who live in this riding of Okanagan-Shuswap!
Tories found email joke not `offensive'
January 27, 2007 / The Toronto Star
OTTAWA–Complaints about a Conservative MP embroiled in controversy over an email that denigrates natives were investigated and dismissed after an internal probe by senior Tory officials, a former member of the MP's riding association told the Toronto Star.
The email exchange occurred with a fellow board member in Colin Mayes' British Columbia riding of Okanagan-Shuswap in October, but emerged publicly only this week after an official with the riding association was fired for repeated complaints about the MP.
Among his complaints, Miles Lehn protested the controversial email, which he called "an embarrassment." He asked the president of the local riding association early last month if any disciplinary action would be taken, and was told about two weeks later that the Conservative party had investigated and found "nothing offensive about it."
"What the (riding association) president said to me was that Mr. Donison from the Ottawa office of the party had exonerated Colin of any wrongdoing," Lehn said from Vernon, B.C.
Michael Donison is the executive director of the Conservative Party of Canada, and he works out of the party's Ottawa offices. He did not respond to requests for an interview yesterday.
STAR STAFF
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Colin Mayes to apologize or resign
you have to watch this news cast; as another video news cast from chbc shows reactions from a native leader;
Native leader demands apology
26 January 2007 CHBC
Formally apologize or resign in disgrace. That's what the head of BC's First Nations communities says north Okanagan MP Colin Mayes needs to do following an email scandal revealed earlier this week. At issue is Mayes' response to an email containing a derogatory joke about natives.
video
*see yesterdays posts from other native leader's responses.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Colin Mayes Must Apologize
"Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather this is a violation of fundamental human rights."
Colin Mayes Must Apologize
Union of BC Indian Chiefs
News Release
For Immediate Release
January 26, 2007
Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver BC – “To openly applaud a blatantly racist joke and then to attempt to trivialize the matter represents acts of arrogant disregard of the duties of a responsible member of Parliament,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
Grand Chief Phillip was responding to media reports stating that Colin Mayes (MP for Okanagan-Shuswap) stated "good joke" in response to an October 21, 2006 e-mail “joke” about a First Nations man who is referred to as "chief" or “Tonto.”
“It is absolutely incumbent on Colin Mayes to immediately apologize” stated Grand Chief Phillip. “If he chooses to continue to attempt to deflect and deny the intent of his response, his role as chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples is completely compromised and must be reviewed.”
“To perpetuate the inherent ignorance of racism is inexcusable and left unchallenged only serves to further institutionalized the offensive and harmful effects of racism. Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather this is a violation of fundamental human rights. It is not a joking matter, in the event that Colin Mayes refuses to apologize, he must resign.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, (250) 490-5314
ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/UBCICNews01260701.htm
Penticton Band demands apology from Colin Mayes
Phillip Demands Apology From Mayes
A B-C native leader is demanding an apology from the M-P for Okanagan Shuswap.
January 26, 2007 / 107.5 Kiss FM News
Stewert Philip of the Penticton Indian Band and head of the Grand Chiefs, says Colin Mayes has openly conveyed a racist comment, by responding 'good joke' to an e mail that contained the words 'Tonto' and 'Chief'.
"I find his comments to be completely offensive and racist in nature and really take issue with his efforts to deflect and attempt to trivialize his racist comments and suggest it's merely a bipartisan dispute between the Conservatives and the Liberals. In my view, he has completely destroyed his credibility."
Philip wants Mayes to apologize or resign as the chair of the Commons committee on aboriginal affairs.
The Liberal's Native Affairs critic has also called for Mayes to step down as head of the committee.
Mayes said Thursday he has no plans to resign. (Pete McIntyre)
BC Chief Demands Apology from Colin Mayes
BC Chief Demands Apology
Wayne Moore - Story: 26180 / Cananet.net
Jan. 26, 2007 / 3:30 pm
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs wants an apology.
Grand Chief, Stewart Phillip, has demanded an apology from Conservative MP Colin Mayes.
The Okanagan-Shuswap MP is in hot water after responding "good joke," to an email joke titled "Tim Horton's Tonto."
The joke, written in broken English, makes reference to Chief and Tonto.
Mayes response to the joke came to light during a CHBC-TV news report earlier this week.
Mayes is chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.
"To openly applaud a blatantly racist joke and then to attempt to trivialize the matter represents an act of arrogant disregard of the duties of a responsible Member of Parliament," says Phillip.
He says Mayes must "immediately apologize" or his role as chair of the Standing Committee will be compromised.
"Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather, this is a violation of fundamental human rights. This is no joking matter."
Phillip says if Mayes refuses to apologize, then he must resign.
Harper has to take this issue more seriously ...
Tory MP criticized over 'Tonto' joke
Métis leader and critics tell Colin Mayes to resign native affairs role and apologize
January 26, 2007 Allan Woods Richard Brennan Ottawa Bureau / The Star
...Métis National Council president Clement Chartier said the email exchange is not "behaviour that is acceptable today ... It is bad taste."
In his email, Mayes alleges a movement's afoot to "discredit me and replace me." Ten on the board of his riding association have quit since November.
Tory MP criticized over 'Tonto' joke
Métis leader and critics tell Colin Mayes to resign native affairs role and apologize
January 26, 2007 Allan Woods Richard Brennan Ottawa Bureau / The Star
OTTAWA–The chair of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee is in the eye of a storm over an email that refers to natives as "chief" and "Tonto."
Conservative MP Colin Mayes (Okanagan-Shuswap) received a so-called joke, entitled "Tim Horton's (sic) Tonto," in October. It tells of a native man who walks into a coffee shop with a buffalo on a leash.
Mayes replied to the email, saying it was a "good joke," which opposition parties and native groups objected to yesterday after seeing a copy.
"I find it offensive," said Liberal MP Tina Keeper (Churchill), an accomplished Cree actor. She resents the fact that some people still try to portray natives as "cartoon" characters. "How could you not get that this is offensive particularly when you are in that role?"
MP Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre), the Liberal native affairs critic, said Mayes should "resign immediately" from the committee post and apologize to First Nations.
Contacted at his Ottawa office by the Toronto Star, Mayes said: "Quite frankly, this is not a story. It's just not a story."
Mayes, at first, did not deny writing "good joke" but later said he could not recall whether he wrote that.
"I can't remember the joke but I think it is kind of a smear against the civil service ... It had nothing to do with First Nations," the MP from B.C. said.
Reminded that it referred to natives in disparaging terms, Mayes said, "I don't know about that," then went on to say he would not refer to natives as "Tonto" or "chief," agreeing that would be unacceptable.
"I find no humour in insults to anybody of any culture or heritage," he said, adding he resented any suggestion he was a racist because his own family is an ethnic mix.
"I am in a family that is very multicultural. My wife has Japanese heritage. I'm of European heritage. My daughter has adopted two boys from Haiti. Like, give me a break."
Mayes said he is simply the victim of a political smear.
"You got to look at where the source was and how it is being interpreted by Anita Neville and it is simply just a partisan smear that is levelled against me by Anita and I am really disappointed, because I am on the aboriginal affairs committee doing my best and have actually had very positive comments about my chairmanship."
Métis National Council president Clement Chartier said the email exchange is not "behaviour that is acceptable today ... It is bad taste."
In his email, Mayes alleges a movement's afoot to "discredit me and replace me." Ten on the board of his riding association have quit since November.
MP Colin Mayes says he won't resign
well, as a resident of this riding, i think Colin should resign. and obviously, if Colin doesn't find his actions wrong, then perhaps he should have to take some self help courses on this subject! and just as important, is why "Miles Lehn, who said he was booted off the riding association's board of directors Monday because of his criticism of Mayes, accused the MP of racism in the CHBC broadcast on Tuesday. ''To me that's the same as writing the e-mail,'' Lehn said of the MP's ''good joke'' response."
Tory MP won't resign for praising Indian e-mail joke
Romeo St. Martin [PoliticsWatch updated 6:15 p.m., January 25, 2007]
OTTAWA — A B.C. Conservative MP said Thursday he will not resign as head of the aboriginal affairs committee over a controversy in which he approved a joke e-mail that the Liberals are calling racist. ...
Tory MP won't resign for praising Indian e-mail joke
Romeo St. Martin [PoliticsWatch updated 6:15 p.m., January 25, 2007]
OTTAWA — A B.C. Conservative MP said Thursday he will not resign as head of the aboriginal affairs committee over a controversy in which he approved a joke e-mail that the Liberals are calling racist.
As well, Tory MP Colin Mayes is demanding the Liberals apologize to him for levelling the racism allegations.
A B.C. TV station reported this week that Mayes received the email from a fellow Tory that began "An Indian walks into Tim Horton's . . ." and ends with a punch line intended to poke fun at the perceived irresponsibility of senior public servants.
> Read the Joke Here
However, in the e-mail the person behind the counter at the Tim Horton's refers to the Indian as "chief" and "Tonto," names which the opposition Liberals described as "racist"
Mayes replied to the email with the words "good joke." The emails were provided to the TV station by a man who was recently fired by Mayes' riding association.
The Liberals called for Mayes to step down as chair of the aboriginal affairs committee on Thursday.
"It is unfortunate that Mr. Mayes would support and find funny something that is so insulting to First Nations," Liberal MP Anita Neville said in a statement.
"His attitude indicates that he is not qualified to chair the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He should resign immediately as chair and apologize to First Nations people. As Chair his responsibility is to ensure that Aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee."
Later Thursday, Mayes issued a statement in which he accused Neville of levelling a "cheap, partisan smear" and of "completely" misrepresenting his email remark.
Mayes said in his statement that he finds "no humour that insults the culture or heritage of any group people" in the e-mail. "Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate."
"I am proud to be the chair of the Parliamentary Aboriginal Affairs Committee and look forward to continuing in my duties," his statement concludes.
Mayes was named chair of the committee in the spring after another Tory MP, Maurice Vellacott, resigned following comments he made about Supreme Court judges.
It is not the first time Mayes has been the subject of controversy.
Earlier this year, Mayes issued an apology after he wrote a letter to a local newspaper suggesting some journalists should be put in jail for writing misleading stories.
Arrows fly over e-mail
Scott Neufeld January 26, 2007 Vernon Daily Courier
Federal Liberals are demanding that Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes resign as chair of a committee on Aboriginal affairs after learning of his response to an e-mail joke.
Liberal Indian Affairs critic Anita Neville had not seen the full e-mail, but said she was shocked by Mayes’ response to a joke about First Nations people. She said he owes Aboriginals an apology.
“This joke, with its reference to ‘chief’ and ‘tonto’ and its fractured English, is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada’s First Nations people,” she said. “He didn’t make the joke but he reinforced stereotypes of Aboriginal people.”
Mayes responded to the e-mail by saying “good joke.”
The joke was included in an e-mail sent to Mayes from a local party member on Oct. 21, 2006. After the Liberals distributed a press release about the e-mail exchange, media outlets across the country poun-ced on the story.
In an interview from his Ottawa office on Thurs-day, Mayes scoffed at Neville’s remarks.
“I’m quite upset about the cheap partisan smear that Liberal Anita Neville is making against me,” Mayes said. “She has taken an e-mail comment and completely misrepresented it.”
What was most surprising Mayes said is that Neville has been complimentary of his work on the committee and told him he was “very fair” as chairman.
When asked if she had spoken to any First Nations people who had taken offence to the remark, Neville initially said no, because she had been in meetings all day, but then changed her answer.
“I’ve heard from a number of people,” she said. “They were quite appalled by it.”
Neville said that Mayes should have simply deleted the e-mail and not responded to it. “Mr. Mayes should know better,” she said.
Mayes fired back saying that he does not find humour in jokes that insult the culture or heritage of anyone. He said he comes from a multicultural family with a wife of Japanese heritage and two adopted grandchildren from Haiti.
This isn’t the first time that an e-mail has landed a local Conservative in hot water. Former Conservative board member Miles Lehn was fired earlier this week because of an e-mail that some other directors took offence to.
In August, Mayes’ wife Jacquie apologized when she claimed “we are being attacked by principalities and powers that are evil” in an e-mail about Vernon Daily Courier managing editor David Wylie.
Tory MP criticized for praising derogatory joke
Peter O'Neil, CanWest News Service
January 26, 2007
Colin Mayes, the Conservative head of the Commons native affairs committee, says Liberal demands that he step down over a "denigrating" e-mail are the worst of petty politics.
OTTAWA - B.C. Conservative MP Colin Mayes angrily criticized and rejected a Liberal demand Thursday that he resign from a parliamentary committee over an e-mail in which he praised a derogatory joke about an Indian, the Liberals said Thursday.
Mayes, member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, replied ''good joke'' in an Oct. 21, 2006 e-mail response to a tale about an aboriginal man who, while holding a shotgun and speaking in broken English, enters a coffee shop and has an exchange with an employee who calls him ''chief'' and ''Tonto.''
Liberal MP Anita Neville said Mayes, who withdrew his published statement last year that journalists should be jailed for writing inaccurate stories, must apologize to First Nations and resign as chairman of the standing committee on aboriginal affairs and northern development.
"This joke - with its reference to 'chief' and 'Tonto' and its fractured English - is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada's First Nations people," Neville said in a statement.
"Today's society finds it rightly unacceptable for anyone, never mind an elected public official, to speak of our aboriginal population in this manner.''
Mayes did not return a phone call but issued a statement attacking the Liberals.
''I categorically dismiss the cheap partisan smear leveled against me by Liberal MP Anita Neville. She has taken an e-mail comment and completely mis-represented it. She should apologize. I find no humour that insults the culture or the heritage of any group of people. Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate.''
He said he's ''proud'' of his work as chairman, will remain in the job, and said Neville's criticism is ''surprising and disappointing because she ''recently complemented (sic) me on the good work I was doing as chair.''
Tory caucus chairman Rahim Jaffer also accused the Liberals of launching a hurtful and ''cheap'' political attack against the MP.
''From what I understand he was very hurt, very dismayed, by the way this was being smeared against his character.''
Mayes, confronted about the e-mail by a journalist in Vernon, B.C. earlier this week, said he isn't racist but acknowledged he could have chosen better words in his reply.
''I don't know what my response was, and if it was that, then you're right,'' he told a CHBC TV reporter. ''It wasn't meant to be'' an endorsement of the joke, Mayes said.
Mayes, 58, is a former businessman and mayor of Salmon Arm, B.C.
He has faced criticism from fellow Conservatives, particularly after he was forced to withdraw his published statement about the need for a law to jail journalists.
OPTIONAL END
Miles Lehn, who said he was booted off the riding association's board of directors Monday because of his criticism of Mayes, accused the MP of racism in the CHBC broadcast on Tuesday. ''To me that's the same as writing the e-mail,'' Lehn said of the MP's ''good joke'' response.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
MP Jaffer voices on MP Colin Mayes ...
Jaffer says Mayes feels dismayed, offended ....
Okanagan M.P. under fire
25 January 2007 CHBC News
Okanagan Shuswap MP Colin Mayes is coming under fire tonight. The Liberals are demanding his resignation as Chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee. As CHBC first reported on Tuesday, Mayes found himself in hot water after an exchange of e-mails with a local party member. That party member sent him a derogatory joke about aboriginals... A joke that Mayes apparently thought was a pretty good one. And it's that response that has the critics calling for him to step down.
Video Link (shows the original story and then on to, today's remarks)
but regardless Mayes has had controversy ....
MP accused of lying
(Video)
Web posted on Tuesday, 17 October 2006 CHBC News
Okanagan Shuswap Member of Parliament Colin Mayes is being accused of being less than truthful with members of his own party during nomination meetings last month. Thirty-three names are attached to a letter that has been sent to the Prime Minister's office and Conservative party officials about the issue. When questioned at meetings in Salmon arm and Vernon Mayes denied he was the subject of a lawsuit. Court documents tell another story.
willing to trade colin mayes for another MP
seems like a good time to ask, with all the press recognition over colin mayes ...
until the next election;
would anyone like to trade their MP for ours?
more on Mayes; the rookie MP of our riding!
Tory MP accused of emailing 'denigrating' joke
Updated Thu. Jan. 25 2007 6:17 PM ET
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- The Conservative head of the Commons native affairs committee says Liberal demands that he step down over a "denigrating'' e-mail are the worst of petty politics.
"This is just a cheap, partisan smear levelled against me,'' Colin Mayes said in an interview after initially ducking out of a meeting on Parliament Hill without speaking to reporters.
"She has taken an e-mail and completely misrepresented it,'' he said of Liberal MP and aboriginal affairs critic Anita Neville.
"I find no humour (in anything) that insults the culture or the heritage of any group of people. Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate.''
At issue is an e-mail that Mayes says he received sometime last summer.
It includes a joke about an "Indian'' who walks into a Tim Hortons with a shotgun in one hand and a buffalo in the other.
The server refers to the native man alternately as "Tonto'' and "chief.''
The native man drinks his coffee, then "blasts the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter everywhere, then just walks out.''
The next day, the native man returns.
"Whoa, Tonto!'' says the server. "We're still cleaning up your mess from yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?
"The Indian smiles and proudly says, `Training for an upper management position in Canadian Government: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the bull, leave mess for others to clean up, and disappear for rest of day.' ''
Mayes's response to the e-mail began "Good joke.''
It was leaked to a British Columbia television station by a man who was recently fired from the board of the local Conservative association in Mayes's riding of Okanagan-Shuswap.
Miles Lehn was voted off the board, ironically, by directors who took offence to an e-mail he said was written in jest.
It reflected concerns about a perceived political shift to the religious right, and inferred that Mayes and his wife may wish to keep "godless infidels'' off the riding board.
Mayes suggested Thursday that Lehn's recent firing was behind the flap.
Asked if he still thinks the story of the native man in the coffee shop was a "good joke,'' Mayes said he couldn't really remember the content.
"I get hundreds of e-mails.''
Besides, he added, he may have intended to convey sarcasm.
Mayes was less circumspect when buttonholed by a B.C. television reporter earlier this week.
"I just laugh,'' he said of any suggestion he's racist. "They're just grasping at straws.''
Mayes said Thursday his wife is Japanese and his daughter's two adopted sons are from Haiti.
In any case, he said, he feels no need to apologize or step down as chairman of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee.
"I have had many compliments about my chairmanship . . . from the (Assembly of First Nations) National Chief Phil Fontaine and even from the members of the opposition.''
Fontaine was not immediately available for comment.
The Liberals called for Mayes's immediate ouster and an apology.
"As chair, his responsibility is to ensure that aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee,'' Neville said.
glad more of the press is picking up Colin Mayes and racist remarks
Tory committee head should quit over 'racist’ e-mail: Liberals
January 25, 2007 / The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Liberals want a Conservative MP to resign as head of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee over his response to a racist e-mail.
At issue is a joke e-mail that refers to a native man as `Tonto’ and `chief.’
A British Columbia television station reported that Tory MP Colin Mayes received the e-mail and responded with a “good joke.”
Mayes didn’t deny the response when questioned, but said he didn’t mean to endorse such humour.
Native references have gotten Tories into trouble in the past.
Conservative MP Brian Fitzpatrick told a native-organized debate in 2000: “You can’t scalp me because I haven’t got much hair on top of my head.”
my local conservative mp Colin Mayes
*update Jan.26 2007: a correction regarding the article below, as it was brought to my attention of / regarding the error.
from the liberal.ca:
Correction
January 26, 2007
On January 25, 2007, The Liberal Party of Canada erroneously stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case and set up a legal defence fund for the officers charged in his death. In fact, Mr. Vellacott spearheaded a legal defence fund for two former officers convicted after another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night, was abandoned in freezing temperatures. We apologize for the error.
*****Jan 26 2007 Added to reflect the article below (taken from liberal.ca)
**In the original version of this release, the Liberal Party of Canada stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case. In fact, Mr. Vellacott intervened the case of another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night. We apologize for the error.
Conservative MP Colin Mayes Must Step Down, Apologize to First Nations
January 25, 2007 / Liberal.ca
OTTAWA – Conservative B.C. MP Colin Mayes must step down as Chair of the Parliamentary Aboriginal Affairs committee and apologize for his praise of an e-mail joke that denigrates Canada’s First Nations people, Liberal Indian Affairs Critic Anita Neville said.
A CHBC-TV news broadcast of January 23 points out how after Mr. Mayes received a racist joke via e-mail, he replied with “good joke” and dismissed criticism leveled against him that he was racist with “I just laugh because they’re just grasping at straws.”
“This joke – with its reference to ‘chief’ and ‘tonto’ and its fractured English – is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada’s First Nations people,” said Ms. Neville. “Today’s society finds it rightly unacceptable for anyone, never mind an elected public official, to speak of our Aboriginal population in this manner.
click here for the video
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Mayes would support and find funny something that is so insulting to First Nations. His attitude indicates that he is not qualified to chair the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He should resign immediately as chair and apologize to First Nations people. As Chair his responsibility is to ensure that Aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee.”
Ms. Neville pointed out how this is not the first time Mr. Mayes has been asked to apologize to a group of Canadians for his skewed views. Back in April, he was forced to publicly apologize for and retract his claim that certain journalists should be thrown in jail.
“It’s time for Mr. Mayes to be held accountable for the things he says. He must resign his position as Chair,” said Ms. Neville.
This is also the second time that the Conservatives have shown poor judgment in their appointments to this committee. Mr. Mayes replaced Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott as Chair in May after Mr. Vellacott was forced out for his inappropriate comments about Supreme Court judges’ “God-like powers.”
Mr. Vellacott was appointed as Chair even though he faced strong opposition from the First Nations community because of his intervention in the Neil Stonechild case. Mr. Vellacott sided with the police officers convicted in Mr. Stonechild’s death and even started a legal defence for them.
*****Jan 26 2007 Added to reflect the article above (taken from liberal.ca)
**In the original version of this release, the Liberal Party of Canada stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case. In fact, Mr. Vellacott intervened the case of another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night. We apologize for the error.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
conservative MP Colin Mayes exec.assist. warped view on the homeless ...
Police: No link reported between shelters and crime.
Martha Wickett Salmon Arm Observer / Jan 17 2007
... At the public hearing into rezoning for the proposed Salmon Arm shelter, Terri Jones, executive assistant to Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes, ... “I don’t think it’s a good mix to have people who are either alcoholics or people who are on drugs in situations where they’re around kids or the elderly – especially when it’s a fact they will steal to support their habits,” she said in an interview after the meeting. ...Cpl. Henry Procé is media relations officer with Vernon RCMP and has spent eight years policing in Vernon, five of them as a watch commander. He said he hasn’t seen any evidence that homeless shelters present a danger. “From the police point of view, I don’t see this as a cause of increased crime. In fact, it may have the opposite effect, with a place where they’re warm and dry and not so desperate – not sleeping in bank foyers.” ...
Police: No link reported between shelters and crime.
Martha Wickett Salmon Arm Observer / Jan 17 2007
Children harmed, women assaulted, seniors robbed. The prospect of a homeless shelter near recreational activities evoked fears for several speakers at the public hearing Jan. 8 regarding the Salvation Army’s rezoning application. Vernon currently has two shelters, one in its downtown, The Shelter, as well as Howard House on the outskirts. The Shelter, run by the First Nations Friendship Centre, is located at the Salvation Army House of Hope, where the food bank also sits.
A check with a few people involved with the downtown shelter showed it does not appear to have endangered citizens. Neil Thompson has been co-ordinator of The Shelter since July 2005. The shelter can sleep 16 in its main room, with an overflow of six. It accepts men, women and children, but is used mainly by men. It does not have a maximum stay, but people must check in every day to get a bed. Its hours in winter are 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Asked about danger to the community, Thompson said he hasn’t seen any. “For people who worry about crime, if there are people out there who aren’t sheltered, especially this time of year, they may commit a crime just to go inside the cell blocks to find a warm place,” Thompson said.
As for danger to children, he noted that the shelter is half a block away from the Boys and Girls Club and two blocks from the recreation centre. “These guys aren’t out there to hurt people. They feel like they are victims themselves,” he said. “For the most part they aren’t angry and out to get anybody; they’re just wanting some help.” Because there is no maximum stay at the Vernon shelter, people get into a routine, sometimes lining up three or four hours before opening time to ensure a spot. “The loitering is difficult,” he said, explaining that it creates a mess with people sitting around with shopping carts, blankets, pillows and mats.
In the winter, people often stay at the shelter for three to six months at a stretch, he said.Asked if he thinks the loitering would occur if the shelter had the two-week maximum stay that the Salmon Arm shelter would, he replied: “Probably not, if those rules are stuck to... As long as the policy is two weeks, I don’t see the problem of people staying. That’s one thing I wish they had done at the beginning here.”
At the public hearing into rezoning for the proposed Salmon Arm shelter, Terri Jones, executive assistant to Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes, said both she and Mayes support homelessness initiatives, but they are concerned about the location. It is near an indoor arena, a dance studio and the fairgrounds. She warned of increased crime, citing her two years with the Downtown Vernon Association.
“I don’t think it’s a good mix to have people who are either alcoholics or people who are on drugs in situations where they’re around kids or the elderly – especially when it’s a fact they will steal to support their habits,” she said in an interview after the meeting. “Years ago, you saw a type of homeless person who didn’t bother anybody, but I think you’re seeing a change. We’re definitely seeing an increase in aggressive and overt criminal activity.” Asked if she could suggest a better location, she remarked: “I don’t know Salmon Arm well enough – Colin may have some ideas.”
Cpl. Henry Procé is media relations officer with Vernon RCMP and has spent eight years policing in Vernon, five of them as a watch commander. He said he hasn’t seen any evidence that homeless shelters present a danger. “From the police point of view, I don’t see this as a cause of increased crime. In fact, it may have the opposite effect, with a place where they’re warm and dry and not so desperate – not sleeping in bank foyers.” He said although some people who are homeless will have drug dependencies, they’re not generally part of the drug subculture. “Those people are younger and more mobile – most have vehicles.”
As for attacking children, he said a homeless person doesn’t generally fit the profile for a pedophile. “They (pedophiles) usually have access to computers and residences where they can lure from,” he said. Although Procé said it’s hard for police to pinpoint the exact generators of crime, he added: “I wouldn’t say putting in a homeless shelter is automatically going to be the cause for an increase in crime – I wouldn’t make that equation at all. They’re certainly not hotbeds of crime. They’re people who want to get out of the cold and want to have a bowl of soup – they’re not looking to commit crimes.” Due to the absence of the detachment head, Salmon Arm RCMP declined to comment on the proposed shelter.
Terry Pakenham, a civilian, has been with the City of Vernon/RCMP Safe Communities Unit for seven years. As for crime and homeless shelters, he remarked: “It’s been my experience, and I’ve done a lot of research with this... Historically there’s been no relationship established between shelter location and crime trends. There doesn’t seem to be any correlation between the two.” He said the issue often enters the realm of perception and reality – two distinct areas which are often blurred. He said every community is impacted both negatively and positively by a shelter and, by keeping everyone’s interests in mind, and by carrying out due diligence, the majority of negative effects can be mitigated.
Pakenham recommends such measures as: making sure there is a well-educated volunteer base to deal with potential problems, making sure there is support from within the community, educating and creating partnerships with surrounding properties, and getting co-operation from the police. “If you tell me ignoring them (the homeless), it will get better, or forcing them out of your community, it will get better, you’re kidding yourself.”
the best of harper's boy Colin Mayes in our riding!
Split could cost election
Why has Tory brass remained silent?
Managing Editor David Wylie Jan 17 Editorial dailycourier.ca / vernon / January 18, 2007
If local Conservatives can’t resolve their differences they could be doomed to repeat history and suffer an election defeat, according to a member of their board of directors.
Local conservatives haven’t been this divided since 1988, the last time a non-conservative was elected here, said Wayne McGrath, who served as a local riding president for about four years and spent a brief stint as Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes’ executive assistant. ...
Another source of discontent is the resignation of membership chairwoman Ria Carpay in November. Carpay resigned after receiving what she called a “highly offensive” e-mail from another board director. She said that the director accused her of bias against Mayes by submitting his new memberships by regular mail and the forms from Conservative candidate Dean Skoreyko by courier.
of course this doesn't help when the latest pattern emerges
Split could cost election
Why has Tory brass remained silent?
Managing Editor David Wylie Jan 17 Editorial dailycourier.ca / vernon / January 18, 2007
If local Conservatives can’t resolve their differences they could be doomed to repeat history and suffer an election defeat, according to a member of their board of directors.
Local conservatives haven’t been this divided since 1988, the last time a non-conservative was elected here, said Wayne McGrath, who served as a local riding president for about four years and spent a brief stint as Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes’ executive assistant.
“It was a similar situation where divisions within the board resulted in the election of the NDP,” he said. “I like to use history as an example; that’s why I am concerned about this division.”
Since March, eight board directors have resigned while a ninth could be forced off the board at a special meeting on Monday.
McGrath said that eight resignations is unprecedented in party history.
“For many years I served on the board with Darrel (Stinson) as the MP,” he said. “There were differences of opinion but never the split there is now.”
Conservative riding president Lori DeJong said she had no comment on the special meeting or on how board disunity may affect the party’s election future.
Mayes did not return numerous phone calls.
Director Miles Lehn, who is the subject of the special meeting, said he expects to be fired. He said that anyone who speaks out against the actions of Mayes or his supporters is marked for dismissal.
“I’m the next one in line; I’m the most vocal,” Lehn said. “I’m not going to compromise my sense of justice, my morality to support the Conservative candidate.”
In November, the unofficial minutes of a Conservative board meeting recorded periods of “pandemonium and shouting.” However, those minutes were deemed inaccurate and were later changed.
Lehn said that some board members still think Mayes needs to apologize for allegedly misleading people about his involvement in a libel suit filed in response to a letter to the editor written by Mayes. He was cleared of any wrongdoing by his party and has since settled the suit out of court.
The issue is one source of the division within the party, said Lehn.
Another source of discontent is the resignation of membership chairwoman Ria Carpay in November. Carpay resigned after receiving what she called a “highly offensive” e-mail from another board director. She said that the director accused her of bias against Mayes by submitting his new memberships by regular mail and the forms from Conservative candidate Dean Skoreyko by courier.
“It was absolutely not true,” said the 14-year member of the party. “I never sent anything by courier.”
What hurt, Carpay said, was that most of the members on the board stood by and didn’t speak up for her. When she asked where her accuser had received his information he did not respond. Carpay said that Mayes approached her in the parking lot after the meeting and admitted to ordering the board member to question her. She said she has never received an apology.
“I think some of these people should learn their lesson,” Carpay said. “They shouldn’t be able to step on people in this way.”
of course this doesn't help when the latest pattern emerges
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Our local conservative mp colin mayes and his church group!
Director fired over e-mail joke
Scott Neufeld / Vernon Courier
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
...“I suggested to a board member that the board member take Jacquie and Colin (Mayes) out to Lumby and sign up members of a new congregation so they could stop any godless infidels from coming on to the board,” said Lehn who did not attend Monday’s meeting. “What I found on the board was that they were basically all members of (Mayes’ church) congregation.” ...
Director fired over e-mail joke
Scott Neufeld / Vernon Courier
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
An e-mail that some directors found offensive led to the firing of a board member in the local Conservative riding association.
Miles Lehn said directors took offence to one of his e-mails resulting in his firing at a meeting Monday night. He said the e-mail was written in jest.
“I suggested to a board member that the board member take Jacquie and Colin (Mayes) out to Lumby and sign up members of a new congregation so they could stop any godless infidels from coming on to the board,” said Lehn who did not attend Monday’s meeting. “What I found on the board was that they were basically all members of (Mayes’ church) congregation.”
Lehn said he still supports the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harper but did not feel comfortable on the current board.
“It seems to have gone in the direction of dirty liberal policies and tactics,” he said.
Lehn is now the 10th board member to resign since March including Armstrong mayor Jerry Oglow, who was recently elected chair of the North Okanagan Regional District.
But Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes said the loss of 10 members from the 30 member board is not a sign of upheaval within local Conserva-tives – giving Oglow’s resignation as an example. He said several directors have moved away, were forced to resign because of work commitments or had health issues.
“This happens in every (riding association) across the country,” Mayes said. “Really there are only two resignations that are related to people who felt not necessarily happy with the outcome of the nomination.”
Mayes said that he is not worried that the apparent disunity within the riding association will hurt his re-election hopes.
Mayes said his support is still strong after receiving 72 per cent of the vote in the nomination race and 46 per cent of the vote in the 2006 election.
“I’ve been working very hard for the constituency and have received very good support,” he said.
Mayes said that although he is not an actual member of the Conservative board, he attends the meetings and is confident they acted appropriately in removing Lehn.
Board president Lori DeJong would not confirm the reason for Lehn’s termination saying that he would be informed in a letter. She said she hopes the board will be able to move forward.
also see: with a different swing: CHBC News
Party Trouble (Video)The infighting continues among Conservatives in the riding of Okanagan Shuswap. A party executive has been ousted from the board, but he's going down swinging. F U L L S T O R Y
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