Probe turns to Brison

globeandmail.com ^ | 03/07/06 | SINCLAIR STEWART , STEVEN CHASE and BRIAN LAGHI

[ferri]

TORONTO and OTTAWA — The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has turned over an e-mail received from Liberal MP Scott Brison to police and regulators as part of a probe into the income-trust controversy that dogged the Liberals in the recent election campaign, The Globe and Mail has learned.

Sources said the former public works minister, a potential contender for the Liberal leadership, sent an e-mail to one of CIBC's employees the day before Ottawa announced its much-anticipated policy on income trusts last November, in which he suggested the recipient would likely be pleased by the decision.

The bank did not learn of the e-mail until after the federal election campaign began, but when it did, it launched an internal review of its trading activity in the lead-up to Ottawa's announcement. The sources said the review did not turn up anything unusual, but CIBC still decided to bring its report to the attention of the RCMP and the Ontario Securities Commission.

[ferri]

ping

[fanfan]

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Mr. Brison said in an interview yesterday that neither he nor his office sent out an e-mail about how the issue would be decided.

"No. That would be totally false," he said. "We were only aware when it was, in fact, the thing was made."

Mr. Brison said his advance knowledge of the decision was only what he read in the newspapers.

"I'm unequivocal on that there was absolutely no information that I had," he said.

"I was not part of a cabinet discussion or decision-making process on that issue."

When asked later whether he personally had a communication in which he might have speculated on the outcome without firm knowledge, Mr. Brison said "No," adding, "You're asking me something in terms of communication that I don't remember. I don't recall anything."

Mr. Brison also would not say whether he had been questioned by police.

"I'm not going to comment," he said.

[doc30]

I hope he goes to jail over this. The level of denial in the face of hard evidence is so Liberano$! This guy is scum.

[fanfan]

I looked up 'scum' in the dictionary, and found Brison!

[Canadian Outrage]

You got it - scum is the descriptive word.

[mewzilla]

[fanfan]

Hey girl!

You sending me a hunk Mountie?

Thanks!

[Sam Gamgee]

BUMP.

And the latest poll at MacLeans:

http://www.macleans.ca/switchboard/index.jsp

Is this a joke. Brison, the sodomite and Income Trust boy toy getting top billing?

[ferri]

well. things are looking up. LOL