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  Toy shuttles for charity "stolen" from astronaut

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Author Topic:   Toy shuttles for charity "stolen" from astronaut
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42982
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-30-2012 04:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
CBC News reports that first Canadian in space Marc Garneau, now a politician, has claimed that his mail was stolen when a box of toy space shuttles that were part of a fundraiser for sick children was mistakenly delivered to another politician's office and the contents given away.
Garneau, a former astronaut, told the tale of the mistaken mail delivery in the Commons after question period Monday. He said that in February a package from the charity Hope Air that was clearly addressed to him was accidentally delivered to Tremblay, who now occupies Garneau's old office.

Garneau said he contacted Tremblay's office in search of the package and was told the box was opened and the toys given away.

"Though an offense against the dignity of the House regardless of the contents, the theft of these contents in my view is also an offense against common decency," Garneau said.

He read aloud the definition of mail theft under the Criminal Code and cited previous rulings from Speakers on the House of Commons about invasions of privacy, laying out his case for why the incident should be considered by Speaker Andrew Scheer to be in contempt of Parliament.

Garneau said it's unclear whether Tremblay himself or his staff opened his mail and gave it away, but either way, he said his parliamentary privileges have been breached and a "serious offense" has occurred.

He said what took place is "not only an invasion of my privacy, it is theft."

alanh_7
Member

Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 05-07-2012 10:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for alanh_7   Click Here to Email alanh_7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The children's charity is the ones that lost in this story. This is likely a case of a mistaken mail opening by a staffer in Trembley's staff who could not be bothered to read the mail tag, though I would have thought common sense should have kicked in and whoever opened the mail should have said 'what could space shuttles possible have to do with my boss." (Common sense and Canadian Politics is not something I would often use in the same sentence.)

Having had an issue some years ago which required the involvement of my Federal MP and getting nowhere, I am just glad and surprised to hear that MP's in the House of Commons open mail at all. After my experience with numerous letters falling on deaf ears, I had a mental image that all mail went from the delivery service to the garbage can unless it was campaign donation.

p51
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Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 05-07-2012 09:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Likely that I'm missing some important key aspect of this, but why can't Marc Garneau just pry open his wallet and order another box of toys?

alanh_7
Member

Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 05-07-2012 09:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for alanh_7   Click Here to Email alanh_7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's all political grandstanding. Garneau is a member of the Liberal Party and Trembley is a member of the New Democratic Party and it was all about making the other guy look bad.

Don't get me wrong, I think Garneau should be upset about his mail being opened. But only in the Canadian House of Commons would they turn this into a full blown investigation.

I am not taking sides, had rolls been reversed the same thing would have likely happened. Political BS.

All times are CT (US)

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