There he is again

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Perry has now spent 113 days in jail – for stepping up to the plate to protect children, and then daring to say he has lost faith in the justice system. This is the institutional response to allegations of childhood sexual abuse.

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Hearings resume at 0930 hours (9:30 am ) this morning, Tuesday, 10 June 2008.  Former Chief Claude Shaver will continue his testimony.

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I got home late last evening.  A lovely day – a very special graduation.

I checked for the transcripts and indeed they were posted – took a quick look through..  Several comments:

(1)  Colin McKinnon

Colin McKinnon.  Colin McKinnon. Colin McKinnon.  There he is again – representing Shaver in 1993 to hammer out his, Shaver’s, ‘golden handshake’ when Shaver was on his way to an early retirement for reasons which are not yet entirely clear.  It seems there is a possibility the David Silmser allegations may have played a role here somehow, also that there were some sort of personal allegations made against Shaver which he does not want publicized at this inquiry.

No matter, for now my interest is that whatever it was all about, Colin McKinnon was acting on Shaver’s behalf to negotiate a healthy golden handshake with the Cornwall Police Service board.

Who do you suppose was representing the the CPS Board in brokering a satisfactory financial exodus for the Chief?

Colin McKinnon!

Seriously!  The same Colin McKinnon who, despite his serious conflict of interest,  took the bench at the Leduc trial , was seemingly playing both ends to the middle in 1993 on Shaver’s behalf.

Imagine!  McKinnon representing Shaver telling McKinnon representing the board what would be a satisfactory figure.

It’s tucked back in mind somewhere that it was a pretty good handshake.  I must dig it up if I can, but seems to me it was in the order of $200,000 to $250,000. If that’s the case – job well done for the former Chief Colin McKinnon!  Back in 1993 that would have been a tidy little sum.  Whatever the figure it was obviously good enough to make Shaver happy.  Job well done!

Seems conflict of interest was as far from McKinnon’s mind back in those days as it was in 2001 when he took the bench as the Project Truth sex abuse trial of lawyer and Church canon lawyer Jacques Leduc.

What I wonder did McKinnon  ‘forget’ while brokering the golden handshake between himself and himself?  (1) that he represented Shaver, (2) that he represented the Board, (3) and/or what, for a lawyer, constitutes a real or perceived conflict of interest?

I see that McKinnon also represented Joseph St. Denis in the midst of a Freedom of Information matter.  I haven’t quite sorted out what that one was all about, and perhaps, no doubt in fact that’s all fair game for a lawyer who does police business, but I’m certainly wondering which Cornwallites McKinnon represented over the years?  and for what?  It’s becoming increasingly relevant.

Put McKinnon on the stand .   The Cornwall Police Service has already waived its solicitor-client privilege.  Let’s hear from the Project Truth sex abuse trial judge who told us he “forgot” that he helped the CPS charge Perry Dunlop under the Police Service Act, and he “forgot” that he had threatened Carson Chisholm with legal action on Shaver’s behalf .

(2)    Chief Earl Landry Sr.’s  protegee

Shaver was hired by Chief Earl Landry Sr. with the intent that Shaver would replace Landry as Chief.

The pair had known each other for years, back to the days when a young Claude Shaver accompanied his father to Optimist Club events.  Landry was a member of the Optimist Club, as was Shaver’s father.  Landry Sr. and Shaver’s father were good friends.

Claude Shaver was older than the Landry Sr. children.

According to Shaver, the Optimist Club was committed to working with children.

(3) Background

Claude Shaver was born in Montreal Quebec in 1942.  When he was about five-years-old his family moved to Cornwall.  He was an altar boy at St. Columban’s Church.

At age 20 he joined the RCMP.  He took the equivalent of his basic training on Ottawa, Ontario.  He spent close to five years in Saskatchewan (early 1963 to April 1967) serving in Lumsden, Regina, Avonlea, Fort Qu’Appelle.

In 1967 he was transferred to Montreal Quebec.

After Shaver became Chief he hired Joseph St. Denis as his deputy.

St. Denis was trained in Regina, Saskatchewan  in 1963.  According to Shaver he met St. Denis in Montreal

I knew him; I knew him by first name. The — that would be it. I did not – we weren’t — we weren’t — we didn’t socialize. We weren’t – – we weren’t friends. He had friends in the Drug section and I lived in Montréal at one point with a guy who was working in Drugs and they were very close friends; he and Joe were very close friends.

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I have to call it a day.  Tired now 🙂  I’ll be able to watch tomorrow from start to finish and  get more of a feel for Shaver’s testimony.  I find he looks and sounds nervous, but I’ve never seen the man before in my life so don’t really know if that could just be him at the best of times.  Still, I’m surprised at the man’s nervous attempts at humour and verbosity.   We’ll see what today brings when we hopefully get away from all these accounts of who was bickering with whom where, and who was stabbing who in the back when.  Shaver’s testimony makes the Cornwall Police Service Board and upper echelons at CPS sound worse than a bunch of overgrown kids.  I’ve never heard of so mcuh bickering and fighting at a workplace.  On and on and on.   Perhaps today we’ll get away from that today and get down to some real nuts and bolts about sex abuse in Cornwall and Shaver’s social circles, vacation time, and friendships.

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)

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25 Responses to There he is again

  1. RealityChecker says:

    “At age 20 he joined the RCMP. He took the equivalent of his basic training on Ottawa, Ontario.”

    Are you sure Claude Shaver WAS ever a bonefide RCMP officer???

    Basic training is done at DEPOT in Regina and since when in the history of the RCMP was anyone ever offered an “equivilant” to basic training???

    This stinks!!!

  2. RealityChecker says:

    Unless he was a civilian member of the RCMP perhaps.

  3. Myomy says:

    Another super blog by Sylvia. You make it crystal clear that any inquiry that does not put Colin McKinnon on the stand and ask him about these things is a cover up.

  4. Sylvia says:

    My fault. I didn’t word or explain that well Reality Checker. My apologies for crating confusion. It was I who said “the equivalent of” because it was the equivalent of the Regina RCMP training with which most Canadians are familiar. It would have differed because the Ottawa trainees were going directly into the officer corps rather than at the ground level. I was trying to cut corners.

    So, yes, Shaver did train with the RCMP in Ottawa. He did so because he was being recruited as a commissioned officer. Officer recruits trained in Ottawa – all others (non-commissioned officers) trained in Regina, Sask.

    From the transcript:

    MR. SHAVER: Ottawa. Ottawa was the training centre — well we had the two training centres and I was fortunate enough to go where they did the officers and a gentlemen in Ottawa.

    MR. ENGELMANN: All right, so you went to Ottawa, not to Regina? I’m sorry.

    MR. SHAVER: Yes, the grunts were in Regina by the way.

  5. AbsentObserver says:

    I was in Cornwall over the weekend to see my family. On Sunday, we all sat around the table talking about life and how things are going these days in the Seaway City. My grandfather, who has lived there all his life, has always had strong opinions. As a Francophone Catholic, the church has always been very important to him. For years, he was a member of the camp which believed none of these allegations were true. He thought Perry Dunlop was a rogue cop who was out for money and fame. He told me these things repeatedly.
    This past Sunday, we did some comparisons. We talked about how long Perry has been in jail and how much longer he’ll be there. We talked about his “crime” of refusing to testify at the inquiry. Then we talked about other crimes. We talked about the woman who stabbed her husband to death in a drunken rage and never spent a single day behind bars. We talked about the two young people from Glengarry who were killed when their car was struck by a truck driven by a man who should have never been behind the wheel. We talked about James Lewis. And Charles MacDonald. And Marcel Lalonde. And Jacques Leduc. I found out my grandfather’s nephew once “worked” for Mr. Leduc in his hay fields on Tyotown Road. We talked a lot about that.
    At the end of the conversation, my grandfather said, “It’s not fair. That man shouldn’t have to spend a minute in jail.”
    At first, I wasn’t sure who he was talking about, considering his past positions on this matter. Then he said, “That Mr. Dunlop was just trying to keep children safe.”
    It brought a tear to my eye to realize opinions can change. My grandfather can be stubborn at times. If he can learn to recognize this situation for what it really is, anyone can.
    I just wish more people in Cornwall were willing to see through the trees of their own stubbornness to the truth beyond.

  6. RealityChecker says:

    Sylvia…does he not state he left the RCMP as a forth class constable to come to Cornwall as the Deputy Chief???

    That’s NOT an officer!!!

    Think along the lines of the military!

    Something is fishy but not worth my time to get into it!

  7. RealityChecker says:

    That is an utter disgrace for anything called a policer officer – especially a chief of police!!!

    Shaver just testified he discussed the Earl Landry investigation with the deputy crown at a dinner – a social event!!!

    Is there NOT a confidentiality issue here!!! At a dinner he discussed a criminal investigation with the Crown??? Who else was at the table? Who else was in ear shot?

    Oh dear – this is DISGUSTING!!!
    Where is this man’s ETHICS!!!

  8. Sylvia says:

    Oh Reality Checker. You’ve done it again! Now I’m googling and searching RCMP to try to sort out rank structure :(.

    You’re so right. A constable of any class is not an officer. Now I’m not sure why he was in Ottawa vs Regina. I will check when and as I can. Is there anyone with RCMP ties or knowledge who can explain why Shaver or anyone trained in Ottawa in the early 60s?

  9. RealityChecker says:

    OH my goodness….

    There seems to be a problem…

    Was Shaver a victim???

    STAY TUNED!!!

  10. RealityChecker says:

    WE know he’s a good actor – expressive to say the least.

  11. Sylvia says:

    And not another word.

    So, yes. Testimony that Shaver absoultley understood the reluctance victims have in coming forward.

    Then, out of the blue … tears.

    Then “It almost happened to me.”

    Time for a break.

    Not another word. They’re back and rolling right along.

    What “almost” happened? Engelmann didn’t pursue.

    And now he’s (Shaver) into a spiel implying that David Silmser was sexist when he said he didn’t want a female officer investigating his allegations!!!

    God help us. This man claims to understand?!

  12. RealityChecker says:

    Uh ….not meaning to be offensive to anyone but I have this tendancy to think we have some very serious mental health issues here…..or indeed a drinking problem that was aluded to yesterday with the golf course incident???

    JUST MY OPINION!!!

  13. Sylvia says:

    That does it. Shaver was so concerned about the saftery of children that he was personally planning to go to the Children’s Aid Society at the end of September 1993 ?!!!!

    I’m guessing he was pre-empted by Perry Dunlop?! Right? If Perry had only waited 🙂 Right? Shaver was going to do the right thing. Right?

    Why does the word Pinnochio keep running through my mind?

    Pinochio or no one for sure is there has been no shortage of bellow and bluster today.

    Has anyone counted? How many times has Shaver said something or other about his concern for the protection and safety of children?

  14. RealityChecker says:

    Okay Sylvia….sit down! I’ve done it again 🙂

    Anyone google Mike Federico the high ranking officer who was somehow involved with (or eluded to that he was)in Shaver’s retirement???

    Shaver didn’t recognize the name. Well gee whiz seems Mike Fedarico is the Staff Superintendant with the Central Field Command of the Toronto Police Service and Shaver doidn’t recognize the name??? Good lie!!! That’s a mighty high position within TPS to NOT be known. Not quite sure where exactly he was during Fatino’s reign but most certainly high up in the ranks and at the Canadian Police College too.

    Now what would this guy be doing and why would his name come up related to Shaver’s retirement???

    If you read thru the transcripts Shaver was being investigated for 3 alledged incidents along with his retirement package but it sure didn’t say WHO was investigating him or the outcome… and they aren’t saying much about the other 2 incidents (one was he alledgedly drove drunk thru a block party landing in a veranda. He says it wasn’t true.)

    Come on guys….I’m not stupid. Who called Fatino??? He’d have to release or second his high ranking officer to do the investigation of the Cornwall Police Chief.

    Anyone got the project file???

    How much was paid to cover this up???

    THINK ABOUT IT!!!

  15. RealityChecker says:

    OH DEAR!!!

    …and this is what Mike Fedarico thought of complaints coming from the public in 1991….

    http://www.walnet.org/csis/news/toronto_91/torstar-910823.html

  16. RealityChecker says:

    HANG ON….Fatino was in London 91-98/ York from 98-2000/ then Toronto 2000-2005.

    Regardless…WHY was a senior officer from TPS called in and who authorized it!!! I’m trying to determine where Federico was within TPS at the time – I think Internal Affairs but not sure!

    Sorry…but enough for now. 🙁

  17. RealityChecker says:

    In 1962, the branch was renamed the Directorate of Is THIS the unit Shaver worked in???

    ” In the 1960s, it targeted Quebec nationalists, particularly the militant Front de libération du Québec. As a result of illegal tactics used by the Security Service and consequent scandals surrounding the RCMP, intelligence work was transferred to a new agency, CSIS, in 1981. The RCMP has again become involved in intelligence work, however, particularly related to terrorism following the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985.”

    “In the late 1970s, revelations surfaced that the RCMP Security Service force had in the course of their intelligence duties engaged in crimes such as burning a barn and stealing documents from the separatist Parti Québécois, and other abuses.”

    Read Page 31 Line 19 of the June 09 transcripts…
    “The Mounted Police sent me, literally, you know, they sent me to England to teach; they sent me to — I taught at the FBI. I was their little person they sent out to teach. They, you know, dressed me up and gave me a little red uniform and away I went and I loved it. I mean I loved it…”

    Never in my life time have I ever heard a former or present RCMP officer refer to members of the force as “grunts” nor have I ever heard the red serge being referred to as “a little red uniform” or being “dressed” up in one!

    WHERE’S THE PRIDE OF OFFICE IN STATEMENTS LIKE THIS???

    I think someone better check Shaver’s CV cause none of this makes sense!!! Dis anyone check his background prior to being hired in Cornwall???

  18. RealityChecker says:

    Sorry I cut and pasted the above and the first line up to Director of this should be deleted and start with …”Is THIS the unit”

  19. RealityChecker says:

    I think we are experiencing what the RCMP did with the “duds” left over after the 1977 Keable Inquiry and the McDonald Commission on illegal police activities in Quebec.

    JUST MY OPINION!!!

  20. Sherlock says:

    Back then there was no CSIS and RCMP handled Intelligence. Probably that is what Shaver meant about his year in Ottawa while the “grunts” were in Saskatchewan. Note also that when he arrives in Cornwall he is still on the RCMP payroll and his “frequent absences” are blatant and protested by his Staff Sargents.

  21. RealityChecker says:

    Anyone know what the D section of the Secret Service did back in the 70’s in Quebec???
    Burn the barns???
    Intercept mail???
    Illegal break ins???
    Even the bosses at that time trained at Depot!!!
    But somehow Shaver bypassed Depot. To me that’s suspicious!
    And in my mind – this is certainly NOT a RCMP trained police officer testifying at this inquiry!!!
    There is nothing professional or ethical about the man at all and especially his comments about the “grunts” – the “little red uniform” and being “dressed up” in one gave it away!

    Where’s the respect???

    Those comments – under oath – by a so called former RCMP officer sicken me!!!

  22. RealityChecker says:

    …er…I should say former RCMP first class CONSTABLE – no rank!!! That’s NOT a managerial position nor would it ever be as Shaver aludes to!

    St. Denis was at least a staff/sargeant when he came to Cornwall!

  23. RealityChecker says:

    Shaver was moved around in Sasketchewan from 63-67 (a 4 1/2 year span)and places he mention are…
    Regina Town Station
    Avonlea
    Bengough
    …back to Regina
    Lumsden
    Fort Qu’Apelle
    …back to Regina
    …then off to Montreal for Expo ’67
    June 09 Page 12 Line 1 indicates he was a “body gaurd” for all the visiting heads of state.
    Stayed with the Security Services of the RCMP until 1976 for the Montreal Olympics (D Section)
    Following this he was transferred to the Candian Police College into the Communication Skills Unit – NO RANK!!!

    He taught at the Canadian Police College as a CONSTABLE!!!

    A CONSTABLE IS NOT a managerial or supervisory position!!! It has no rank!!!

    He’s the one who would be managed and supervised yet he had been alluding to he was some high ranking officer who was supervising and managing. I think someone is fudging their credentials!!!

    St. Dennis even ranked above him within the RCMP.

  24. Sylvia says:

    From today’s testimony:

    (1) Shaver testified he trained for nine months in Ottawa. That would probably correspond with the training in Regina, Sask. in the early 60s. My recollection is it was close to a year in Regina.

    (2) Shaver left the RCMP with the rank of Sergeant. A reminder where that fits (in decending order)

    commissioned ranks (Officers) of the RCMP are as follows:
    • Commissioner;
    • Deputy Commissioner;
    • Assistant Commissioner;
    • Chief Superintendent;
    • Superintendent; and
    • Inspector.

    The non-commissioned ranks of the RCMP are as follows:
    • Corps Sergeant Major;
    • Sergeant Major;
    • Staff Sergeant Major;
    • Staff Sergeant;
    • Sergeant; and
    • Corporal.

    Uder that there are four ‘grades’of Constable (First to Fourth Class). Constables do not wear any insignia to indicate their rank.

  25. RealityChecker says:

    When all is said and done will they be able to nail him for perjury once he returns to Florida???

    He already testified HE HAD NO RANK!!!

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