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Topic: GroupAction

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	Auditor General Gets Tough on Feds (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		As for the Groupaction contracts already found so badly wanting, Fraser has turned the matter over to the RCMP for a possible investigation into wrongdoing that goes well beyond what she, as watchdog over the way taxpayers' money gets spent, is allowed to probe.
		Between Fraser and the RCMP, the Groupaction affair might turn into the one that forces Jean CHRÉTIEN to take real action to repair his government's battered reputation on ethics.
		Groupaction was supposed to write three reports from 1996 to 1999 advising Ottawa on how to raise its profile in Quebec.
	thecanadianencyclopedia.com /index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012415 (766 words)

	2002 Report of the Auditor General of Canada - May - Report to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services ...
		On 18 March 2002, Groupaction stated in an affidavit related to the second contract that the documents it had sent to Communication Canada had been retrieved from the hard disks of the computers used at the time.
		Groupaction later explained to us that copies of a number of computer files and of certain documents related to sponsorship files had been gathered together hastily.
		Groupaction explained to us that the package was not the report itself but a reconstitution of working papers from 1998-99.
	www.oag-bvg.gc.ca /domino/reports.nsf/html/02sprepe.html (5903 words)

	PUBLICATION
		Groupaction Marketing Inc. won $1.2 million worth of the work after it came under the scrutiny of Auditor General Sheila Fraser in March 2002 and continued working for the Firearms Centre even after the RCMP began investigating the firm the next month, the documents show.
		The contracts awarded to Groupaction in 2000 were related to advertising and communications strategies as the deadline for licensing all gun owners approached, while the second batch of contracts was awarded in advance of the deadline for registering all firearms.
		Breitkreuz said he believes the Groupaction contracts are "just the tip of the iceberg" of $1 billion the government has spent on the firearms program since it was launched in 1995.
	www.garrybreitkreuz.com /publications/Article336.htm (600 words)

	CBC News:Mounties search Groupaction offices (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		She also said Groupaction didn't appear to have done all the work paid for under the contracts.
		Groupaction has contributed more than $100,000 to the Liberal party.
		A Commons committee report on the Groupaction contracts due out this fall could die because of the government's decision to prorogue Parliament and begin a new session.
	www.cbc.ca /stories/2002/09/17/groupaction020917 (219 words)

	Official Report * 1135 * Number 060 (Official Version) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Groupaction was a qualified advertiser available to the department for utilization on specific contracts.
		The work done by Groupaction was not in fact an evaluation of a past project.
		That is exactly what Groupaction did on behalf of the Government of Canada in accordance with the contract as amended.
	www.parl.gc.ca /37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/060_2001-05-11/han060_1135-e.htm (654 words)

	Daimnation!: Cat released from bag
		The executive said the president of Groupaction, Jean Brault, made no secret around the company about where the kickback cash was going and for what.
		But another former Groupaction executive, Alain Renaud, said that while the firm was getting million of dollars in federal sponsorship money, it was secretly cutting cheques to the separatist Parti Quebecois.
		Groupaction apparently won the contract in a competition when a bagman for the Parti Quebecois had a meeting with the firm's top executives.
	www.damianpenny.com /archived/004122.html (406 words)

	Articles - Sponsorship scandal (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		In addition to repeating her earlier assertions, she also claims that Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve was given a secret $12 million payoff to wear a Canadian flag logo on his racing suit (however, Villeneuve sharply denies this allegation, calling it "ludicrous").
		BÃ©dard also testifies that she once heard that Groupaction was involved in drug trafficking.
		May 10 - Jean Brault, president of Groupaction, and Charles GuitÃ© arrested by the RCMP for fraud in connection with the sponsorship scandal.
	www.bowling-balls.net /articles/Sponsorship_scandal (2345 words)

	Ottawa Business Journal - News Story
		Groupaction is the Montreal-based PR firm alleged to have benefited from millions of dollars worth of federal money funneled through the sponsorship program.
		The final charge against each man alleges that Groupaction was awarded a completely bogus contract worth $330,000.
		In 2002, a report by Fraser found that Groupaction had billed taxpayers three times for the same report.
	www.ottawabusinessjournal.com /280476131580095.php (479 words)

	Myriam Bedard, Citytv, CBC, bias
		According to Bédard, she lost her job with Via, one of the Crown corporations alleged to be involved in improper payments, when she questioned the amount of monies that was being paid to Groupaction, the Quebec advertising agency at the centre of the scandal.
		Specifically, she testified that she had heard that Groupaction was involved in drug trafficking and that racing star Jacques Villeneuve had received $12 million of government funds just to wear an almost invisible Canadian logo during races.
		While her status as a parent is hardly relevant to anything, her spreading of unsubstantiated rumours, particularly Groupaction’s involvement with drugs, could properly be classified as "pitiful".
	www.canadafreepress.com /2004/media041204.htm (652 words)

	CTV.ca \| RCMP conducts more raids in Groupaction case
		The Groupaction reports helped plunge Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government into scandal this year when it was revealed two of the reports were almost identical and the third was missing altogether from federal files.
		A Quebec City hunting-and-fishing show that was to be overseen by Groupaction was cancelled eight months after the June 1999, letter was sent.
		Groupaction and the organizers of the show, Le Groupe Polygone Editeurs Inc., kept $383,000 in sponsorship funds that they had received.
	www.ctv.ca /servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1032422802155_132?s_name=&no_ads= (634 words)

	Sun Ottawa Bureau Columnist: Greg Weston - The tip of the iceberg (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		The same charges were laid against Jean Brault, president of Groupaction Marketing, one of the Montreal ad agencies at the receiving end of the sponsorship windfall.
		While RCMP officials made it clear yesterday their investigations are far from over and more players may well find themselves in handcuffs, there seems to have been a certain lack of urgency in the Mounties getting their men.
		Sources involved in the investigation allege Groupaction produced "maybe $1,500 worth of work" for the $150,000 they were paid.
	www.canoe.ca /NewsStand/Columnists/Ottawa/Greg_Weston/2004/05/11/pf-454371.html (578 words)

	Edited Hansard * Table of Contents * Number 199 (Official Version) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		She was referring to the public service not to Groupaction.
		It is hard to believe that Groupaction could not have had some role in that.
		However the government rewards Groupaction with four more contracts worth over $200,000 when it already knew that the auditor general was investigating the previous shoddy work.
	www.parl.gc.ca /37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/199_2002-06-05/han199_1435-E.htm (766 words)

	Under Siege \| canada.com Network (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Bedard refused to repeat the Groupaction drug accusation to journalists after the hearing, explaining it would not be protected by privilege.
		Soon after she started work with Via Rail she realized that the bills coming in from Groupaction for advertising and sponsorships at events like Winterlude in Ottawa, Quebec City's Carnaval and the Francophonie Games were out of proportion with the work done.
		Bedard recounted how she was assigned to work at Groupaction on a campaign for Via Rail tied to the Olympic Games, all the while remaining on Via Rail's payroll.
	www.canada.com /national/features/undersiege/story.html?id=e0f64620-6786-4f0b-9888-846880a5dfea (852 words)

	Politics Watch - Canada's Political Portal
		A former employee of Groupaction and Gosselin Communications testified money was funnelled from the ad firm through his own company in order to conceal the source of contributions to the Liberal Party.
		Brault is one of three ad executives who have been charged for their role in the scandal.
		Earlier this week, Gosselin testified that he felt his firm's declining sponsorship business was due to his reluctance to make donations to the Liberal Party after pressure from party fundraisers.
	www.politicswatch.com /gomery-mar17-2005.htm (618 words)

	Sponsorship scandal: Breaking all the rules - Scandals, Boondoggles and White Elephants - CBC Archives
		Fraser examined three contracts worth $1.6 million awarded to Montreal-based Groupaction Marketing Inc. Between 1996 and 1999, Groupaction was contracted by Jean Chrétien's office to write three reports on ways to improve federal government's profile in Quebec after the narrow 1995 referendum results.
		Fraser describes government handling of Groupaction contracts as "appalling" and "unacceptable," and calls in the RCMP to investigate.
		Groupaction Marketing Inc. was one of the advertising agencies chosen for the contracts.
	archives.cbc.ca /IDC-1-73-1700-11687/politics_economy/political_scandals/clip11 (604 words)

	CIVITATENSIS » 2005 » April » 06
		Jean Chretien’s argued that the scamming, federally-chosen ad agencies in Quebec were not exclusively picked because of their Liberal ties but because they were federalist agencies –in what they would have us believe was otherwise a sea of separatists.
		Groupaction, in that reading, was painted as a strong federalist operation.
		It seems that the Groupaction folks were cornering the market in the washing of public money funneled out of state coffers and destined to return to political parties.
	www.civitatensis.ca /archives/2005/04/06 (456 words)

	2003 Report of the Auditor General of Canada - November - Chapter 4 - Case Study 1 - Contracts awarded without ...
		In 1998, Justice officials informed CCSB that they were not satisfied with Groupaction's work and urged it to select a new agency through a competitive process.
		CCSB began a competitive process in mid-1999 and advised Groupaction that until the process was completed, Justice would renew the long-term agreement with Groupaction on a month-to-month basis.
		In 2001, PWGSC issued two contracts to Groupaction to develop two national advertising campaigns for the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, although Groupaction had been selected as the agency only in the Quebec region.
	www.oag-bvg.gc.ca /domino/reports.nsf/html/20031104se01.html (910 words)

	Tasteful Future: Tasteful Future Archives (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Bernard Landry made a talking points press conference on Sunday where he "reassured" Québécois everywhere that the Parti Québécois found $30,000 of the estimated $100,000 the party received in contributions from employees of Groupaction.
		Groupaction is (was?) a Québécois success story, and Québécois cling to such successful endeavours, like Bombardier or Québecor, for instance, as a matter of pride and Québécois know-how.
		They expect those companies to look out for their Québécois workers, because they aren't "des maudits anglais." Groupaction has shown that greed speaks whatever language, and that it had complete contempt for the average citizen, both anglophone and francophone.
	www.gluemeat.com /tastefulfuture/archives/000844.html (987 words)

	CTV.ca \| Bedard received car from ad firm chief: report
		According to the report, the car was partly paid for by Jean Brault, the president of Groupaction, one of the Montreal advertising companies at the heart of the sponsorship scandal.
		The report says that Bedard had a long, professional relationship with Groupaction that dated back to her days as an Olympic biathlete.
		A former agent for Bedard, Jean-Marc Saint-Pierre, told the Journal that Groupaction's Brault had known Bedard for many years and the car was a gift between friends, to commemorate her retirement from biathlon competition.
	www.ctv.ca /servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1078330573949_37?hub=TopStories (439 words)

	A Clear Voice: Canada Archives (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Groupaction, whose president Jean Brault is the one testifying right now, was one of the communications agencies that was often used by CCSB.
		Groupaction skimmed lots of money off of these contracts while providing very little service.
		The contract said this was a Justice Canada project, but Justice officials have stated that they had not requested the contract and received none of the services outlined in it.
	www.aclearvoice.org /archives/canada/index.php (1270 words)

	Peace, order and good government, eh?: The Martin Chronicles: No stone unturned. Except maybe one. (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		PM won't reveal attendees in Groupaction meetingDespite accusations of “weaseling,” Prime Minister Paul Martin refused repeated demands during Question Period Tuesday that he reveal the names of cabinet ministers who met in 1998 with an advertising agency that is now...
		The ministers' meeting with Groupaction, which enjoyed close ties to the Liberals but has since fallen out of favour, has been called highly unusual by government insiders.
		Government officials said Monday that the government is not planning to release other records from that cabinet committee, including documents related to items such as newspaper advertising, which Groupaction was discussing with ministers at the meeting.
	www.pogge.ca /archives/000053.shtml (318 words)

	DATE
		LLOYD ROBERTSON: The company Groupaction, the Liberal friendly advertising, the Liberal friendly advertising agency embroiled in the federal sponsorship scandal, has been making money from that other much maligned government program, the billion dollar gun registry.
		RAVI BAICHWAL (Reporter): Between 1997 and 2002, Ottawa paid Groupaction $5.1 million to help introduce the Canada Firearms Centre to the country and spur gun owners to register their weapons.
		Martin Cauchon, however, did say to us that when he was the Justice Minister, nobody ever came to him with concerns over the advertising contracts between Groupaction and the gun register.
	www.garrybreitkreuz.com /publications/Article325.htm (469 words)

	CNW Group (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Jean Brault, former President of Groupaction, as part of his testimony at the Sponsorship Inquiry Commission headed by Justice Gomery, on April 6, 2005.
		In an overview of the situation around Groupaction's hiring of their client as a consultant, the attorneys point out that an interview was organized with Mr.
		Welch is strictly that of the Groupaction President and CEO, the initiative taken and procedures followed to create this employment relationship come under Mr.
	www.newswire.ca /en/releases/archive/April2005/15/c6011.html (386 words)

	Untitled
		Groupaction was a minor player in government advertising prior to 1997.
		Groupaction is paid $1.6 million to prepare reports on the sponsorship program.
		The Ottawa Sun reported that an unnamed Groupaction executive said that the PQ received $90,000 over two years in exchange for a $4.5 million ad contract with the Quebec liquor board, and that the money contributed by individual employees to get around Quebec law which prohibits corporations from making political contributions.
	www3.sympatico.ca /d.senni/adscam.htm (7024 words)

	Captain's Quarters (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		The exec said the president of Groupaction, Jean Brault, made no secret around the company about where the kickback cash was going and for what.
		This is exactly what Groupaction has done with the Parti Québécois, with the Quebec Liberal Party...
		If GroupAction really gave $100K to Parti Quebecois, it means they should seek for 30 or more suspects whom participated in such donation.
	www.captainsquartersblog.com /mt/archives/004248.php (1726 words)

	edmontonsun.com - Canada - Chuck's slush fund
		Guite didn't shy away from asking Groupaction marketing founder Jean Brault for free favours, from racing tires for his Mustang to costly and coveted tickets for the Grand Prix of Italy, during his time at Public Works and after his 1999 retirement.
		Groupaction paid Guite $136,532 from late 1999 to early 2002.
		Brault only found out while testifying before the Gomery inquiry last spring that Guite also at times charged the firms Groupaction was negotiating with for consulting services, netting $10,000 from Lafleur Communication for its merger with Groupaction in 2001.
	www.edmontonsun.com /News/Canada/2005/10/15/1263415-sun.html (636 words)

	Canada's Liberal government faces imminent defeat
		Canada’s Liberal government is at grave risk of losing a parliamentary non-confidence motion in the coming weeks, as the opposition parties seek to take advantage of damaging testimony before a public inquiry into government corruption.
		Former Groupaction Marketing president Jean Brault and other witnesses have told the inquiry headed by Justice John Gomery that a federal program set up to raise the Canadian government’s profile in Quebec—the so-called sponsorship program—served as a means to illicitly fund the Liberal Party.
		Groupaction, other advertising firms, and ad firm executives allegedly made large donations to the Liberal Party in exchange for sponsorship contracts, subcontracted some of their sponsorship work to persons with close Liberal connections, and put Liberal Party workers on their payrolls.
	www.wsws.org /articles/2005/apr2005/cana-a20.shtml (1391 words)

	TheStar.com - Shocking sponsorship details revealed (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
		Jean Brault, former president of Groupaction, outlined over six days at the inquiry how the Liberal Party of Canada extracted more than $1 million from his firm, funnelling money from the sponsorship program to fund the party's political activities in Quebec.
		The money came from $4.2 million in commissions that Groupaction charged on a series of sponsorship contracts totalling $35 million that were sent to Groupe Polygone and Expour, companies that put on trade shows and published books to promote Canada.
		He said he asked sovereignist-minded Groupaction employees to make the donation in their names, which were then repaid by the firm.
	www.thestar.com /NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1112910612292&call_pageid=1076411360530&col=1076411360550 (2251 words)

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