‘I have no claims, no tickets, no accidents,’ says lobbyist for warlords and political leaders. ‘I’m not doing anything illegal…. When they have nothing else to say, they call it moral risk’
Ari Ben-Menashe, a Montreal-based war zone lobbyist who is embroiled in a battle with Ottawa over losing his banking and credit card access, says he has now had his car insurance cancelled — for a cited reason of “moral risk.”
Four additional insurance companies have also refused to take his business, he said, as he scrambled Monday to find coverage for his two Maseratis and a BMW. He says the designation is unwarranted and deeply political.
Ben-Menashe sees the problem as another attack over political dissent in the federal government’s campaign against him because of his controversial business with clients in hotspots and conflict zones around the world.
“Nobody is willing to renew it. Why is Mr. Trudeau and his government the arbiters of Canadian morality?” he said.
Why is Mr. Trudeau and his government the arbiters of Canadian morality?
Ben-Menashe is a lobbyist of last resort for many military and political leaders around the world. His list of clients has included militia leaders, despots, renegade generals, presidents, revolutionaries, and warlords.
He hasn’t been able to open a bank account in Canada for the past 10 years because bank after bank refused him as a client. He also lost his elite American Express Centurion card, a black titanium credit card with no limit. He sued the banks and credit card company, and most recently the federal government agencies overseeing the banking industry, without success.
He is also fighting the Canada Revenue Agency over a tax dispute after simultaneous audits of tax returns going back to 2012 for himself, his company Dickens & Madson, and those of his wife. This summer he won a court case overturning Ottawa’s secret order to help tax officials collect $7.6 million in claimed back taxes.
Freeland has previously denied being behind retribution against Ben-Menashe.
Ben-Menashe said he learned Friday his automobile policies with Intact Insurance were expiring and would not be renewed. On Monday, he said he asked why and was told it was for “moral risk.”
“They can’t say I’m a bad driver, they can’t say that they took my licence away, that I crashed the car, I was drunk — they can’t say anything like that, because it didn’t happen,” he said. “Nobody gave me a ticket. I just got a new driver’s licence for another eight years, on my birthday.
“I’m not doing anything illegal. If I did anything illegal, I would have made their life very easy, they would come and take me away, but we do not do anything illegal.
He has complained to Intact, he said.
“We’re in the middle of fighting with them, or arguing with them, or talking with them, whatever.”
David Barrett, media director for Intact, one of Canada’s largest personal insurance companies, said the company could not discuss customer files for privacy reasons.
Ben-Menashe said his Montreal insurance broker, Malouin Assurance, has been trying to find him a new insurer without success. At least four additional firms turned him away, he said. Shelley Smith, a broker with Malouin Assurance, said she could not discuss Ben-Menashe’s case for privacy reasons.
Ben-Menashe said he also complained to the Insurance Bureau of Canada
Pierre Babinsky, the Quebec director of communications and public affairs with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said he also couldn’t discuss specifics of Ben-Menashe’s file but said there are regulations in Quebec to ensure everyone has access to a minimal level of automobile insurance.
“No one is left without access to the basic automobile insurance necessary to drive a car,” he said. There are mechanisms through the Groupement des Assureurs Automobiles to force insurers to provide a minimal liability policy to customers.
Ben-Menashe said he is looking for other avenues of appeal.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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