intrigue

UPDATE: CBC.ca Nova Scotia has a story up.

EVEN UPDATEDER: … and so does Canadian Press.

MORE UPDATE-IER STILL:  Conservative blogger Stephen Taylor reveals that he, too, received a virtual “brown envelope”.

Halifax Chronicle Herald Ottawa bureau chief Steve Maher provides the most detailed account yet.

AND AGAIN THE UPDATES: Scroll down for the awesome poetizing of Jack Mitchell!

Y’all, I’m totally trying to catch up after missing this morning’s excitement, and I promise that I’ll update this post when I have a better idea of what’s going on, but here’s  a partial the full transcript of the point of order that Independent and Proud of It MP Bill Casey delivered a few moments ago in the House of Commons, at least:
Mr. Bill Casey (Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, Ind.): Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege. I hope to be able to present a prima facie case that my privileges as a member of Parliament and even as a Canadian citizen have been breached.

I never, ever thought that I would stand in the House and have to defend myself against false accusations of theft and embezzlement—I can hardly say the word.

Last Thursday a member of the press, Hugo de Grandpré from La Presse called my office and asked if there was any update on the charges against me on the accusation of embezzlement.

I knew nothing about this on Thursday. I called him back to find out what it was, and he said that he was in possession of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police briefing note to the commissioner that says that the Conservative Party of Canada has asked the RCMP to conduct an investigation against me and it is entitled “a complaint of theft”. It says that certain Conservative members, whose names are whited out, attended the Bible Hill office to report the embezzlement of funds by a member of Parliament.

I just cannot tell you, Mr. Speaker, what this means to me. I have been here for 20 years. I am 63 years old. I have built my whole business career, my politics on honesty, credibility and my reputation. To have this happen is devastating.

I just did not even know how devastating it was until this morning when I had to call my two daughters to tell them I was going to get up in the House to defend myself against accusations of theft and embezzlement.

I hope I can get through this. It is outrageous. I want to present the issue. I have sent a copy of the RCMP report, and I would like to go through it.

First of all, it says, to the commissioner: “For your information only—” just the commissioner and everybody else, apparently.

The issue is, member of Parliament, complaint of a theft. On September 18 Conservative Party members who are unnamed—