National Post from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 6

CANADA AS NATIONAL POST, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2005 Manitoba's senior Cabinet minister to task over the Wheat Board's Treasury Board President Reg Alcock, right, has launched a $100,000 defamation lawsuit against $100.000 CIVIL CLAIM Alcock suing Conservative MP for 'defamatory' letter to the editor hiring of his campaign manager. Mr. Alcock claims Mr. Lukiwski, in a letter to the editor published in December's Western Producer, acted maliciously and callously in attempting to harm his reputation and image. In the claim, Mr.

Alcock again asserts he had no knowledge of Avis Gray's hiring until Conservative MP Ibm LukiwsW over a letter he wrote alleging corruption at the Canadian Wheat Board. Mr. Alcock's statement of claim, filed yesterday in Ontario Superior Court, takes legal aim at the Regina-Lumsden Lake Centre MP who took it happened. Paul Samyn, CanWest News Service POLITICS INDUSTRY OTTAWA REPORT Pratt Whitney has collected S1.5B from Ottawa Conservative activist to push Harper for late-term abortion ban ft TOP GRANTSLOANS RECIPIENT hidden agenda when it comes to the issue of abortion," said Ms. Wilkins, vice-president of the Kingston and the Islands riding association "If we have a position on abortion that is reasonable, that people can agree with, then that defuses that" Several Tories have voiced fear that outspoken opponents of gay marriage and abortion the party's so-called social conservative wing could effectively lujack the Montreal convention by causing a media circus on the hot-button issues.

Mr. Harper, sources say, raised such concerns at this week's caucus meeting. And he has stated his party will not advocate abortion legislation. Peter O'Neil, CanWest News Service Ottawa The Conservative party, accused during the 2004 election of having a hidden agenda to re-criminalize abortion, is being pushed by some activists to pass an explicit policy that would prohibit late-term abortions. The debate, to be settled at a party policy convention in Montreal next month, echoes a battle going on in the U.S., where a similarly worded ban signed by President George W.

Bush in 2003 is now subject to a major court battle. The resolution proponent, Kingston, Ont, party activist Connie Wilkins, said her initiative could help leader Stephen Harper fight allegations of a hidden agenda. "Every single election we are accused of having a By Jack Aubry OTTAWA Pratt Whitney has been the largest recipient of Industry Canada handouts over the past 20 years, receiving more than in so-called federal contributions and investments since 1982, an Ottawa Citizen investigation shows. Partial figures obtained through an Access to Information request also reveals the multinational aerospace corporation has paid back only about of $524-million doled out by March, 2004, through the controversial Technology Partnerships Canada scheme. A heavily blacked out document shows repayments of in 2002-2003 Liberal MP calls same-sex bill a sham' QHAITH ABDUL-AHAD GETTY IMAGES "We are training the trainers" of Iraqi security forces, says a Canadian general.

DEFENCE Ontario Court of Appeal ruling on anal sex. Judge Rosalie Abella ruled a Criminal Code section prohibiting anal sex for anyone under age 18 was discrimination on the basis of age. That meaift that the Criminal Code of Canada, written into the laws of this country, denied anal intercourse to people under the age of 18, and with the stroke of a judicial pen, that which was illegal became legal," Mr. Wappel said He also warned that since judges have already ruled prohibitions against same-sex marriage and under-age anal sex are unconstitutional, nothing is to prevent the courts ruling that (Mnunal Code prohibitions against polygamy also violate the Charter. Tim Naumetz, CanWest News Service Ottawa Toronto Liberal MP Tom Wappel yesterday compared the same-sex marriage bill to legalization of anal sex for teenagers.

He called the legislation a "sham and a hoax" and accused the government of attempting to fool Canadians into believing it would protect churches from being forced to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. He said he has been warning the government about the threat of same-sex marriage for 11 years, but a string of prime ministers and justice ministers ignored him. Mr. Wappel said his views on same-sex marriage are well known in his caucus. Denouncing changes to society that have been implemented by judges interpreting the Charter of Bights, Mr.

Wappel referred to an ana in ziajj-ziap. The program, which has a woeful record of collecting on the contributions, shelled out another $207-million the single largest financial injection ever made by TPC this year toward research on a gas turbine aircraft engine at the corporation. Another sign that Pratt Whitney is a preferred customer of TPC is found in the public accounts for 2003-2004, when the corporation received more than 25 of the $311-million paid out by TPC The remainder was divvied up among 173 other companies, receiving on average $L4-millioa Pratt Whitney's political donations Canadian soldiers based in Baghdad since 1993 have been split fairly evenly between the Liberals and the Conservatives. But in 2003, Elections Canada shows it made only one donation of $40,000 to the Liberals. In 2002 and 2001, it gave about Looking for a solid investment? CD) eacn to we Lweiais ana ns ngni-wing opposition, either the Canadian Alliance or the Progressive (Conservatives.

A review of public accounts and annual reports shows that the federal government shelled out $627-million to in repayable contributions along with $176-million in non-repayable funds, through TPC Is predecessor, the Defence Industry Productivity Program (DIPP), between April, 1982, and March, 1998. DIPP recovered only 20 of the in contributions it gave between 1982 and 1995. A spokesperson for Pratt Whitney said not wanting to give its competition any advantage, the corporation will not disclose the repayments it has made toward DIPP and TPC as long as its competitors do not disclose its repayments. Industry Minister David Emerson has recently been promising to overhaul the "tattered" TPC, with possible news coming as early as next week's federal budget The Minister has said he wants to eliminate aerospace companies such as Pratt Whitney as being eligible for funds from the scheme, while aiming to improve disclosure on how tax dollars are being used and why. It is expected Industry Canada will create a new generous program to take care of aerospace and automotive companies.

TPC has so far managed to collect less than 5 $93-million of the combat troops to Iraq, but has been vague about the fact that Canadian military personnel under the banner of NATO have been actively engaged in Iraqi training. "We've had a varying number of Canadians on exchange duties with other nations, and with NATO in and out of Iraq at various times through the past couple of years," said a senior federal official, who briefed journalists yesterday about Prime Minister Paul Martin's trip to Brussels tomorrow for next week's NATO leaders summit "There have been some Canadians that have been part of NATO that have gone to Iraq and have participated in those training and mentoring activities," said another senior federal official. "They go for periods of weeks, to a period of a month or two. It really depends on the activity that they're doing." The official pegged the number of Canadians at "less than 10." NATO leaders will confront the divisive issue of the Iraqi training program when they meet on Tuesday. President George W.

Bush wants his NATO allies to contribute troops to the reconstruction of Iraq but alliance leaders will likely put forth a compromise plan mat calls for the creation of a training program outside of Iraq, and a trust fund to support it Yesterday, senior federal officials said Mr. Martin would use the summit to announce that Canada has pledged 30 trainers who would be stationed in neighbouring Jordan, and $l-million toward the NATO trust fund. The RCMP already uses Jordan as a training program for Iraqi police. However, federal officials were vague on what the Canadians trainers would do, or when they would be deployed. CanWest News Service Senior officers part of NATO training program By Mike Blanchfield OTTAWA A handful of senior Canadian military officers has ventured to Baghdad on NATO training missions since the alliance began its "mentoring" program of Iraqi security forces last August despite Ottawa's determination not to get involved in Iraq.

"We are training the trainers. We are helping the Iraqis help themselves," said Lieutenant-General Michel Maison-neuve, the Canadian chief of staff of NATO's allied. command transformation headquarters in Norfolk, Va. Two Canadian officers, including a colonel, served on a NATO training mission in Iraq late last year, Lt-Gen. Maisonneuve said in an interview.

The colonel, he said, served as a chief of staff to the training mission based in Baghdad, but did not do any of the "right-seat mentoring" that pairs NATO trainers with Iraqi security officials, a program that began in August The Canadians were among the approximately 100 NATO officers, from various member countries, serving in Baghdad in an attempt to get a training program up and running with Iraqi se-curity forces. NATO made a commitment to train Iraqi forces last summer, but that has proven controversial because many member countries including Canada opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and have vowed not to send troops to Iraq. The Liberal government has repeatedly said Canada would not contribute Stable, monthly interest income 8 return is not a "projected inoome', nor is it "averaged over our best nor is it based on clever accounting tricks, possible tax savings, or depreciation credits. 8 is 8. No fees deducted There are no management fees, deductions, or performance bonuses.

8 is 8. RRSP eligible $10,000 is the minimum investment (for qualified purchasers). This offering is subject to oomplianoe with appropriate securities laws and is fully described in an Offering Memorandum available from Stinson Financial Corporation. Information seminar A rare opportunity to ask questions and "look 'em in the eye" Choice of breakfast, afternoon, evening, or weekend session. Stinson Property Fund www.stinsonfund.com biUion it has disbursed to a variety of cor porations, including Bombardier and Rolls-Royce.

Spokespeople for the pro gram insist TPC is not designed to imme diately collect on its financing because the investments it makes take decades before products come to market Bruce Stuart, a spokesman for TPC, Stinson Financial Corporation Toronto 416-369-9993 National 1-888-851-3393 E-mail infostinson funcLoom points out that Pratt Whitney is a corporate leader in research and development spending about $3-bfllion on in Canada since 1996. Head office, open daily, 73 Richmond West, Toronto, M5H 4E8 CanWest News Service SPECIAL SECTION FINANCIAL POST DEALMAKERS Will RBC retain its crown as the top bookrunner? Will CIBC continue their streak for the eo underwriting crown? On Monday, find out who Canada's top investment bankers are Only National Post. i 11 "it. 3. LOUIE If 8.