No one really wishes ill on anyone specifically – do they? But you can bet there have been a few prayers of a general nature rising from the Liberal war-room with this bit of divine intervention news this morning:
The federal Tories are standing behind a B.C. candidate who has been charged with attempting to smuggle a car and booze across the U.S. border last year. Derek Zeisman is running to replace retiring Conservative MP Jim Gouk in the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior. The party only found out about the six charges on Wednesday after being contacted by the media. Canada Customs and Revenue alleges Zeisman tried to smuggle a 1989 Mercedes Benz from the U.S. into Canada, as well as 112 bottles of liquor in July 2004. He’s also accused of lying to customs officers about the incident. If convicted, Zeisman could be fined by up to $50,000 and could face six months in jail.
Is this the same guy?
Derek Zeisman, BAHons/94, BJ/95, is a sessional instructor at Capilano College in British Columbia. Derek is also a trade commissioner with the International Trade Centre in Vancouver, where he also resides. He can be reached at zeisman.derek@ic.gc.ca.
Yup. From the Tory’s candidate’s page:
Upon his return to Canada in 2002, Derek accepted a job as a trade commissioner at Industry Canada’s International Trade Centre in Vancouver, a position which allowed him to work closely with BC-based businesses by assisting them in exporting their goods and services around the world.
So while I am not exactly thinking that Stephen Harper counselled Mr. International Trade Wizard 2006 to bring the car over without declaring, he is up there in the all-party gallery of fools with our pal also known as the country’s dumbest blogger.
And just for full disclosure, all posts at A Good Beer Blog are based on full declaration to Canada’s fine customs officers.
Update: Harper did exactly the right thing. John Reynolds, however, clearly did not as Brooksy notes:
John Reynolds, the Tory campaign chairman, says the party intends to stand by Zeisman and the charges against him were only “administrative” in nature. “He will go to court, and he is still an innocent man until he goes through this process,” Reynolds told the Vancouver Province. “But even at that point, it’s not a criminal offence.”
I would have told Brooks directly but for his devotion to blogger software and its demands that I sell my soul to leave him a comment.