link to the official story here: http://www6.autonet.ca/Motorsports/News/2007/06/18/4270375-cp.html
Tories use news and NASCAR in bid for voters
By BRUCE CHEADLE
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal Conservative party isn't just targeting the speed-demon demographic by sponsoring a car on the Canadian NASCAR circuit.
It turns out the party logo - a big blue "C" - appears on the hood of the car driven by Pierre Bourque, whose popular Internet news aggregator sells tourqued headlines to political operatives.
Bourque's website confirmed the connection Monday, linking to a story by Inside Track Motorsport News that noted his Dodge Charger is the sponsored Tory vehicle.
As the Inside Track story states: "Bourque's popular Bourque Newswatch site is on the daily 'must-see' list of favourites for Canadian news and political junkies."
Research on the business model for Bourque Newswatch suggests the federal Conservative party has just guaranteed itself favourable coverage for the foreseeable future by sponsoring Bourque's hobby.
Past and current Bourque clients have confirmed to The Canadian Press that advertisers on the site can expect flattering headlines or links, or headlines and links denigrating their opponents.
The Conservative party refuses to confirm or deny that it employs Bourque's headline service directly. But months of negative headlines and links to scathing blogs about Liberal Leader Stephane Dion on Bourque Newswatch indicate someone with an axe to grind is paying the news aggregator, which openly advertises its headline service for sale.
When the Conservatives announced the NASCAR sponsorship Sunday, they also neglected to mention the sponsored vehicle is driven by Bourque.
Instead, the party's news release referred to Whitlock Motor Sports.
"This is a unique opportunity for the Conservative party to reach out to Canadians," Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in a release.
NASCAR has a big middle-class fan base that the Tories want to get their message out to.
Immigration Minister Diane Finley says sponsoring a car is a way for the Conservatives to tap into that following.
It's no different than the Liberals and their sponsorship debacle... But then again if it's the Federal "Conservatives" they're just Liberals in Conservative clothing.
oops. Kinda went off on a rant. lol
Quebec is a hole nother country when it comes to shady deals and cover ups.
We were scammed by one of Quebec's finest- GENE ROY of Go-Racing.ca, at the same time he scammed the CASCAR Series as well, and also Race Driver Bertrand Godin. This guy was a total scam artist and the Quebec Police knew all about him. He was buddy buddy with all of the Quebec Politicians and even invited them to the races. When we went to have him charged for fraud the Quebec police, who interviewed all of us as named above for 5 hours and agreed this was a scam deal and a flat out fraud case, somehow backed off the case and charges were never mentioned. When we followed up on the deal the one Investigator told us that this guy was well known and poltically connected because he had made several financial deals with the political parties of Quebec.
This ***** still walks the earth of Quebec after taking me for $120,000.00- CASCAR for $90,000.00 and Godin for $30,000.00.
I guess if your French you can be the biggest low life in the world and get away with it as long as you are connected with the Political parties of Quebec.
! am not saying that Borque has done anything wrong and took the sponsorship as any racer would, but I am saying that hidden story's of what goes on in the Politically Corrupt Country of Quebec is nothing new.
P.S. - If anyone knows of Gene Roy (aka * ***) watch your back. If I wasn't such an honest guy I should have hired the law firm of Smith & Wesson to find this JERK !!!
As for Quebec- Some of the people their are good honest people, and some are as phony as a $3 dollar bill.
I'm pretty sure that Flaherty did say Bourque's name, but if not, the fact that he was standing right beside him, wearing his drivers uniform, kind of gave away who he was talking about!!
And I love the part about "confirming it on Monday" on Bourque's web site, when Gregs message shows a picture of the car with the big blue "C" on the hood!!
And to 22fan, its the Conservative party, not the government, that is sponsoring the car, whereas the sponsorship scandal was more about the Liberals using federal money.
joe h
As for Quebec- Some of the people their are good honest people, and some are as phony as a $3 dollar bill.
Haven't you just described every single province/state/country in the world in that statement? Quebec is no different than anywhere else when it comes to scandal or anything else. Corruption runs rampant everywhere in the world. Not just that, the sponsorship was from a Federal party, not a provincial one. Yes you got screwed over, yes I feel sorry for you over it, but your rant had nothing whatsoever to do with the article. There is a HUGE difference between provincial and federal politics.