Canada’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has released a report that contradicts claims by supporters of Brenda Martin, who as everybody knows by now, has been held in a Mexican jail for the past two years without a trial for a crime she says she did not commit.
The report clearly states that during the past two years Canadian officials have regularly visited and telephoned the whining and supposed suicidal Martin since her imprisonment in Mexico. That’s good enough for me as far as the question about whether or not the federal government has done enough for Ms. Martin, who is accused of being a money-launderer in a $60m internet scam set up by Alyn Richard Wagge, who Martin claims was nothing more than her employer.
It is quite obvious to me that the foreign affairs report about Martin’s case clearly indicates that the feds have been doing everything that could possibly expected of them in the Martin case. What more could Martin and supporters expect?
The document itself is quite interesting.
The report documents Martin’s skirmishes with inmates, the weekly telephone calls to her mother, and a prison beauty pageant. Though I’m hardpressed to believe that Ms. Martin would have been a contestant in the beauty pageant.
The document also reveals that consular officials spoke with Martin on almost a daily basis, sometimes several times a day, and that since her arrest in February 2006 consular officials have visited her at least a dozen times. These revelations hardly express the sentiments that Martin and her supporters have shared with Canadians via the Canadian media about the government’s involvement in her case.
The report backs up the claim by the Canadian government that they have been actively involved in Martin’s case.
Still there are those who are disputing the government’s claims. While Martin and lawyer haven’t been available for comment about the report, her longtime friend Debra Tielman has, and according to her the report doesn’t give the full story. If she says so, but does she have any documented proof herself that the federal government hasn’t done enough to meet her standards. If she does, perhaps now would be the time to produce it, otherwise she should shut her pie hole.
What’s in the report:
- Martin rebuffed Canadian officials’ attempts to contact her on at least 5 different occasions, including one occasion where Martin visited the warden and told the warden to pass onto Canadian officials that she did not want a visit on that particular day
- she often talks of suicide, and has been “aggressive” with fellow inmates, and rude to cafeteria staff
- she has repeatedly refused to eat or work inside the prison, despite special privileges given to her
- she has been allowed to go through the prison kitchen and have a choice of what she wants to eat, a privilege that is not given to other inmates
- she refuses to eat, even the diet that she can (vegetables and fruit), but while in hospital she managed to eat french fries and drink pop.
- she complained to consular officials about overcrowding and having to sleep on a mattress on the floor, but when she was given the opportunity to move to another dormitory to accomodate her, she refused because she lose access to a refrigerator
- the consulate made arrangements in March 2006 for Martin to call her mother in Trenton, Ontario on a weekly basis, but missed a call to her mother last week because she was participating in a prison beauty pageant (are they kidding-she must have been a judge in the pageant)
It would appear that the report foreign affairs has released is about to take the wind out of Martin’s sail, if it already hasn’t, and as far as I’m concerned Brenda Martin doesn’t deserve anybody’s sympathy except from those who are closest to her, i.e., her closest and dearest friends ( I wonder how many she really has), her family (how close is she really with her mother and other members of her family- I’m beginning to wonder about that), and her legal team.
The Canadian government, in my opinion anyway, is doing all that it can for Martin and it would appear that Martin isn’t doing enough to help her own cause if her actions down in Mexico have been anything to go by.
I also think it is about time that the Canadian media stop allowing themselves to be used a vessel for Martin to spew her bullshit story. While they should still report on the progress of her case, I don’t think they should be giving her a platform to whine and complain about what Canadian government hasn’t done for her, especially if she is going to lie about it.
I think Ms. Martin is playing the media, that she is conning journalists, television show hosts and news anchors into believing her story, hoping that the media and Canadians will put more pressure on Mexican authorities so that she can avoid prosecution for the crime she is accused of committing down in Mexico.
Bottomline: She’s a fraud, a liar, and a belligerent inmate. Is it any wonder she is where she is?
The lying sack of shit will get no sympathy from me in Crooked in Canada.
Headline: Brenda Martin received regular visits, calls: report
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Debra Tieleman // Mar 28, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Incredible. The gov’t releases a statement listing a bunch of phone calls which has no bearing on what they’ve done on the case. Brenda cannot call her lawyer from prison due to his automated system. Those calls have to go through the consulate. Brenda gets a weekly call to her mother. Those are counted as consular contact with Brenda? When the consulate called the prison in an attempt to dissuade Brenda from filing the abuse of her rights , that is counted as contact? If I call the Consulate and ask them to please find out what meds the prison has Brenda on , that is counted as contact? There are no special privileges for Brenda. Everyone in the prison is on a special diet and most cook their food. I have never seen a cafeteria in the whole time I’ve been there and I have eaten there but Brenda I have been in the prison with the prisoners many days. She weights less than 90 pounds and is in prison with convicted murderers and gang leaders so I’m sure we can all imagine how aggressive she is with them.
2 Debra Tieleman // Mar 28, 2008 at 5:18 PM
Hit submit by accident.
The consulate tells her to get involved in things the prison is putting on to try to help pass the time which Brenda tried a year ago and now she is chastised for it. It’s a big yearly event at the prison and everyone takes part. It’s not exactly the Miss America Pageant and I notice there are no comments about Brenda teaching songs to the children who live in the prison. No, that might make her look human. Never mind that it was a year ago when even Brenda thought there might be some justice and they would look at the evidence and realize she did nothing wrong.
Brenda’s bank records are public and she doesn’t own an asset in the world. Alyn Waage gets arrested with his bodyguard, the former police chief of Puerto Vallarta with 4.5 million dollars in undeclared cash and they get reduced charges of posssession of “contraband” and walk out of the jail. Brenda, who was the cook, get charged with serious crimes not allowing for bail because she was paid with money from illegal activities she knew nothing about? Interesting that Alyn Waage’s mansion is now up for sale and the owner is his Mexican lawyer. That house is worth millions and was paid for in cash with illicit monies but the lawyer is not in jail. Am I the only one who thinks something is seriously wrong here????? And what is our government doing leaking a document that may or may not be accurate and may or may not be subjective, but certainly falls under the very privacy act they have been hiding behind for two years!!!! Honestly, I wish I was as well trained in the “spin” that has become a trademark of this case. No, Brenda is not Mother Teresa, but she certainly deserves to have her rights protected. Can you imagine if we picked up one of our Mexican migrant workers and questioned him without a lawyer or interpreter and took him through the court process and had him sign statements in a foreign language without the benefit of an interpreter??!! Canadians would be up in arms. We all deserve to have our international rights upheld, even and especially when we are out of Canada. I barely know Brenda as I hadn’t seen her in 32 years, but I have seen the file and know the case and this is just wrong and I can’t stand by and do nothing. I would certainly want someone to help me or my children given the same circumstances. Wouldn’t any of us? Deb Tieleman
3 Debra Tieleman // Mar 28, 2008 at 5:31 PM
With regard to Foreign Affairs involvement in this case under Guergis it is interesting to note that while it was reported that Guergis did not visit Brenda while there as her time was better spent meeting with official s on Brenda’s behalf, she managed to attend a cocktail reception at the Camino Real Hotel with 15 to 20 invited guests who were Cdns living in Mexico. I imagine we would all be very comforted by her incredible involvement while we languished only 20 minutes down the road. The fact that she cannot answer the simplest of questions about the case indicates clearly her deep involvement. Brenda’s lawyer sent her the Amparo documents weeks before her trip to Mexico but her office confirmed that she never read them. I spoke TODAY with the consulate in Guadalajara and they could not even tell me what Brenda is charged with and she is the only Canadian there and has been there more than two years!!!! I see the report doesn’t detail the call to me allowing a psychiatrist to assess Brenda as long as I paid the bill for it but it is likely counted as one of the calls!!! Yes, there is money for cocktail receptions but no money for Brenda’s psychiatrist. Yes, you can see how engaged they were in this file……with damage control as evidenced by the leak designed to try to make Brenda look bad. Shame on them.
4 Canadian Gypsy // Mar 28, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Hi Debra,
First of all I would like to thank you for responding to this blog entry. I appreciate that you have taken the time to say what is on your mind in my blog.
I understand that you are Ms. Martin’s friend and you have to rise to her defense after the latest government revelations. The documents weren’t leaked by the way, it was a deliberate act on the governments part. What do you expect them to do after the way Ms. Martin, her defense team and her supporters, have manipulated the media into painting the feds as the bad guys.
I don’t doubt that the Canadian government has role to play in Brenda’s case, but keep in mind that Canadian consulate in Mexico was under the control of the Liberal government long before the Conservatives took over. I have no doubt in my mind that the Liberals left quite a mess down in Mexico prior to Brenda’s arrest, and I suspect that mess has contributed to the situation the current government is facing in Mexico regarding Brenda’s case.
You said that the feds asked her not to make a human rights complaint, but she went ahead and did so anyway. Why did she do that, on whose advice was she acting upon? Her actions surely would have made things more difficult for her and it is entirely possible that the feds were trying to keep her from making things worse for herself and the Canadian government with such damning allegations about the Mexican authorities. Her allegations would have pissed of the Mexican authorities. If she hadn’t had made those allegations there is every possibility that things would be better for her today. I don’t know really, but it sounds like she went out of her to rock the boat.
Brenda was in Mexico for 10 years prior to her arrest wasn’t she, surely she could speak and understand the language? While I agree she should have had an interpreter if she didn’t understand the language, I am hardpressed to believe that she didn’t speak Mexican at the time of her arrest. I learned French while living in Quebec City for two years. I wasn’t fluent but I understood enough when it came to the law and my rights.
She claimed that the $26k she is accused of laundry was severance pay for 10 months work. That’s a pretty good severance package wouldn’t you agree, and is cause for suspicion in both Mexico and Canada.
You said that you spoke with the Canadian consulate and they didn’t know what she was charged with. Maybe I miss understand but are you saying they didn’t know today when you called what she was charged with? How could they not know what she was charged with? I think the staff at the consulate could be going out of their way to torment you. I imagine they get a lot of phone calls regarding this case on a daily basis and your call wouldn’t please them, I’m sure of that. You have known her for 32`years, I bet the consulate is finding you a bit of a pain in the ass, and some of the embassy staff probably feels the same way about your friend too.
Trust me, they know what she is charged with, how could they not?
Prior to her arrest you hadn’t seen her for 32 years. While you might have seen the files and documents regarding her case, do you really think that after 32 years you really know Brenda?
This is about more than her rights being protected.
In order for our rights to be protected we have to take responsibility for our actions and treat foreign authority with the utmost of respect when in their country.
Has Brenda done that? Has she been cooperative with Mexican authorities? I don’t know, but I haven’t heard or read anything that says she was.
I’m living in a foreign country and I have absolute faith in the Canadian government and my own abilities and knowledge to ensure that my rights are protected here.
I understand that she has been held in custody for two years without a trial, and she should have been tried by now. It is the only part of “her story” I agree with.
The alleged human rights violation, that’s iffy, but I agree that at the time of her arrest the Canadian ambassador to Mexico should have been contacted immediately once she was identified as being Canadian. I don’t know if he was, do you?
As to the implied corrupt behaviour of the Mexican authorities in your comments, I don’t doubt for one second that there are corrupt officials in Mexico, but they are just allegations at this point.
After all that I have said here, and on the main page of my blog, I’m sure you don’t have a very high opinion of me at the moment. I understand completely.
If you would like to use my blog to state Brenda’s case I will be more than happy to accomodate you. I will publish whatever you would like me to publish about this case.
I will provide you with space in my blog so that you can respond. I will not censor you nor will I edit what you have to say.
Think about it.
One more thing, in you it would appear Brenda has a good friend, a loyal one. She needs friends like that and I hope she truly appreciates what you have gone through for her.
Take care of yourself and good luck.
Donald Culbert
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