AFFIDAVIT
OF
TYRONE MASON
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA TRIAL DIVISION
BETWEEN:
ERNST ZÐNDEL APPLICANT
-AND-
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SECURITY INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
COMMITTEE
RESPONDENTS
AFFIDAVIT OF TYRONE MASON
I, TYRONE ALEXANDER MASON, of ***************, Province of Ontario, make
oath and say as follows:
1. I was a member of the Heritage Front from December of 1992 to June 8,
1993.
2. On June 5, 1993, a computer was stolen from the Church of the Creator's
office in the residence of Eric Fischer, Elkar Fischer, George Burdi, Drew
Maynard and others.
3. The computer to my knowledge contained the mailing list of the Heritage
Front. I know this because I watched George Burdi enter some of the data
into the computer with Wolfgang Droege sitting beside him.
4. The day after the theft of the computer I was questioned
by George Burdi about the theft at my place of residence. Burdi searched
the premises with my permission.
5. On June 8, 1993 I was approached by Eric Fischer on my street on my
way to work and he offered me a ride in a white van. I was subsequently
attacked by Eric and Elkar Fischer in the van which was being driven by
Drew Maynard. I was handcuffed, my legs were bound and I was blindfolded.
I was beaten while being questioned by Elkar about the computer theft.
They placed plastic bags over my head in an attempt to suffocate me and
threatened me with a syringe filled with Windex window cleaner.
6. The attack continued over a period of about three hours until they became
convinced that I knew nothing about the computer theft. At that point I
was released.
7. I went to the hospital for treatment for injuries sustained during the
attack to my arm, shoulder and legs. I called home from the hospital and
learned that Elkar Fischer had left several messages for me demanding that
I call him about the computer. At that point, I decided to go to the police.
8. I went to the police station on the same day and made a report. The
police charged Eric Fischer, Elkar Fischer and Drew Maynard with kidnapping,
forcible confinement, assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats
and perhaps other charges I cannot recall right now. They were arrested
that night.
9. I avoided the Heritage Front people after that for several days until
I spoke to Wolfgang Droege. Droege told me that the Fischers and Maynard
felt bad and that he thought the whole thing was over. He said the Fischers
were trying to get hold of me to give me money in compensation for the
attack. He also said that I should call Eric and try and work things out.
10. I called Eric about finding out why they had attacked me. He said that
George Burdi had fingered me as the person who stole the computer. Eric
told me that Grant Bristow was working in association with his lawyer and
that Grant was working on a way to get out of the charges and that Grant
would be contacting me.
11. Several weeks later, I was invited by Grant Bristow to have lunch with
him and James Dawson. Grant paid. He told me I should say it was just an
"initiation" into the White Berets and no one could say
anything to the contrary. He said it would make me look better in the Heritage
Front. Bristow was the first person to make this suggestion but subsequently
many others in the Heritage Front took this line and urged me to say that.
Bristow repeated this to me numerous times over the next several months.
12. During this time, Grant Bristow provided me and Dawson
with equipment, time, dates and addresses where anti-racists were to meet
and told us to take photographs or videos. Without the information I never
would have gone. One person Bristow tried to get me to spy on was Ken Thomas
of Anti-Racist Action.
13. In September and October of 1993, I was the target of a telephone harassment
campaign by James Dawson and Paul Graham. It consisted of handcuffs being
clicked into the receiver and death threats.
14. I called the police and told them about the telephone harassment and
the people trying to get me to change my story. I told them Grant Bristow
told me on numerous occasions what to say about the "initiation."
15. The police had me come in to the station and do a taped interview.
As a result, the police obtained a warrant to bug my apartment. I agreed
to invite Grant Bristow, Paul Graham and James Dawson over to the apartment
to discuss the testimony I should give. Detective McPherson of Metro Police
said the conversation would be taped by the police for the purpose of getting
enough evidence to ensure a conviction on criminal charges against the
men for conspiracy to counsel perjury and counselling perjury. McPherson
told me he already had enough evidence against Bristow and Dawson to lay
charges but wanted the wiretapped evidence to cement the case.
16. Grant Bristow called me before the meeting and told me he couldn't
come down, that I should come to where he was. The police refused to let
me do this. Only Paul Graham and James Dawson showed up at my place on
November 8, 1993. They told me that in the court proceedings against the
Fischer brothers and Maynard they were "telling" me "the
easy way out" and that was to testify in court that the kidnapping
and beating was an "initiation," that it was part of a
training exercise and was all just a misunderstanding. I asked if Grant
Bristow went along with this and they replied that it was "probably
what he's gonna tell you to do."
17. I was placed in witness protection the day after the wiretap operation.
Grant Bristow, Paul Graham and James Dawson were the primary reasons I
was placed into the programme because of threats against me. I felt that
if anyone could find me, it would have been Grant Bristow and he would
have told the others in the Heritage Front where I was. I remained in the
programme until the summer of 1995. Once Grant Bristow left, there was
no further reason for me to be in the programme. Bristow was very vengeful
and if he knew I had set him up with the police wiretap in my apartment,
I feared the consequences.
18. The Fischer brothers and Drew Maynard came to trial in November of
1995. Fischer's lawyers tried to subpoena Bristow's alleged CSIS handlers,
Al Treddenick and Ward Elcock. The subpoenas were quashed but Judge Wren
held that Grant Bristow "could very well be the subject of charges
of attempting to interfere with the course of justice..." Attached
to this my affidavit and marked Exhibit A is a copy of the transcript page
6 giving Judge Wren's ruling on Bristow.
19. The charges against Maynard were dropped for delay and the Fischer
brothers pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm under a plea bargain
deal. They received a sentence of thirty days on November 15, 1995. I was
angry and upset that after two years of delay and the overwhelming evidence
against the Fischers, they were sentenced to such a short period. The investigating
police officers were also upset when I spoke to them.
20. The Security Intelligence Review Committee did not interview me during
their investigation of Grant Bristow and the Heritage Front Affair. The
report issued in December of 1994 dismissed this incident in their report
in two lines at 4.4, page 10.
DATED this 9th day of May, 1996.
(Signed)
______________________________
Tyrone Alexander Mason
Sworn before me this 9th day of May, 1996
in the City of Toronto in the Province of Ontario
(Signed)
_______________________________
A Commissioner, etc.
Or go directly to these other affidavits
