Family Squabble

23 February 2004


Canadian Political Scandal Rocks Ottawa

Not that one would be able to tell from the reporting by the xenophobes known as the American media, but Canada is in the middle of a political scandal that promises to entertain in both French and English. It could also do grave harm to the ruling Liberal Party. Throw in a conservative movement that has finally united, and one has the makings of real political drama, not just talking heads blathering on about momentum, fundraising and endorsements.

In a nutshell, the Ottawa government spent C$250 million over a 4 year period to "increase the federal presence and visibility in communities across Canada by providing funds to support cultural and community events." Of the quarter of a billion, C$100 million went to communications agencies as production fees and commissions, and not entirely honestly. "Rules were broken or ignored at every stage of the process for more than four years," said Auditor-General Sheila Fraser, "and there was little evidence of value received for the money spent."

This is where it gets good. Jean Chretien was prime minister at the time, and Paul Martin was in charge of the Treasury. They hate each other. Mr. Chretien resigned (was kicked out by his own party, unwilling to wait for his own departure date a few months later) in November, and Mr. Martin took over at 24 Sussex Dr. (think 10 Downing St. in Ottawa). Now, if Mr. Martin wanted to play cover up, he would have demanded a full parliamentary inquiry and hushed the row in committee (that's what parliamentary inquiries are for, asking questions, not getting answers). Instead, he has decided to play the glasnost card and opt for a public inquiry led by a judge from Montreal, John Gomery, with a reputation for toughness.

The question, though, is what did the prime minister know and when did he know it? Mr. Martin maintains he knew nothing of the sponsorship abuses. One would like to believe that the top money man in the government didn't know, but perhaps, he should have. And he halted it his first day in office. Hmmmm. On the other hand, he seems to be getting the benefit of the doubt from the people for being so open about his predecessor's ethical weaknesses.

What is truly galling for those watching from the USA is the knowledge that if this scandal does explode and topple the Grits, as Canada's Liberals are called, the entire thing will be over from resignation and campaigning to vote-counting and swearing in of a new government before Mr. Bush is formally nominated in New York in September. Perhaps the Canadians can run Iraq's elections and get them done before 30 June.

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