April 04, 2005
Damage control
The Liberals, fearing for their political lives more than ever since 1993, are trying to portray themselves as the victims of Adscam. I swear to God, you can't make this up:
The opposition questioned the "gall" of federal Liberals Monday, after the governing party asked the RCMP to investigate the possibility it was a victim of fraud in the sponsorship program.
"They have the gall to depict the Liberal Party as the victim of the sponsorship scandal," Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said as the daily question period got underway in the House of Commons Monday afternoon.
"Will the Government at least have the decency to simply admit that the only victim is the Canadian taxpayer whose money was stolen?"
The Liberal Party called in the RCMP in apparent response to testimony last week at the Gomery Inquiry. The details cannot be made public due to a publication ban.
Prime Minister Paul Martin replied to Harper by defending party workers.
"There are of thousands of men and women in Quebec and across this country who are dedicated to the Liberal Party and to their country," Martin said.
"Those members of the Liberal Party should not have to bear the rumours ... or the burden of the activities of a very small few who may have colluded against the party," he added, promising to defend them.
Later outside the House of Commons, NDP Leader Jack Layton told reporters that he believes his party agrees with most Canadians in supporting Gomery's work to its conclusion.
"We shouldn't be trying to undermine it, trying to sidetrack it," he said. "That is what the prime minister is now trying to do with his claims that somehow the Liberal party or his organization is somehow the victim here."
Meanwhile, the publication ban could soon be lifted:
Gomery agreed to the ban for Brault and two others -- Paul Coffin of Coffin Communications and former civil servant Chuck Guite -- because the three are facing criminal charges.
Their lawyers successfully argued that testimony at the sponsorship inquiry could bias potential jurors in the criminal trial.
However, the media and the opposition may push to have the ban lifted, now that Brault's lawyers have asked to have his trial delayed until September. A decision on that is expected Wednesday.
If they could get away with it, the Liberals would call an election for Tuesday.
Posted by damian at April 4, 2005 07:55 PM