Martin knew

CTV says Paul Martin knew all about bribes offers made to Gurmant Grewal before the budget vote, contrary to his repeated denials:

Prime Minister Paul Martin knew about negotiations with Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal ahead of a crucial budget vote, CTV News has learned.

Transcripts of Grewal's taped conversations show Martin was ready to talk to Grewal about defecting and to offer him a government post within two weeks of the vote, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported.
[...]
The secretly-taped conversations could be released Tuesday, CTV News has learned. Those on the tape include Tim Murphy, Martin's top aide, and Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh.

Conservative House Leader Jay Hill has said the party will be turning the tapes over to the RCMP soon.

Calls for the taped conversations to be released have ramped up, ever since Grewal says he was offered an ambassadorship and his MP wife, Nina, a Senate appointment, for abstaining from the budget vote.

I'd love to say this is going to help the Tories - but it probably won't, for three reasons:

1. If Canadians haven't already taken to the streets because of what has come out at the Gomery Inquiry, they won't get too worked up about this - especially since they've pretty much given their seal of approval to the same thing happening with Belinda Stronach. (Had Grewal jumped ship, you know this would have been held up as more proof that the Tories are "extreme" and "intolerant".)

2. The Conservatives' refusal to quickly release the full recording, or a complete transcipt, makes them look like a party with something to hide.

3. Grewal himself doesn't look particularly good, either. He may very well have approached the Liberals first, he certainly didn't tell the Liberals where they could shove their political bribes, and he allegedly tried to get the government to back off its criminal investigation into his own conduct:

Murphy is also overheard suggesting he's willing to negotiate something later with Grewal. However, he is also overheard rejecting an offer to discuss a Senate appointment. Murphy says it was Grewal who came calling with such a request.

As for Grewal, he can be heard asking Murphy to ask Immigration Minister Joe Volpe if he would back off allegations that Grewal and another Tory had offered to aid immigrants in return for money. Those allegations now being examined by the RCMP.

Grewal has acknowledged wanting Volpe to retract the allegations, but describes as "absolutely false" suggestions by Martin spokesman Scott Reid that he had asked for interference in the investigations.

Personally, I think the Prime Minister and his lackeys should be held to a higher ethical standard than an obscure oppostion MP - but most Canadians probably won't see it that way, and they'll come away from this thinking, "all politicians are crooks and liars". That might hurt the Liberals - but it doesn't help the Conservatives, either.

Posted by damian at May 31, 2005 01:13 PM | TrackBack