Canadian Parliament
Tonight, I unexpectedly had the privilege of talking to one of the most famous (or infamous, depending upon your perspective) politicians in Canada: Newton-North Delta Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal. Thought I'd post what I think about the sponsorship/taping scandal (Note: These opinions are entirely my own, and in no way reflect any statement of Mr. Grewal's: we only spoke very briefly, and did not even get a chance to discuss this issue). For those of you who don't really follow federal Canadian politics, here's the story so far in brief format:
I. It is uncovered that the federal Liberal government has been using a "sponsorship" slush fund to finance their own party, their friends' businesses, and many other unethical ventures.
II. This puts severe pressure on the Liberals (who only form a minority government at present). To stay in power, they make a deal with the NDP (New Democratic Party) that involves a revamped budget with millions thrown in to social programs, in return for the NDP propping up the government.
III. However, the Liberals and NDP together still don't hold a majority. Thus, they need further support. This is unexpectedly provided by former Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach, who jumps ship to join the Liberal party, and is promptly rewarded with a Cabinet post. With the help of independents Carolyn Parrish (famous for calling all Americans "bastards") and Chuck Cadman (of Surrey-North), the Liberals force a tie, and their Speaker breaks the deadlock, allowing the government to stagger on and fight another day.
IV. MP Gurmant Grewal comes forward with a tape of himself speaking with Prime Minister Martin's Chief of Staff (Tim Murphy) and Health Minister (Ujjal Dosanjh), which features them suggesting that substantial rewards could be offered to him for jumping to the Liberal Party.
V. The Liberals declare that the conversation is doctored by Grewal and the Conservatives.
There's a lot more detail, but that's the quick background. Now, as to why I'm writing about this. As far as I'm concerned, this could be the biggest scandal ever in the history of Canadian government (both the sponsorship program and the tapes). It is ironic that W. Mark Felt so recently revealed his identity as Deep Throat (see cnn.com for details), as Canada is currently undergoing its own Watergate. The parallels are obvious: taped conversations with possible erasures, controversial government departments and slush funds, links to corruption that go all the way to the top , etc. Murphy seems like a very good candidate for the H.R. Haldeman role
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._Haldeman for details), and either Chretien or Martin would make a quality Richard Nixon, right down to the pat denials of any involvement whatsover. Now, I agree that the Conservatives didn't handle the tape release correctly: they should have released the entire version immediately, rather than a limited, error-filled transcript that provided the Liberals with plenty of denail ammunition. However, what is on the tapes is incriminating enough in my mind, especially along with everything that has come out in the Gomery inquiry, to prove that the Liberals are utterly corrupt, will do anything to keep themselves in power, and thus should be kicked out of government ASAP. [/rant] I'd love to see some of your reactions/ideas on this stuff: post some comments!
If you're interested in reading more on the sponsorship scandal/Gomery inquiry, check out http://www.canada.com/national/features/gomery/index.html. If you want to see more on the taping scandal, look at http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/31/grewal-tapes050531.html. Transcripts are posted on Grewal's website, http://www.gurmantgrewal.ca.
I. It is uncovered that the federal Liberal government has been using a "sponsorship" slush fund to finance their own party, their friends' businesses, and many other unethical ventures.
II. This puts severe pressure on the Liberals (who only form a minority government at present). To stay in power, they make a deal with the NDP (New Democratic Party) that involves a revamped budget with millions thrown in to social programs, in return for the NDP propping up the government.
III. However, the Liberals and NDP together still don't hold a majority. Thus, they need further support. This is unexpectedly provided by former Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach, who jumps ship to join the Liberal party, and is promptly rewarded with a Cabinet post. With the help of independents Carolyn Parrish (famous for calling all Americans "bastards") and Chuck Cadman (of Surrey-North), the Liberals force a tie, and their Speaker breaks the deadlock, allowing the government to stagger on and fight another day.
IV. MP Gurmant Grewal comes forward with a tape of himself speaking with Prime Minister Martin's Chief of Staff (Tim Murphy) and Health Minister (Ujjal Dosanjh), which features them suggesting that substantial rewards could be offered to him for jumping to the Liberal Party.
V. The Liberals declare that the conversation is doctored by Grewal and the Conservatives.
There's a lot more detail, but that's the quick background. Now, as to why I'm writing about this. As far as I'm concerned, this could be the biggest scandal ever in the history of Canadian government (both the sponsorship program and the tapes). It is ironic that W. Mark Felt so recently revealed his identity as Deep Throat (see cnn.com for details), as Canada is currently undergoing its own Watergate. The parallels are obvious: taped conversations with possible erasures, controversial government departments and slush funds, links to corruption that go all the way to the top , etc. Murphy seems like a very good candidate for the H.R. Haldeman role
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._Haldeman for details), and either Chretien or Martin would make a quality Richard Nixon, right down to the pat denials of any involvement whatsover. Now, I agree that the Conservatives didn't handle the tape release correctly: they should have released the entire version immediately, rather than a limited, error-filled transcript that provided the Liberals with plenty of denail ammunition. However, what is on the tapes is incriminating enough in my mind, especially along with everything that has come out in the Gomery inquiry, to prove that the Liberals are utterly corrupt, will do anything to keep themselves in power, and thus should be kicked out of government ASAP. [/rant] I'd love to see some of your reactions/ideas on this stuff: post some comments!
If you're interested in reading more on the sponsorship scandal/Gomery inquiry, check out http://www.canada.com/national/features/gomery/index.html. If you want to see more on the taping scandal, look at http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/31/grewal-tapes050531.html. Transcripts are posted on Grewal's website, http://www.gurmantgrewal.ca.
posted by Andrew Bucholtz at 1:29 a.m.
1 comments
