The Globe and Mail editorial on Feb 29 entitled "Just what was Cadman offered?" begins: "Allegations that two Conservative Party officials offered Independent British Columbia MP Chuck Cadman a "bribe" in exchange for voting to bring down the Liberal government in May of 2005 would, if true, constitute a serious crime that strikes at the heart of Canada's democracy." (emphasis added by me).
This issues has traction -- and strikes at the heart of Mr. Harper's projected Mr. Clean image -- and the pledge that the Conservatives will clean up corruption.
This was the whole basis on which Harper and the Conservatives campaigned on in 2006. And now it turns out with Mulroney accepting envelopes stuffed with hundreds of thousands of cash in them and Harper's team offering a bribe of million dollar life insurance policy to incent dying Chuck Cadman to bring down the Liberal minority government of the day -- that the Conservatives are no different than the Liberals were with Adscam.
Because this issue has the potential to very seriously damage the Conservatives reputation, expect the opposition parties to focus relentlessly on it. And if the Conservatives numbers plummet as I think they will -- expect an election.
Here's the CP story on Feb 29
Liberals hint at toppling government over Cadman affair
Steve Rennie
Canadian Press
February 29, 2008 at 6:50 PM EST
OTTAWA — The spectre of an alleged financial offer to a dying MP hovered over Parliament Hill on Friday as some Liberals hinted they might topple the government over the prime minister's purported role in the alleged affair.
For the full article see http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080229.wcadman0229/...
Background
In 2005 when the Paul Martin Liberal Government was balanced on a knife edge -- and it was uncertain whether the Government would survive every vote counted.
Chuck Cadman was an independent MP. He'd been elected as a Canadian Alliance MP but the new Conservative Party didn't protect his incumbency so he lost the Conservative nomination. So he ran as an independent MP and won.
Both the Liberals and the Conservatives were courting Cadman's vote. In the end Cadman, having consulted his constituents, said they didn't want an election so he voted with the Government.
Cadman had terminal cancer and a new book Like A Rock: The Chuck Cadman Story, outlines how two Conservative Party operatives met with Cadman and offered him a million dollar life insurance policy if he voted with the Conservatives to bring the Goverment down.
it is clear that Harper knew of the offer when he was interviewed by author Tom Zytaruk in September 2005. The front page Toronto Star article on Feb 29 tells how the paper has obtained an audio tape in which Harper, then Opposition Leader, clearly admits to knowing about the offer.
When the book's author Tom Zytaruk asks Harper about the offer, Harper replies: "I don't know the details. I knew that there were discussions, uh, this is not for publication?"
Zytaruk replies "not for the newspaper. This is for the book."
Harper then said: "I can tell you that I had told the individuals – I mean, they wanted to do it – but I told them they were wasting their time.
"I said Chuck had made up his mind he was going to vote with the Liberals. I knew why, and I respected the decision, but they were convinced there was financial issues ... but I said that's not going to change the decision," Harper said.
"I said `Don't press him, I mean, you have this theory that it's, you know, financial insecurity, and ... if that's what you say, make the case,' but I said `Don't press it.'
It's staggering that the conservatives after campaigning on integrity and accountability are caught 1) trying to bribe MPs and then 2) Denying all knowlege of it after having admitted to it and being recorded on tape admitting to it.
for the full Star article go to http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/308112
The Globe and Mail ran a peice yesterday at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080227.wcadmann0227...