Gomery Explosion

Gomery Explosion

Political Staples is all over this. Apparently the testimony in the Gomery Inquiry on Friday was so explosive that it may bring down the present Liberal government.

Some background for my non-Canadian readers: after the 1995 separation referendum in Quebec, which was only narrowly won by the Non side (ie less than 50000 votes in a province of seven million) the federal (Liberal) government under then-prime minister Jean Chretien set up a "sponsorship" fund, basically paying ad agencies to plaster the word Canada at various cultural and sporting events around Quebec. According to Chretien, this was done in the hopes of "saving the country". Don't ask me how that was supposed to make Quebecers feel better about Canada or prevent another referendum in the near term.

Auditor-General Sheila Fraser took a look at the sponsorship program and concluded that millions of taxpayer dollars had been spent for little or no actual work done - or simply disappeared. That triggered the Gomery Inquiry. Testimony at the inquiry over the last several months has implied that quite a bit of that money went straight back into Liberal Party coffers in the form of donations.

Journalist Andrew Coyne gave this sponsorship scandal the label Adscam, which has since stuck. Now, I obviously don't know what the testimony was on Friday due to the publication ban, but if the CTV is saying "disclosure would prove so devastating that Paul Martin's Liberal minority could fall if it became public" then it must mean that either (a) Jean Chretien or Paul Martin (or both) are directly implicated) or (b) money was directly funnelled from the taxpayers to ad angencies and right back to the Liberal Party or (c) the scandal is even worse than we have heard so far.

Monday in the House of Commons ought to be very interesting. Members of Parliament have privilege on the floor of the House, so they can ignore the publication ban. Look for the Bloc Quebecois to ask the PM some uncomfortable questions.