Ethics committee to decide on Cadman issue Tuesday
Posted on 29 February 2008 by Jack
The chair of the parliamentary ethics committee says allegations that Conservative officials offered to bribe late MP Chuck Cadman could have serious consequences, and the committee will look into the matter early next week.
Paul Szabo said the committee has received motions from the Liberals, Bloc and NDP asking members to probe allegations by Cadman’s wife Dona that her dying husband was offered a $1-million insurance policy before an important parliamentary vote in 2005, in exchange for his vote.
The allegations are contained in a forthcoming biography, “Like a Rock: The Chuck Cadman Story,” by Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk.
The committee will decide on Tuesday whether or not to look into the issue, Szabo told Canada AM on Friday .
“It’s up to the RCMP to determine the veracity of the allegations that are there and whether or not it would warrant an investigation,” he said.
But added: “We will deal with that on Tuesday to determine whether the committee should proceed, but we won’t be doing any work should the RCPM actually open up a criminal investigation.”
Popularity: 21% [?]
February 29th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I’m curious as to how a life insurance policy could possibly be offered when he had already been diagnosed with cancer and passed away approximately 2 mos. after the alleged offer. Something doesn’t smell right and I wonder why Mrs. Cadman would be bringing this matter up particularly when she is a Conservative candidate.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Near as I can figure, and this is just reading between the lines, I think that every member of the Conservative Party of Canada has a $1,000,000.00 Life Insurance policy as part of a group insurance plan.
An offer to Cadman to rejoin the Conservative Party would have put him in line with this group policy. PMSH knew that Cadman was going to vote with the Liberals but the attempt was made as a last ditch effort.
Cadman, on voting day put it clearly that there was no bribe offered but the words of the dead mean nothing to the garbage that makes up the Ethics Committee. They make my skin crawl.
Pat
February 29th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hold on here! The ethics committee under Szabo can’t just move on to the next Liberal imagined scandal.
Stop wasting my money!!!
February 29th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Cadman on broadcast prior to his death from cancer said outrightly there was no deal attempted. Let the evidence show….nothing. LPC and ethics committee on another ‘fishing expedition.’ On the very up side, their sharpened knives for PMSH’s back, is showing just a little too obviously. The ethics committee propped by a too overly-enthusiastic media have to get used to wearing egg of on their faces time after time. The public’s picking up on the smear tactics and they’ll be overall rejection of them because of the content alone. The Leger poll of late citing voters approving Conservative gov’t at 55 percent tells us something about the direction we’re headed. After the long knives get finished, that rating has no where to go but up.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
If the liberals want to tackle what the prime minister did or didn’t do when he was in opposition well then, the conservatives rap sheet against the liberals goes back 30years.
I hope the liberals are prepared for all of this:
CORRUPTIONS THIEVERY SUPPORT FOR TERRORISTS AND MORE.
I wonder how the people would feel to know that their own liberal mp attended a vigil for the slain terrorist.
How would the public feel to hear that the liberals supports rally wined and dined and attended a vigil for a terrorists at the same time putting our lives in danger.
How would the public feel when they hear that the MSM, CBC CTV
neglected to alert them or tell them of the liberals terrorists involvement.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
The thought of Paul Szabo and his cronies investigating another “scandal” just makes me want to hork.
No substance whatsoever to these Liberal thugs. Just a lot of hot (smelly) air.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Prior to the no-confidence vote Cadman was an insignificant MP. I think we can all agree on that. There are many insignificant MPs in parliament.
Everyone says that Cadman is a reputable person and speaks highly of him. If this is true, and he has stated publicly that there was never a bribe offered, then there never was a bribe offered. If it is not true that he is a reputable person then his public testimony should be questioned.
According to Mike Duffy, Cadman was voting with the Liberals to protect his death benefits as a member of parliament. If he died while a sitting Member of Parliament the benefit payment would be twice the amount than had he been a member seeking re-election during a campaign. Since no insurance company anywhere would ever issue a policy to a dying person (especially for a million dollars) one has to question whether the widow and her daughter misunderstood what Cadman told them regarding the offer made to run as a Conservative candidate and why he refused it. It could also be possible that Cadman exaggerated the benefits offered to embellish his position when he was talking with his wife and child. How many of us have exaggerated an event to our spouse to make ourselves seem more than the truth?
If what Duffy is telling us is true then Cadman may not have polled this constituency on how to vote since his concern was his benefits and that dictated his vote. Does this still make him a reputable person whose word could be trusted?
Since the Conservatives were prepared to tape the offer one has to ask why a book about an insignificant MP is making such waves. Is this a way of selling the book?
February 29th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Because the book is a dud…..did I also hear or read somewhere that Paul Martin is involved somehow?
Where’s Kinsella when you need him?
February 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Is this all about selling the memory of Chuck Cadman?This is so sad, all this scandal promoted for a few extra bucks in book sales. This whole thing stinks and if the opposition are so outraged then defeat the government. Let the Canadian people decide!!
February 29th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Fiumara:
I can assure you that no poll was taken. Cadmans office did not even track the calls that came in. I, along with freinds and associates, contacted Cadmans office to advise that as constituents we wanted Chuck to support the non confidence motion. No one bothered to ask for names addresses, phone numbers or any other verification.
This was a big issue in Chucks riding given its importance. It was the topic of conversation during the runup to the vote. Of the literally hundreds of people I spoke to about it, not a single one wanted him to suppport the Liberal government.
There was no poll, just Chuck using the spin (verbatim)Paul Martins chief of Staff Tim Murphy to Gurmant Grewall during that attempted bribe.
Mr. Murphy said “Members (who would abstain or side with the Liberals) can do it on the basis of, well you know, look my
riding doesn’t want an election, doesn’t want one now…”. )
February 29th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Whatever took place, happened in 2005, and it is now in 2008 this is brought forth..I smell a rat. the MSM.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
This ethics committee is almost like the rogue cops on TV that make up their minds that they are above the law and act like it.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Will she remain a candidate, or is this an attempt by the liberals to get her booted, and then say, she must be telling the truth. Perhaps she expects to get a sympathy vote, get elected and cross the floor.
What did Belinda offer Paul Martin for a cabinet position, or was it vice versa.
When this blows up in Keith Boags face he can always join Avi at Alj. network.
Wonder if all this will affect Kevin Tafts vote here on Monday.
It is now out in the open that the liberals will defeat the government somehow, but not on anything important, but smear.
Notice the court said today that those documents showing phony loans etc re Chretain can be made public.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Even if the allegations against the Conservatives are true, how does that absolve the Liberals? How does it make all the scandals of the Liberal years go away and how does it absolve all their supporters who chose to look the other way as scandal was piled upon scandal with nary a full and complete inquiry in sight? Canada could have turned the page with the election in 2006. This government has been scandal free and will continue to be so even if the allegations are proven true. Unfortunately, the Liberals are so steeped in sleaze turning the page would have robbed them of their raison d’etre.
March 1st, 2008 at 1:49 am
If Govt can go back 15-20 years on Mulroney, then we should proceed with parliamentary ethics committee from 2001 and old
Cretch…………….
Source sent McIntosh a brown envelope containing a copy of what appeared to be a Business Development Bank of Canada loan authorization for a hotel in then prime minister Jean Chrétien’s home riding, suggesting Chrétien could be in a possible conflict of interest.
The document indicated the Grand-Mère Inn owed Chrétien’s family company $23,040 in 1997, the same year he was lobbying the president of the bank to grant the loan.
BDBC officials went to the police claiming the document was a fake. The police later obtained a search warrant and assistance order for the document and the envelope to determine who sent them.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/02/29/post-appeal.html