Senator hints at new hair-raising scandal
Jack Aubry
CanWest News Service
Thursday, April 21, 2005
OTTAWA - Saying he recently heard about another scandal that made the hair on his head stand on end, Liberal Senator Jean Lapointe predicted it will take "a miracle" for the Liberals to cling to power in the upcoming election.
Sen. Lapointe, who was appointed by former prime minister Jean Chretien, said in a recent interview he could not divulge details about the new scandal since he had heard about it at a closed-door Liberal caucus meeting, details of which members of Parliament are not supposed to divulge.
"Mr. Martin said we will have a commission -- we had the Gomery commission. We investigate and those who did wrong should be punished. Where [Martin] went wrong is that he is the one who is getting punished," he said. "People don't have any more credibility, whether they are a deputy minister, a minister or MP."
Sen. Lapointe made the statements in an interview with CPAC, scheduled to be broadcast today.
A well-known actor in Quebec, he said he believed the Liberal scandal was a case of "a bad being performed for a good" but he would not have done it himself.
"The drama of this thing is damaging the entire party. I know people who have integrity and who are honest but it is affecting all the politicians. You know the Liberals aren't finished. Gomery will finish and there are little scandals in the opposition, there are scandals left and right, which will come out," Sen. Lapointe said.
"I heard one yesterday, the hair on my head stood straight up. I can't tell you because it was at caucus. You know there is no one who is white, and there is no one who is completely black."
Attempts to clarify the senator's comments were fruitless. An aide who answered his office phone could not say if the scandal the senator cited involved the Liberals or the opposition.
Sen. Lapointe was promoting his private member's bill, which would place restrictions on poker video machines, during the interview when the Gomery commission was raised.
© National Post 2005
Jack Aubry
CanWest News Service
Thursday, April 21, 2005
OTTAWA - Saying he recently heard about another scandal that made the hair on his head stand on end, Liberal Senator Jean Lapointe predicted it will take "a miracle" for the Liberals to cling to power in the upcoming election.
Sen. Lapointe, who was appointed by former prime minister Jean Chretien, said in a recent interview he could not divulge details about the new scandal since he had heard about it at a closed-door Liberal caucus meeting, details of which members of Parliament are not supposed to divulge.
"Mr. Martin said we will have a commission -- we had the Gomery commission. We investigate and those who did wrong should be punished. Where [Martin] went wrong is that he is the one who is getting punished," he said. "People don't have any more credibility, whether they are a deputy minister, a minister or MP."
Sen. Lapointe made the statements in an interview with CPAC, scheduled to be broadcast today.
A well-known actor in Quebec, he said he believed the Liberal scandal was a case of "a bad being performed for a good" but he would not have done it himself.
"The drama of this thing is damaging the entire party. I know people who have integrity and who are honest but it is affecting all the politicians. You know the Liberals aren't finished. Gomery will finish and there are little scandals in the opposition, there are scandals left and right, which will come out," Sen. Lapointe said.
"I heard one yesterday, the hair on my head stood straight up. I can't tell you because it was at caucus. You know there is no one who is white, and there is no one who is completely black."
Attempts to clarify the senator's comments were fruitless. An aide who answered his office phone could not say if the scandal the senator cited involved the Liberals or the opposition.
Sen. Lapointe was promoting his private member's bill, which would place restrictions on poker video machines, during the interview when the Gomery commission was raised.
© National Post 2005
