Cadman Bribery Scandal

[Cobalt_Kid]

I just watched some exchanges between the conservatives and oppostion during question period.

The conservatives version of facts is there was a legal offer to allow Cadman to return to the party and provide him support to run in the next election if he cast the deciding vote to bring down Martins Liberal government. Money was offered but in the context of party support.

The opposition pointed out however that the conservatives already had a candidate for the riding, and as Cadman was in the late stages of terminal cancer any offer of support in an upcoming election was next to meaningless. Cadman could barely get to Ottawa to vote in Parliment, the rigors of an election campaing were clearly beyond his capacity at the time. At best the conservatives were totally insensitive to the condition of a dying collegue, at the worst they were trying to buy the deciding vote in a government confidence issue.

There were also questions about a second meeting that included undisclosed financial offers and the testimony of Cadmans family who claim he was very upset at the behaviour of his former party. If, as has been stated by some close to Cadman, the offer was for support for his family after his death that clearly goes beyond party support for a potential candidate...it's very important to remember that Cadman was an independent MP and any approach of a financial nature by a federal party are highly suspect in his situation.

Political bribery is a serious charge and trying to whitewash this issue and intimidate the opposition with threats of legal action only serve the interests of the conservatives, which despite the beliefs of Harper, is not the same thing as the interests of Canada and its people. The conservatives under Harper have tried to assume the mantle of Canadian identity by snazzy new slogans like "Canadas new Government" and creating a political divide over a military mission that has claimed more Canadian lives than any action since Korea. They still play the same games and show the same lack of ethics and respect for the law and Canadians that brought the last conservative party to ruin. I don't think it's going to be as bloody for the conservatives as the 1993 election, but I doubt Harper will ever get his dream of a majority government...and he may even lose his slim grip on power. Just rewards for a very poor job in my opinion.

 

[#juan]

LIberals were far worse for all there scandals and rip offs. Lest we forget. When will people see the Fiberals for what they are. Pathetic grave diggers. I call this grasping for straws in a desperate attempt to regain some face, after losing it all and being ousted out of power. LOL. Now that has got to be a kick in the nuts. Oh well Liberals should have known that you can't play crooked forever, and they were bound to get caught eventually.

How quickly they forget. The last conservative we had as Prime Minister with a majority government, piled forty or fifty billion onto our debt every single year he was in office. With an extreme, concerted effort, we might be able to pay off that debt in the next thirty years. At the very least, the liberals balanced the budget and paid down some of the debt.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

How true juan, it was the Liberals who brought Canadas financial situation under control. The belt tightening resulted in budget surpluses after the country bled red for two conservative terms in power. Now once again the well is dry after the poor financial policies of the Harper conservative government. Like his friend Bush south of the border, Harper has returned to the irresponsible policies of his parties past to buy political power.

 

[Walter]

Cadman's widow denies author's story
Affidavit says Zytaruk did not meet Harper in her house
Juliet O'NeillThe Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

CREDIT: Ward Perrin, Vancouver SunIndependent MP Chuck Cadman at his home in B.C. in April 2005.The widow of former MP Chuck Cadman has contradicted public accounts by author Tom Zytaruk of what happened the day of an interview that is pivotal in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's lawsuit against the federal Liberals.
In a sworn affidavit submitted in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice yesterday, Dona Cadman says the journalist did not meet Mr. Harper in the Cadmans' house and was not introduced to him by her.
"Nobody came inside my house while Mr. Harper was in the house with me," she said. "I did not introduce Tom Zytaruk to Mr. Harper on Sept. 9, 2005."
Mr. Zytaruk, Mr. Cadman's biographer, said he was "extremely surprised, disappointed and deeply distressed" by her statement. "I haven't seen these affidavits and would be extremely surprised if Dona said I wasn't in the house that day," he said in an e-mail. "In fact, we were both still inside the house after Harper stepped out, and she indicated to me that now was my chance to go interview him.
"Moreover, immediately after I interviewed Harper outside, I went back into Dona's house and played the tape back to her in her living room."
Affidavits by Mr. Harper and two of his aides say Mr. Zytaruk did not turn his tape recorder on and off as he interviewed Mr. Harper outside the house.
The documents are aimed at providing what is described in the documents as "circumstantial evidence that Mr. Zytaruk is presenting a misleading and false account of the interview."
In an interview later, Mr. Zytaruk said he does not care what Mr. Harper says about him, but is disappointed and distressed by Mrs. Cadman's affidavit.
Mr. Harper's legal team earlier submitted an analysis of a copy of Mr. Zytaruk's recorded interview with Mr. Harper, then leader of the Tory opposition, which concluded the tape was "incomplete and doctored."
The interview, in which Mr. Harper speaks of an offer to Mr. Cadman "to replace financial considerations he might lose during an election," has been cited by Liberals in the Commons and on their party website as evidence Mr. Harper knew of an alleged attempt to bribe Mr. Cadman in May 2005 in exchange for his vote to topple the then-Liberal government.
Mr. Harper, who denies knowing any such thing, is suing the Liberals for $3.5 million.

 

[Colpy]

Well, well, well.

Long been an admirer of Chuck cadman.

I don't think his widow is lying.

I wasn't pleased when Harper sued.....

But maybe a court case will simply reveal truth in this matter.

Film at 11

 

[Lester]

Smear campaigns all around, I wish these people(both parties) would spend as much effort to do something productive, instead of this constant bickering between themselves and at our expense.