There have been many allegations that the Mulroney government was more corrupt than the Liberals. Lets take a look at history from 1978 on to make a decision. The source is
www.cbc.ca/new/background/groupaction/scandals.html
1. Francis Fox, Solicitor General for Trudeau forced to resign after getting an abortion for a woman with whom he had an affair, and forging a document using the womans husbands name. Fox was back in cabinet within two years, and served as Paul Martins principal secretary through most of 2004.
2. Tunagate. Conservative Fisheries Minister John Fraser overturned an inspectors report and released a million cans of STarkist tuna for sale to the public. The inspector said that the tuna was not fit for catfood. The plants owners had lobbied Fraser to release the cans, fearing the plant would be shut down if they could not be sold. The plant shut down anyway after the cans were released to the public. Fraser went on to become speaker of the house.
3. Robert Coates, conservative defence minister, stepped down after he visited a strip club in West Germany in 1985.
4. Conservative Communications Minister Marcel Masse left after an alleged violation of the Canada Elections Act. He was later exonerated of the charges.
5. Conservative minister Sinclair Stevens stepped down over allegations of conflict of interest related to a $2.6 millon dollar loan to a family company. Charges were dropped.
6. Conservative Andre Bissonette resigned while RCMP investigated alleged involvement in land speculation. Charges dropped.
7. Conservative Roch La Salle left cabinet after being charged with demanding a bribe and accepting money from businesses looking for government favours (Sound familiar??). Charges were dropped.
8. Conservative Michel Cote stepped down over conflict of interest allegations.
9. Bernard Valcourt stepped down as the result of an impaired driving offence.
10. Jean Charest stepped down after trying to talk to a judge about an ongoing case. Jean Charest is now premier of Quebec.
11. Conservative Allan Redway offered his resignation after being charged over joking about having a gun while boarding a plane in Ottawa. (Stupid no doubt, but grounds for resignation?)
12. Apec. Prime Minister Chretien pepper sprayed legitimate protestors lining the planned route of world leaders attending the APEC conference in Vancouver. Chretien joked: (For me, pepper, I put it on my plate". An inquiry determined that the RCMP had acted inappropriately.The inquiry also found that director of operations for the PM office, Jean Carle, played an improper role in giving instructions to the RCMP to use force, if necessary, to clear the motorcade route. Solicitor General Andy Scott resigned when he was overheard on an airplane flight telling a seatmate that RCMP Staff Sgt. Hugh Stewart would take the fall for the pepper spraying incident.
13. Airbus. In 1995 former PM Mulroney was alleged to have taken kickbacks from a European lobbyist. As a result, the Justice Dept sent a letter to the Swiss government, which became public, resulting in Mulroney suing the Liberal Federal Government for defamation. The suit was dropped two years later when the Liberal Federal Government paid $2million in legal costs and the Federal Liberal Government issued an apology to Mulroney. The RCMP finally ended the investigation in 2003 due to lack of evidence.
14. Billion Dollar Boondoggle. HRDC minister Jane Stewart did not resign even when an internal audit found that the Liberals under Chretien did not track employment program grants worth $1billion to make sure the money was spent properly and the jobs were actually created. At one time, the RCMP had launched 12 separate investigations into the HRDC files, three of them related to grants awarded in the Chretien's riding. Stewart did not run in the next election.
15. Shawinigate. Chretien sold his stake in a resort just before becoming prime minister (1993) and his shares in an adjoining golf course shortly after becoming PM. He was not paid for the golf course shares until 1999. The issue was when did Chretien stop having an interest in the property? Twice in 1996 Chretien contacted the presidend of the federal BDB of Canada about a loan being sought by the new owners, and in 1997 made another call to BDC about a smaller loan. He received his money in 1999. The ethics commissioner, who answered to the PM office, ruled he had done nothing wrong.
This is now the latest scandal list (not included in the CBC report):
Adscam. The process by which money was paid to Liberal friendly ad firms for non existent work in exchange for kickbacks to the federal liberal party. An inquiry into this by Justice John Gomery has just wound up, but testimony included allegations of money laundering type activities, no paper cash transactions, envelopes of money left on restaurant tables, hiring Liberal staffers at the same ad agencies for no work, threats of personal safety to some involved.
Other improprieties involve inducing opposition members to cross the floor in exchange for cabinet positions, a gun registry with an initial cost of $2million now at $2billion, secret hidden foundation accounts hiding billions of dollars from the Attorney General, and over deduction of EI contributions from employers and employees to the tune of $46 billion. There is also the issue of cancelling a helicopter contract costing Canadians millions of dollars, and still no helicopters. At least two Liberal officials or MP's have made public insulting and derogatory comments about the US and its government.
So who was worse? Regarding Mulroneys government, there were some improprities, no doubt. However, looking at the list, many resigned or stepped aside while investigations took place, some of which were dropped. One resigned due to attending a strip club. And not to down play the conviction, one stepped down due to an impaired driving charge.
The Liberals? Virtually every scandal involving the post 1993 Liberals have involved massive amounts of mismanaged, misappropriated, or outright stolen taxpayers money. A smear job against a former conservative PM failed, again at a cost to Canadians. And who has stepped aside during all this time? No one.
In my opinion, the Liberals win the Scandal playoffs in four straight. Hands down, they are the more corrupt and more scandalous party.
www.cbc.ca/new/background/groupaction/scandals.html
1. Francis Fox, Solicitor General for Trudeau forced to resign after getting an abortion for a woman with whom he had an affair, and forging a document using the womans husbands name. Fox was back in cabinet within two years, and served as Paul Martins principal secretary through most of 2004.
2. Tunagate. Conservative Fisheries Minister John Fraser overturned an inspectors report and released a million cans of STarkist tuna for sale to the public. The inspector said that the tuna was not fit for catfood. The plants owners had lobbied Fraser to release the cans, fearing the plant would be shut down if they could not be sold. The plant shut down anyway after the cans were released to the public. Fraser went on to become speaker of the house.
3. Robert Coates, conservative defence minister, stepped down after he visited a strip club in West Germany in 1985.
4. Conservative Communications Minister Marcel Masse left after an alleged violation of the Canada Elections Act. He was later exonerated of the charges.
5. Conservative minister Sinclair Stevens stepped down over allegations of conflict of interest related to a $2.6 millon dollar loan to a family company. Charges were dropped.
6. Conservative Andre Bissonette resigned while RCMP investigated alleged involvement in land speculation. Charges dropped.
7. Conservative Roch La Salle left cabinet after being charged with demanding a bribe and accepting money from businesses looking for government favours (Sound familiar??). Charges were dropped.
8. Conservative Michel Cote stepped down over conflict of interest allegations.
9. Bernard Valcourt stepped down as the result of an impaired driving offence.
10. Jean Charest stepped down after trying to talk to a judge about an ongoing case. Jean Charest is now premier of Quebec.
11. Conservative Allan Redway offered his resignation after being charged over joking about having a gun while boarding a plane in Ottawa. (Stupid no doubt, but grounds for resignation?)
12. Apec. Prime Minister Chretien pepper sprayed legitimate protestors lining the planned route of world leaders attending the APEC conference in Vancouver. Chretien joked: (For me, pepper, I put it on my plate". An inquiry determined that the RCMP had acted inappropriately.The inquiry also found that director of operations for the PM office, Jean Carle, played an improper role in giving instructions to the RCMP to use force, if necessary, to clear the motorcade route. Solicitor General Andy Scott resigned when he was overheard on an airplane flight telling a seatmate that RCMP Staff Sgt. Hugh Stewart would take the fall for the pepper spraying incident.
13. Airbus. In 1995 former PM Mulroney was alleged to have taken kickbacks from a European lobbyist. As a result, the Justice Dept sent a letter to the Swiss government, which became public, resulting in Mulroney suing the Liberal Federal Government for defamation. The suit was dropped two years later when the Liberal Federal Government paid $2million in legal costs and the Federal Liberal Government issued an apology to Mulroney. The RCMP finally ended the investigation in 2003 due to lack of evidence.
14. Billion Dollar Boondoggle. HRDC minister Jane Stewart did not resign even when an internal audit found that the Liberals under Chretien did not track employment program grants worth $1billion to make sure the money was spent properly and the jobs were actually created. At one time, the RCMP had launched 12 separate investigations into the HRDC files, three of them related to grants awarded in the Chretien's riding. Stewart did not run in the next election.
15. Shawinigate. Chretien sold his stake in a resort just before becoming prime minister (1993) and his shares in an adjoining golf course shortly after becoming PM. He was not paid for the golf course shares until 1999. The issue was when did Chretien stop having an interest in the property? Twice in 1996 Chretien contacted the presidend of the federal BDB of Canada about a loan being sought by the new owners, and in 1997 made another call to BDC about a smaller loan. He received his money in 1999. The ethics commissioner, who answered to the PM office, ruled he had done nothing wrong.
This is now the latest scandal list (not included in the CBC report):
Adscam. The process by which money was paid to Liberal friendly ad firms for non existent work in exchange for kickbacks to the federal liberal party. An inquiry into this by Justice John Gomery has just wound up, but testimony included allegations of money laundering type activities, no paper cash transactions, envelopes of money left on restaurant tables, hiring Liberal staffers at the same ad agencies for no work, threats of personal safety to some involved.
Other improprieties involve inducing opposition members to cross the floor in exchange for cabinet positions, a gun registry with an initial cost of $2million now at $2billion, secret hidden foundation accounts hiding billions of dollars from the Attorney General, and over deduction of EI contributions from employers and employees to the tune of $46 billion. There is also the issue of cancelling a helicopter contract costing Canadians millions of dollars, and still no helicopters. At least two Liberal officials or MP's have made public insulting and derogatory comments about the US and its government.
So who was worse? Regarding Mulroneys government, there were some improprities, no doubt. However, looking at the list, many resigned or stepped aside while investigations took place, some of which were dropped. One resigned due to attending a strip club. And not to down play the conviction, one stepped down due to an impaired driving charge.
The Liberals? Virtually every scandal involving the post 1993 Liberals have involved massive amounts of mismanaged, misappropriated, or outright stolen taxpayers money. A smear job against a former conservative PM failed, again at a cost to Canadians. And who has stepped aside during all this time? No one.
In my opinion, the Liberals win the Scandal playoffs in four straight. Hands down, they are the more corrupt and more scandalous party.
