The Ethics Commissioner of Canada, Bernard Shapiro, has agreed to conduct an investigation into the conduct of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, in relation to the possible inducement of the Honourable David Emerson, the current Minister of International Trade, to cross to the Government side of the House. The investigation is to be made at the request of the Honourable Wayne Easter, Member for Malpeque.
In a strange turn of events, the Conservative Party of Canada, according to a spokesperson, has expressed that the party has no intention of co-operating in the investigation, questioning the legitimacy of the Commissioner as a "Liberal appointee", saying that his investigation would only be a "partisan attack."
You may wonder why I would deem such events to be strange. I would make such an assertion because the Conservative Party of Canada had expressed no qualms in relation to his appointment before; they expressed no concerns over impartiality when they were sitting on the Committee that questioned Mr. Shapiro after his nomination, and the Tories have used the office several times in the past months and years to hold the previous Government of Canada to account — they seemed to believe in its legitimacy only a few weeks ago.
In a strange turn of events, the Conservative Party of Canada, according to a spokesperson, has expressed that the party has no intention of co-operating in the investigation, questioning the legitimacy of the Commissioner as a "Liberal appointee", saying that his investigation would only be a "partisan attack."
You may wonder why I would deem such events to be strange. I would make such an assertion because the Conservative Party of Canada had expressed no qualms in relation to his appointment before; they expressed no concerns over impartiality when they were sitting on the Committee that questioned Mr. Shapiro after his nomination, and the Tories have used the office several times in the past months and years to hold the previous Government of Canada to account — they seemed to believe in its legitimacy only a few weeks ago.
