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OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister Paul Martin is doing the right thing by taking to the airwaves to tell Canadians directly about his government’s record and its plans, Trade Minister Jim Peterson said Thursday.
Heading into a cabinet meeting, Peterson said Martin wants to keep voters up to date on what the Liberal government has been working on and put the sponsorship scandal in context.
“There’s a lot to be talked about in terms of what we’ve accomplished, in terms of what we’re doing to get to the bottom of the Gomery commission, in terms of what we have on the agenda for the future,” said Peterson, a long-time Martin loyalist.
“I think Canadians deserve to be told directly by the prime minister.”
Martin has taken the highly unusual step of bypassing Parliament and speaking directly to voters with a brief broadcast appearance Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.
His staff have said the prime minister would talk about the sponsorship inquiry being held by Justice John Gomery into money funneled to ad agencies for work that was never completed.
They said Martin has no plans to announce his resignation or call an election during his brief remarks, expected to last about six minutes in each official language.
Gomery has heard a series of witnesses describe the political control exercised over sponsorship contracts by past prime minister Jean Chretien and his former public works minister, Alfonso Gagliano.
Gagliano has denied at the inquiry that he controlled specific sponsorship projects, funding or selection of middlemen but his claims have been contradicted by other witnesses and reams of documents.
Martin’s minority government is in jeopardy after allegations by advertising executive Jean Brault, who admitted to working with top Liberal brass and Gagliano aides to divert $1.1 million to party coffers in exchange for sponsorship contracts.
Martin’s extraordinary move follows a Conservative-engineered non-confidence motion Wednesday that could bring down the minority government as early as May 3 — sending voters back to the polls in early June.
Canadians should wait for Gomery’s final report before they make up their minds, Public Works Minister Scott Brison said as he headed into cabinet Thursday morning.
That way, they can weigh contradictory testimony that Gomery has heard, “and ultimately he can come up, through his report and his analysis, with the truth for Canadians.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler denied allegations that some top Liberals influenced judicial appointments.
“I am involved with respect to the nomination of judges on one basis only: merit, excellence,” said Cotler as he headed into cabinet.
“And I think if you look at the appointments, they’ve been excellent appointments.”
In media interviews published Thursday, Benoit Corbeil — former head of the Quebec wing of the Liberal party — described an influential network of Liberals who oversaw political nominations and suggested that was why lawyers often volunteered to work for the party.
About 20 helped out in the 2000 election and several of those were later named judges, said Corbeil, who is expected to testify soon at the Gomery commission.
He refused to name names and added he has no proof any judges were named improperly.
Heading into a cabinet meeting, Peterson said Martin wants to keep voters up to date on what the Liberal government has been working on and put the sponsorship scandal in context.
“There’s a lot to be talked about in terms of what we’ve accomplished, in terms of what we’re doing to get to the bottom of the Gomery commission, in terms of what we have on the agenda for the future,” said Peterson, a long-time Martin loyalist.
“I think Canadians deserve to be told directly by the prime minister.”
Martin has taken the highly unusual step of bypassing Parliament and speaking directly to voters with a brief broadcast appearance Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.
His staff have said the prime minister would talk about the sponsorship inquiry being held by Justice John Gomery into money funneled to ad agencies for work that was never completed.
They said Martin has no plans to announce his resignation or call an election during his brief remarks, expected to last about six minutes in each official language.
Gomery has heard a series of witnesses describe the political control exercised over sponsorship contracts by past prime minister Jean Chretien and his former public works minister, Alfonso Gagliano.
Gagliano has denied at the inquiry that he controlled specific sponsorship projects, funding or selection of middlemen but his claims have been contradicted by other witnesses and reams of documents.
Martin’s minority government is in jeopardy after allegations by advertising executive Jean Brault, who admitted to working with top Liberal brass and Gagliano aides to divert $1.1 million to party coffers in exchange for sponsorship contracts.
Martin’s extraordinary move follows a Conservative-engineered non-confidence motion Wednesday that could bring down the minority government as early as May 3 — sending voters back to the polls in early June.
Canadians should wait for Gomery’s final report before they make up their minds, Public Works Minister Scott Brison said as he headed into cabinet Thursday morning.
That way, they can weigh contradictory testimony that Gomery has heard, “and ultimately he can come up, through his report and his analysis, with the truth for Canadians.”
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler denied allegations that some top Liberals influenced judicial appointments.
“I am involved with respect to the nomination of judges on one basis only: merit, excellence,” said Cotler as he headed into cabinet.
“And I think if you look at the appointments, they’ve been excellent appointments.”
In media interviews published Thursday, Benoit Corbeil — former head of the Quebec wing of the Liberal party — described an influential network of Liberals who oversaw political nominations and suggested that was why lawyers often volunteered to work for the party.
About 20 helped out in the 2000 election and several of those were later named judges, said Corbeil, who is expected to testify soon at the Gomery commission.
He refused to name names and added he has no proof any judges were named improperly.
I predict this approach will backfire as the public gets a good view of just how desperate this man is to cling to power.
Anyone think this will work/help?
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