From Gomery to Gum: Scandals are ‘Business As Usual’ to Liberals

November 1, 2005

Justice Gomery’s interim report on the Sponsorship Scandal this week didn’t quite generate the flood of surprise, outrage and indignation that some of our nation’s media outlets had hoped would boost newspaper sales and ratings.

However, Prime Minister Paul Martin would be wrong to interpret this as acceptance or forgiveness by the electorate. The lack of furore and negative reaction across the country is due to two very significant factors.

First, there was no surprise. Justice Gomery didn’t tell us anything this week that we didn’t already know to be true … that millions of dollars were stolen from the public treasury to benefit the Liberal Party of Canada.

Justice Gomery confirmed what he called “a culture of entitlement” within the Liberal government. In other words, whether it’s the Chrétien Liberals or the Martin Liberals; Liberals are Liberals and they believe they’re “entitled” to continue to mis-spend taxpayers’ money anyway they choose.

Also unsurprising was Paul Martin’s predictable response: finger-pointing at his arch rival Jean Chrétien. Yet Justice Gomery did not exonerate Mr. Martin, the former finance minister and vice-chair of the Treasury Board, for the creation of the sponsorship program as a means to buy votes and boost the fortunes of the Liberal Party in Quebec.

The second reason Canadians did not appear outraged by the scandalous interim Gomery report is that Liberal scandal is not “news”. Another day, another Liberal scandal.

In fact, here is a partial list of Liberal Scandals accumulated under Paul Martin’s leadership. He can’t blame these on Jean Chrétien.

Paul Martin appointed disgraced Liberal politician Art Eggleton to the Senate. This is the same Liberal defence minister who was forced to resign for giving his ex-girlfriend a $36,000 contract to write him a 14-page essay.

Paul Martin’s Immigration Minister, Judy Sgro, had to resign in disgrace over “Strippergate”.

Paul Martin continues to defend former Liberal cabinet minister David Dingwall’s right to a severance payout after he resigned as head of the Canadian Mint in disgrace over his $747,000 in expenses, including a claim for a $1.29 pack of gum.

Paul Martin’s new Immigration Minister, Joe Volpe, was found to be billing taxpayers for multiple breakfasts, lunches and dinners on the same days.

Paul Martin’s Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew took his chauffeur on two trips overseas costing taxpayers $10,000, even though there was no intention he would actually drive.

Paul Martin let former Liberal cabinet minister and former Canada Post Chairman André Ouellet off the hook despite his refusal to provide receipts for $2-million in expenses.

Paul Martin and several of his cabinet ministers were found to be using government Challenger jets as a ‘flying limo service’ to ferry them to and from Liberal Party fundraisers.

And Earnscliffe Strategy Group, a firm with close personal connections to Paul Martin himself, received several government contracts without competition, including four in one week.

Is it any wonder Canadians hardly blinked when Justice Gomery issued his report? Is it any wonder Canada dropped steeply this year to its lowest ranking ever, 14th, on the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index?

Just “business as usual” under Paul Martin’s watch.

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