Statement by Peter MacKay on the lifting of the publication ban on Gomery testimony
OTTAWA – Peter MacKay, MP for Central Nova, and Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada made the following statement today (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY):
“Like all Canadians, members of the Conservative Party believe that certain moral and ethical rules must guide the conduct of public affairs. These include honesty, integrity and respect for the rule of law.
“The testimony of Former Groupaction Marketing executive Jean Brault released today show that the Liberal Party of Canada is unaware of, or oblivious to, these rules.
“In a word, the evidence released today is appalling and deeply disturbing. Many Canadians have long suspected that the sponsorship scandal was designed to finance the Liberal Party of Canada with public funds. Mr. Brault’s testimony provides detailed evidence that this was, in fact, the case. The Liberal Party of Canada’s Quebec Wing, which included Prime Minister Paul Martin as a candidate, ran at least two elections using taxpayers' money.
“This was not an isolated event. It was not the work of a few misguided people. This was a systemic and deliberate attempt to divert public dollars to a partisan political purpose, and to do so in a way that would subvert election and other laws to the benefit of the Liberal Party of Canada.
“But what is more diabolical and audacious is that the scheme itself was cloaked in the guise of fighting separatists in Quebec and promoting national unity. It is important for Canadians to understand that this is not a Quebec scandal. This is a Liberal Party scandal that happened to take place in Quebec.
“The Liberal Party is attempting to wrap corruption in the Canadian flag. What they have really done is soil the Canadian flag with the stain of Liberal corruption.
“The corrosive result is an emboldened separatist threat that endangers our country’s national unity. Liberal corruption has damaged confidence in federal public institutions and politics itself. Liberal corruption has become the separatist movement’s greatest ally in their fight to destroy Canada.
“There is still more testimony to come before Justice Gomery finishes his investigation. Groupaction was not the only advertising agency implicated in this scandal, and Jean Brault not the only individual.
“To begin the massive exercise of cleaning up the sponsorship scandal, Canadians deserve three simple results: truth, responsibility, and accountability.
“In the meantime, we in the Conservative Party, believe that more testimony must be heard. And we believe that the Canadian public deserves a chance to hear, understand, and evaluate this evidence. This will obviously take some time.
“Our party is not interested in the electoral calculations of the Bloc Québecois, nor do we wish to have any part of pre-empting further evidence from coming forward. We will not allow the separatists’ dangerous, narrow electoral agenda to dictate that of the entire country. Canadians, and particularly those in the province of Quebec, deserve a better choice than one between corruption and separation.
“We won’t make any decisions on electoral timing based on their interests, any more than we will do so based on our own. The Canadian people will decide the timing of the next election.
“As the Official Opposition, we will continue to work hard in this parliament making it work in the best interest of Canadians. And we will continue to hold the Liberal Party to account for their actions.”
