Wednesday, July 12, 2006

 

With Friends Like these...

Good thing Steve and the Conservatives can *claim* to rid Ottawa of scandal and entitlements. A deep war chest can apparently buy many things in Ottawa.

Sponsorship whistleblower and Tory candidate Allan Cutler is claiming that Tory MP Pierre Poilievre (one of the dullest knives in the drawer) and the Honourable Minister of the Treasury Board John Baird promised compensation for Cutler. Who, surprisingly, then took up the urge to run in the last election for those same Conservatives.

In fact, the Ottawa Citizen reports that the Conservatives gave the Cutler's Ottawa South riding association $24,000 the day before the election call, and transferred another $41,000 to his campaign three weeks later. The riding association also transferred $15,000 to his campaign.

The other twist on this story is that Cutler was *placed* into this riding when the Conservatives already had a candidate - Alan Riddell. The motto could have been All Allan All the Time.

Riddell claims the Tories reneged on a deal to pay him up to $150,000 in campaign expenses and legal fees run up before he finally agreed, under pressure, to step aside in Ottawa South in November 2005.

The Conservatives don't deny they had a financial deal of some kind with Riddell when he stepped down, but say he breached the agreement by going public and isn't owed anything now.

Comments:
Interesting, isn't it? I predict nothing will happen. There are 2 standards now in politics, one for the "Tories", and one for everyone else.
 
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