If the Liberal government in Ottawa is now launching lawsuits to recover “Sponsorship Scandal” money which was paid by the Chretien/Martin Liberal Government to Liberal Party-friendly media companies (for nothing of value, apparently, except kickbacks in the form of donations to the Liberal Party), isn’t that a tacit admission of guilt?
And shouldn’t the Liberal Party be paying for all of this, instead of taxpayers? I think the government should leave the tobacco companies alone—go after the Liberal Party of Canada instead. People knew not to smoke, and smoking is legal. There’s other differences too: smoking doesn’t stink as bad, for example.
Suggestions for Irwin Cotler, Liberal Minister of Gay Marriage and Minority Justice: Start with a $250 million lawsuit against the Liberal Party of Canada. Oh but by the way, Cotler, I’d like to vet the lawyers you hire to bring your lawsuit against the Liberal Party, just to ensure they’re good conservatives. No use going round in circles here.
Or perhaps a taxpayer-led $250 million class-action lawsuit against the Liberal Party of Canada, where taxpayers would simply get their hard-earned cash back.
These are just suggestions.
Meanwhile, here’s part of the cnews.com story:
Liberals to sue ad agencies
MONTREAL (CP) – The federal government will launch a lawsuit Friday seeking $39 million in excess payments to four Quebec advertising agencies involved in the sponsorship scandal, Radio-Canada reported Thursday.The lawsuit will be filed in Quebec Superior Court in Montreal against Lafleur Communications, Groupaction, Everest and Polygone, said the French-language service of the CBC.
Also named will be the owners of the companies, including Jean Lafleur, Jean Brault and Claude Boulay.
Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed lawyer Andre Gauthier as a special counsel for financial recovery last February.
His mandate was to review all sponsorship files and “to pursue all possible avenues, including civil litigation, to recover funds that were improperly received by certain parties involved in the delivery of the sponsorship program.”
Gauthier’s work has so far cost more than $1 million, not including his fees, said the television network.
Justice John Gomery is spending the Montreal phase of his sponsorship inquiry delving into the commissions earned by Liberal-friendly Quebec ad agencies after the 1995 sovereignty referendum.
The federal auditor general has concluded the agencies and other middlemen earned $100 million in commissions, sometimes for performing little or no work.
For the past two weeks, Gomery has grown testy as he heard about excess payments to advertising agencies.
“Should we pay $245 an hour so somebody can do some packing?” he asked Jean Lafleur’s son, Eric, who was also involved in sponsorship work.
“No, it’s unreasonable,” responded Eric Lafleur.
Lafleur Communications managed more than $30 million in sponsorship contracts in the mid- to late 1990s. Eric Lafleur made more than $1.1 million in salary while his own firm acted as his father’s company’s sole supplier of federally branded promotional items.
A spokeswoman for Public Works Minister Scott Brison would not confirm or deny the Radio-Canada report when contacted by The Canadian Press on Thursday night.
Other government officials contacted late Thursday by CP did not deny the story and one official admitted to being aware of the impending lawsuit but could not confirm the dollar figures involved. […]
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