Ottawa Explodes Over Harper Tape And Cadman Bribe Allegation As Election Talk Emerges
Posted February 29, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Never mind the Mulroney-Schreiber affair. Welcome to the Harper-Cadman pas de deux. A new case of he said-she said is gripping Parliament Hill – and it could be enough to bring the country one step closer to a federal election.
The issue concerns the controversy over whether the Prime Minister was aware of an alleged bribe made to a dying MP in order to buy his vote and topple the Liberals back in 2005. The widow of former independent BC MP Chuck Cadman has told an author working on her late husband’s biography that two Tory reps came to their home just before that historic vote and offered him a $1 million life insurance policy in exchange for his support.
But despite Stephen Harper’s assurances that the late politician denied any offer had ever been made, Cadman’s daughter claims his father revealed the truth on his deathbed.
“He told me that there had been an offer made from the Conservatives,” Jodi Cadman assures. “And he didn’t specifically say who. I don’t know if it took place in his office, apartment. There was no details like that, and he just said life insurance policy, million dollars.”
Cadman claims her father wanted it kept secret because he was very ill and didn’t want to deal with the controversy in his final days. His family respected his wishes and they claim that’s the only reason it never came out before.
While the Conservative government says no such deal was ever suggested, the Liberals sense scandal and are hinting at a snap election this spring.
“This is incredible. This is monumental news. I think we need to digest that and talk about it with our constituents before making a decision of that gravity,” comments Liberal MP Mark Holland.
“I am sure that a number of my colleagues will be very keen come Monday to pull the plug on this government,” adds Grit MP (and former Tory) Garth Turner.
In the end Cadman’s single ‘yeah’ prevented the government from falling and he rejected whatever offer he may have been given. He died of cancer a few months later.
Harper has denied knowing anything about a supposed financial incentive but when the author released a tape with the then-opposition leader talking about the arrangements, the story took on a new life.
Now the opposition smells blood in the political water and is going after the Conservative leader with a new passion not seen since the party squeaked to a minority victory in 2006. They hammered Harper in the House of Commons for a second straight day Friday, and some pundits are now predicting Liberal leader Stephane Dion may be reconsidering his decision to shy away from a federal election.
“There is smoke now,” agrees Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. “Whether it’s a smoking gun, then that needs to be determined.”
Harper claims Chuck Cadman himself is on record as saying there were no bribes offered and that should be enough to put the issue to rest. But this being Ottawa, you know it won’t be.
Still there are other reasons to question the story. Insurance experts point out it would be almost impossible to take out a million dollar policy on anyone who was terminally ill – and it would cost more than it would pay off to arrange it.
There’s a bizarre irony in the timing of all this. It was the Conservatives, responding to the Grit sponsorship scandal, which led Harper to create the Accountability Act. It allows a special prosecutor to be named to investigate allegations of wrongdoing among MPs. And his very first case, if it gets that far, could now potentially be against Harper himself.
Hear the tape and read the transcript here.
