Post by Said1 on Oct 31, 2005 20:40:13 GMT -5
I'm on pins and needles.....NOT. 
Apparently Chretien has some splainin' to do.
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Gomery report now in government's hands
Prime Minister Paul Martin and his closest advisers are now assessing Justice John Gomery's report in the federal sponsorship scandal.
They were given a copy of the three-volume shortly after 6 p.m. ET, exactly 16 hours before its official release to the public.
The opposition leaders unsuccessfully sought the same privilege.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper demanded in Parliament's question period on Monday that he be allowed to see the report in advance -- and that Gomery agreed he should.
"He says that our request deserves consideration," Harper said, referring to a letter Gomery sent to him.
"By copy of this letter to the Clerk of the Privy Council, I am suggesting that careful consideration be given to the request as stated in your correspondence," Gomery wrote in his letter to the opposition leaders.
"The government always receives reports of this significance in advance because governments are in the unique position of having to act," Martin said, pointing to previous commissions like the Somalia inquiry.
Formally, the report goes from the commission to the clerk of the privy council, the country's top civil servant -- who reports to the prime minister.
Scandal's impact
Already, scandal stemming from the sponsorship program designed to promote federalism in the wake of the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum has led to an overhaul of election financing laws and taken Parliament to the brink of collapse.
And throughout, revelations of millions of dollars being paid to Liberal-friendly advertising agencies has riveted millions of news-watchers throughout Quebec and across Canada.
On Tuesday morning, Gomery will finally share his conclusions on who did what with the hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars reportedly misspent through the program.
The initial estimate, revealed by Auditor General Sheila Fraser in her February 2004 report, pegged the program pricetag at $250 million over six years. A forensic audit commissioned by the Gomery inquiry subsequently boosted the estimate to $355 million over a decade.
Read Rest Here
Apparently Chretien has some splainin' to do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gomery report now in government's hands
Prime Minister Paul Martin and his closest advisers are now assessing Justice John Gomery's report in the federal sponsorship scandal.
They were given a copy of the three-volume shortly after 6 p.m. ET, exactly 16 hours before its official release to the public.
The opposition leaders unsuccessfully sought the same privilege.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper demanded in Parliament's question period on Monday that he be allowed to see the report in advance -- and that Gomery agreed he should.
"He says that our request deserves consideration," Harper said, referring to a letter Gomery sent to him.
"By copy of this letter to the Clerk of the Privy Council, I am suggesting that careful consideration be given to the request as stated in your correspondence," Gomery wrote in his letter to the opposition leaders.
"The government always receives reports of this significance in advance because governments are in the unique position of having to act," Martin said, pointing to previous commissions like the Somalia inquiry.
Formally, the report goes from the commission to the clerk of the privy council, the country's top civil servant -- who reports to the prime minister.
Scandal's impact
Already, scandal stemming from the sponsorship program designed to promote federalism in the wake of the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum has led to an overhaul of election financing laws and taken Parliament to the brink of collapse.
And throughout, revelations of millions of dollars being paid to Liberal-friendly advertising agencies has riveted millions of news-watchers throughout Quebec and across Canada.
On Tuesday morning, Gomery will finally share his conclusions on who did what with the hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars reportedly misspent through the program.
The initial estimate, revealed by Auditor General Sheila Fraser in her February 2004 report, pegged the program pricetag at $250 million over six years. A forensic audit commissioned by the Gomery inquiry subsequently boosted the estimate to $355 million over a decade.
Read Rest Here