Post by Said1 on Dec 29, 2005 9:23:23 GMT -5
Yes Mr. Harper, it would appear that there is a Santa Claus.
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Goodale: 'No evidence of wrongdoing' in leak probe
Updated Thu. Dec. 29 2005 9:19 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Amid the growing calls for his resignation, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale repeated Thursday that he won't step down during a criminal investigation into an alleged leak of an announcement on income trust taxation rules.
"That would feed the insinuation here of wrongdoing on my part," Goodale said from Regina during an interview on CTV's Canada AM.
The RCMP are investigating the possibility that information was leaked prior to Goodale's Nov. 23 taxation announcement.
There was a spike in trading in income trusts on the Toronto Stock Exchange in the hours immediately before Goodale announced there would be no taxation of the popular investment vehicles.
The RCMP made no mention of who was being investigated, and also noted in a statement released yesterday that "there is no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on the part of anyone associated to this investigation," including Goodale.
"I am absolutely satisfied there has been no wrongdoing on my part," said Goodale, who has promised full co-operation with the investigation.
"And I'm obviously happy that the RCMP in the released statement yesterday made a very clear comment that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing or illegal conduct on the part of me or anyone else."
Meanwhile, Deputy Conservative leader Peter MacKay said it's "totally inappropriate" for Goodale to declare innocence in the middle of an RCMP probe.
He repeated his party's call for the finance minister to step down, "pending completion of an investigation."
"There is precedent for this," MacKay told Canada AM from New Glasgow, N.S.
He later elaborated on CTV Newsnet that Ontario Liberal MP Judy Sgro stepped aside from her cabinet position after a newspaper report revealed allegations from pizza shop owner Harjit Singh, who said Sgro pressured him to supply food to her 2003 election campaign. Sgro was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
MacKay said in the current case, it should be enough that the Mounties have reached "that threshold where they ... suspect that wrongdoing has taken place" for Goodale to step down.
Continued Here
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Goodale: 'No evidence of wrongdoing' in leak probe
Updated Thu. Dec. 29 2005 9:19 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Amid the growing calls for his resignation, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale repeated Thursday that he won't step down during a criminal investigation into an alleged leak of an announcement on income trust taxation rules.
"That would feed the insinuation here of wrongdoing on my part," Goodale said from Regina during an interview on CTV's Canada AM.
The RCMP are investigating the possibility that information was leaked prior to Goodale's Nov. 23 taxation announcement.
There was a spike in trading in income trusts on the Toronto Stock Exchange in the hours immediately before Goodale announced there would be no taxation of the popular investment vehicles.
The RCMP made no mention of who was being investigated, and also noted in a statement released yesterday that "there is no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on the part of anyone associated to this investigation," including Goodale.
"I am absolutely satisfied there has been no wrongdoing on my part," said Goodale, who has promised full co-operation with the investigation.
"And I'm obviously happy that the RCMP in the released statement yesterday made a very clear comment that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing or illegal conduct on the part of me or anyone else."
Meanwhile, Deputy Conservative leader Peter MacKay said it's "totally inappropriate" for Goodale to declare innocence in the middle of an RCMP probe.
He repeated his party's call for the finance minister to step down, "pending completion of an investigation."
"There is precedent for this," MacKay told Canada AM from New Glasgow, N.S.
He later elaborated on CTV Newsnet that Ontario Liberal MP Judy Sgro stepped aside from her cabinet position after a newspaper report revealed allegations from pizza shop owner Harjit Singh, who said Sgro pressured him to supply food to her 2003 election campaign. Sgro was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
MacKay said in the current case, it should be enough that the Mounties have reached "that threshold where they ... suspect that wrongdoing has taken place" for Goodale to step down.
Continued Here