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“DEVOLIN: GOMERY
CONFIRMS LIBERAL THEFT OF MILLIONS”
November
2, 2005
OTTAWA
– Justice John Gomery confirmed today that millions of dollars
were stolen from the public purse and funneled to friends and
supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec. In his
three-volume report, Gomery describes “a complex web of
transactions … involving kickbacks and illegal contributions to a
political party (the Liberals) in the context of the Sponsorship
Program.”
“The
Liberal Party and this Liberal government must be held accountable
for the biggest political scandal in Canadian history,” said
Devolin. “As leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of a
Liberal government, Paul Martin must accept personal responsibility
for the actions of Liberal leaders, members and employees past and
present.”
“Contrary
to Liberal spin, Justice Gomery’s report is not a blanket
exoneration of Paul Martin. Martin is exonerated from the
day-to-day management and operation of the Sponsorship program, but
not from its creation” explained Devolin. “And Justice Gomery
does not suggest in any way that Martin should be held free from
political responsibility.”
“In
fact, Gomery was specifically prohibited from investigating
testimony regarding Paul Martin’s contracting practices with
Earnscliffe, which is the only area where it has been suggested he
may have been involved in improper activities,” said Devolin.
“It’s
important that Canadians do not fall for the Liberal’s phony
argument that Gomery is all about Paul Martin vs. Jean Chretien. The
real issue is whether Paul Martin – as the current leader of the
Liberals – is willing to accept responsibility for the government
and organization that he leads. After all, it wouldn’t be
acceptable for a corporation to dodge responsibility for previous
actions simply because they changed presidents since the time the
decisions or actions were taken. If the Liberal Party isn’t
responsible for this multi-million dollar criminal conspiracy, then
who is?”
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30 –
For
more information contact:
Barry
Devolin, MP (705)
324-2400 or
(866) 688-9881 |
