Bud Talkinghorn: Hold on to your wallet, redux

Paul Martin told his caucus that he is going to make national unity his central election issue. Does this mean that millions more will be stolen from the taxpayers to woo Quebec? Does he not understand that the sponsorship scandal has fattened the electoral hopes of his separatist opponents? To have watched Martin in yesterday's Question Period is to have watched a man who is in full panic mode. His dodging of Harper's question about Martin talking to witness Claude Boulay of Groupe Everest about a sponsorship deal was never answered. Instead, Martin started to accuse Harper of a hidden health agenda. After three attempts to get an answer, Harper simply read out the testimony of Alain Renaud, who said he overheard Martin talking to Claude Boulay about an Attractions Canada deal. Boulay, who Martin claims not to know well, actually worked for Martin during a campaign. I watched as Martin wallowed and then fled before question period ended.

Perhaps Ed Broadbent's comment about Paul Martin's performance was too much. Broadbent said,

"When the Leader of the Opposition asks [repeatedly] a question about corruption and he [Martin] replies with a question to the Leader of the Opposition about health care, he completely undermines the office of the Prime Minister."

I distinctly remember Broadbent also saying that Martin's 'answer' makes a mockery of Parliament."

Then there was the perfect sound bite from Harper later, when he pointed out Martin's hypocrisy over private health care: "Unlike myself, he goes to a private health clinic."

On top of Martin's sorry performance, the litany of Liberal corruption went on apace at the Gomery Inquiry. It was revealed by witness Luc Lemay that Chretien crony Jacques Corriveau had done practically nothing for the $5.8 million he received in sponsorship money. Lemay admitted that he never checked to see if Corriveau's Pluery Design (Pleuri?) actually did any work for his commissions. He also said that two events totalling $834,000 in pre-paid goverment money never took place and that when he tried to return the money, the Chuck Guite and his replacement Pierre Tremblay said "never mind, its too much bother. Keep it." That is a comment that could headline the entire scam. In a moment of tragi-comedy. Lemay could only shrug when asked why invoices were presented for work at "the Olympic stadiums in Sherbrooke, Chicoutimi, Ste. Foy, Rimouski and Trois Riviere." All had identical amounts of $9,432.95. Nor could Lemay explain why he paid more for sponsorship contracts than the legitimate cost of them. So, we get the testimony of arch-influence peddler, Jacques Corriveau, April 14.

Let the games continue, would be my advice to Stephen Harper. It is fun to watch the SS Steamship Liberal founder. A few more torpedo witnesses and we can see it sink beneath the waves.

© Bud Talkinghorn -- Oh yes, I forgot. Gagliano's lawyers have racked up $355,000 so far. That is not the total sum, as his lawyers will be back in court again. The taxpayers will be footing the entire cost, of course.