This is clearly going to be the political story for the next few days at least, so I thought I'd get out in front of it.
If Chuck Cadman was bribed by the Conservative's to vote a certain way, then that is an inexcusable criminal offense. It really is.
But here's what I don't get about all this: Stephen Harper casually admitted to the meeting at the time, and the PMO even released a statement on Wednesday confirming the meeting, and Dona Cadman, Chuck's widow, is now running for the Conservative party!
It just seems like there is something missing in all this.
Harper said they offered to financial accommodate Cadman, so he didn't have to worry about an election, if he came over to the Conservative Party.
That's the important crux of this, that would indicate criminality or not. If the Conservative or a representative of the Conservatives were offering a bribe for him to vote against the Liberal government, then that would be illegal. But if they were trying to coerce him to defect to the party, even though you could argue it amounts to the same thing, it would be a completely different matte as a question of lawr; it wouldn't be criminal at all. Unethical, perhaps. Not criminal.
Now Stephen Harper is a pretty smart guy. Someone like Harper would know how serious bribing an MP, especially a dying MP would be, so the fact he admitted to this meeting so casually makes me think that maybe something happened that: 1. Stephen Harper honestly doesn't know about, or 2. something has been taken out of context.
Dona Cadman, who is making the allegation, is also running for the Conservative Party, and she seems to be quite casual about the whole ordeal too.
... and if Chuck Cadman was bribed, and he was pissed off about it, why didn't he go to the media bout it?
I just don't get it. Blanks need filling.
Update: Thinking more about this... "a million dollar life insurance policy". Not to sound too crass, but what insurance company hands out a million dollar life insurance policy to someone dying of cancer? And the Conservative Party certainly couldn't afford to just throw a million dollars at him without it going unnoticed.
The CPC has a basic party insurance policy covering anything that may happen while somebody is participating in a party event, I've signed up for it myself when organizing events.
...the maximum coverage is $1 000 000.
What they may have been talking about was that if he rejoined the CPC, he would then be covered under their general policy.
I agree that the whole thing is very strange. Especially the part about Dona running as a Conservative candidate.
I'm baffled.
If this is true Cool Blue everything would make sense. What most likely happened was that Cadman was told that if he joined the CPC he would be covered under their insurance policy. Cadman was told of the benefit's of being a member of the CPC, he was offer nothing else.
A few things to consider -
1) Who offers a million dollar life insurance policy to a dying man?
2) The timing of the release of this book
3) The person in the middle of this is running as a candidate for the Party being accused
But most of all, what Party stands to benifit the most from the "outing" of this "scandal" at such a crucial juncture in the life of this minority Parliament? Oh yeah. How convenient.
Kai:
Even though a lot of Libloggers are jumping all over this, I don't think it's the Liberals who originated this leak.
Remember that the national news media isn't on the best of terms with Harper, and obviously an author launching a book about an independent MP wants some form of publicity. So we have a convergence of media interests here, not necessarily partisan.
I hope Dona Cadman is the benefactor to all this 'publicity', and gets elected.
Tempest meet teapot.
This is so going to be yesterday's news sometime tomorrow and even then ----- Who Cares ?
I don't.
Just speaking for me ---- Had I been dying and someone offered me $1,000,000 for bringing down a Government in a vote, it would be ---- Where do I sign ? I guess I respect Cadman for holding firm to his principles but they would not at all be my principles. I frankly think he behaved rather poorly in context. Pridefully one might almost say. Family future be damned. I have my principles.
It was supposedly a suggested bonus for bringing down a Government in Canada for crying out loud. Hardly as if the losers were to be exiled at once to the gulag. Principle is one thing but $1,000,000 for my survivors is entirely another. Like the vote in question really mattered in the BIG PICTURE. And as others have said it probably was just an offer to rejoin the CPC for the vote. Hardly a big deal. And a perfectly legitimate and valid offering under any circumstances. And how any insurance company would cover this is really beyond my understanding. Pre-existing medical conditions and all that, being a complete basis for exclusion from ANY Insurance coverage at all.
This seems like a really silly story and indicates the type of political discussion we have in this insular and largely irrelevant little country.
Even though a lot of Libloggers are jumping all over this, I don't think it's the Liberals who originated this leak.
True Phantom, however, they are undoubtedly going to try and own it.
So we have a convergence of media interests here, not necessarily partisan.
Well, that remains to be seen. We'll know more regarding that by the end of suppertime.
Whether it was "pointing out" a benefit to joining the Conservatives or a special benefit, it was crass, low, and wrong. If the CPC cannot convince a former Reform member to see things their way on policy then that should be that. let's not take this party back to the bad old days of corruption and scandal, or take lessons from the "comfy fur" party. Let's try to be principled.
I don't think there's any doubt that Harper and the party were trying to get Cadman onside, but offering a $1 million insurance policy? Sounds a bit much. Was that explicitly stated or is Donna Cadman reading into ambiguous words?
I find it hard to believe Stephen Harper would even dream of undertaking such assurances. He would obviously know it is completely illegal and would have utterly undermined him at the time - and there’s no reason to believe he would have risked doing such a thing, because Cadman and/or his wife could have gone to the media right then and there.
Further puzzling - why on earth is Donna Cadman running as a Tory candidate then!?!
The whole thing just seems a bit fishy to me - innuendos from a book just about to be published, comments from his wife - who admits she wasn't there, about her husband being mad when he came home. An author who can't be found for comment?
A Liberal party frustrated at not being able to fight an election.
Timing is everything in politics and the timing of this "alleged" bribe is interesting.
And now the "ethics"committee wants to get involved....well, well, well - they couldn't get Harper through Mulroney - so try with this one.
My question has to be why this is coming out so long after the fact. If it was true, why was it not brought out at the time of the last election? Wouldn't it have tempered the "income trust" investigation. Me-thinks some opposition and media are searching for anything that might stick to the Tories.
The potential for dire consequences associated with offering a bribe such as the one described here, render this story pure fantasy. Knowing how to measure a story’s validity – worthwhile. Getting free publicity for your book – priceless.
Anybody remember Belinda Stonach? Wasn't she bribed by the Liberals with a cabinet posting?