Liberal MP Ruby Sahota complains about costs of a public inquiry

Today at the PROC committee, Liberal MP Ruby Sahota (Brampton North) complained about the hypothetical costs of a full public inquiry into the allegations of Chinese state interference in Canadian elections. It is alleged that Beijing wanted to see the re-election of Justin Trudeau in 2021 to a minority government. It is alleged the CCP facilitated funding for up to 11 candidates.

Watch Ruby Sahota here:

Of course, this intervention by Sahota was part of a concerted effort to filibuster the committee to prevent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Chief of Staff Katie Telford from testifying at the committee, but it got me curious about the history of public inquiries in Canada. Here are a few recent examples that looked into allegations political malfeasance and controversial political decisions:

  1. Rouleau inquiry (Public Order Emergencies Commission) was put in place as required by the Emergencies Act when the Act is invoked during a public emergency. The debate concerned whether Justin Trudeau was justified in treating the 2022 Trucker protest as an emergency. The process found the order to be justified and the commission was estimated to have cost the taxpayer $19 million.
  2. Gomery Inquiry (Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities) – launched in 2004 to investigate political corruption related to the distribution of advertising contracts to Liberal friendly firms. The inquiry heard from over 150 witnesses and released its findings in two reports. The report found that senior Liberal government officials knew of the wrongdoing but failed to act. The scandal and inquiry cast a harsh light on the Liberal government ending 13 years of governance. The cost of the inquiry initially was estimated to cost $14 million but expanded to over $80 million.
  3. Charbonneau Commission (Commission of Inquiry on the Awarding and Management of Public Contracts in the Construction Industry) – launched in 2011 to investigate corruption in the Quebec construction industry and links to Quebec political parties and politicians. The commission investigated bid-rigging, illegal political financing, and money laundering and their relation to the awarding of public contracts. The commission lasted 4 years through 2015 and cost $45 million.
  4. Cullen commission (Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia) – an investigation into the links between political parties and money laundering in the province heard from over 220 witnesses cost $15 million (according to its budget)

Regarding an investigation into the corruption of our political system by a hostile foreign power, this indeed would be costly but few would argue it wouldn’t be worthwhile. Federal elections in Canada cost on the order of $500 million to elect a government that manages an annual budget of over $300 billion.

Michael Ignatieff’s new Director of Communications has an interesting background

“Everything old is new again” is the buzz coming from Liberals and journalists in Ottawa. Peter Donolo’s the new boss of the OLO shop (the Dunno-LO as one journalist told me weeks ago) and today we’ve learned that he’s finally put some new key players in place after the wholly awkward ejection of Davey/Fairbrother.

Among the “fresh” faces is Michael Ignatieff’s new Director of Communications, Mario Laguë, a man the CBC’s Rosemary Barton tells us is among the new gang that “[knows] Quebec inside-out”.

But, a Lexis-Nexis/Informart plunge into the past tells us more!

It appears that Mario Laguë was not only hired by Paul Martin to put a brave face on the sponsorship scandal, but Ignatieff’s new D.Comm was also part of a three-man panel with Chuck Guité that hired then Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano’s Chief of Staff to replace Guité, who was retiring. Stephen Harper, then opposition leader, criticized the hire saying the sponsorship scandal could have been stopped if a senior bureacrat was hired in the position instead.

Affidavit shows how Guité was replaced Document reveals membership of team that chose boss for sponsorship program — The Globe and Mail, October 18th, 2005 by Daniel Leblanc.

OTTAWA — An affidavit prepared by the Public Service Commission for the Gomery inquiry sheds new light on the controversial hiring of a former Liberal aide to head the sponsorship program in 1999, including the role of a federal official who would become an aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

The inquiry heard conflicting testimony about how Pierre Tremblay, then the chief of staff to then public works minister Alfonso Gagliano, was hired to replace retiring bureaucrat Chuck Guité. Mr. Guité said he rigged the process at Mr. Gagliano’s behest; the former minister denied any political interference.

The affidavit, which went unnoticed when it was tabled in May, shows that Mr. Tremblay’s hiring was approved by a three-member selection board made up of Mr. Guité, Public Service Commission executive resourcing consultant Michael Carey, and Mario Laguë, a long-time Liberal supporter who became Mr. Martin’s first director of communications when he became Prime Minister. The affidavit said Mr. Tremblay was hired “based on the recommendation of the selection board.”

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said yesterday the problems with the sponsorship program could have been stopped if an experienced civil servant had been hired in 1999 instead of Mr. Tremblay. The problems continued until an RCMP investigation was launched in 2002, but by then Mr. Tremblay was working in another federal agency.

When Prime Minister Paul Martin was in office he hired Laguë to “cover-up” the sponsorship scandal according to opposition Conservatives at the time.

Assistant to PM contributed to cover-up, opposition says Mario Lague included in strategy sessions when problems first surfaced, e-mail says; Mario Lague included in strategy sessions when problems first surfaced, e-mail says — The Globe and Mail, February 20th, 2004 by Campbell Clark

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Paul Martin’s communications director was a key player in the Chrétien government’s efforts to put the best face on serious problems in the sponsorship program in 2000, government records show.

Opposition politicians focused many attacks in the Commons yesterday on Mario Lague, Mr. Martin’s communications director, insisting he was involved in efforts to “cover up” the sponsorship scandal, which saw millions misused from 1996 to 2002.

Mr. Martin fought back, asserting that Mr. Lague “was not involved in the management of the sponsorship file.”

However, records show that Mr. Lague was included in top-level meetings to plan strategy when problems began to emerge. An e-mail from September, 2000, obtained by an independent researcher and provided to The Globe and Mail, indicates that Mr. Lague was one of a small group of senior officials and political aides who plotted to put the best face on a damaging audit.

Motion on Adscam to be moved

I’ve learned that Peterborough Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro will move the following motion at committee on Tuesday:

November 1st 2009 represents the fourth anniversary of the first report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, presided over by Justice Gomery. Despite the time that has passed, we are no closer to knowing which Federal Liberal riding associations benefited from the stolen taxpayer funds or where the missing $43 million dollars highlighted by Justice Gomery ultimately wound up.

The Standing committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics calls on the Auditor General of Canada to conduct a full audit of the sponsorship program to determine which federal Liberal riding associations received stolen funds and to clarify for Canadians who received the missing $43 million dollars.