Cut and paste number from Norman Spector and the Globe and Mail:
Don't call the Copps
Norman Spector
In today's Hill Times, former cabinet minister Sheila Copps weighs in on the controversy roiling Ottawa these days:
"If Canadians abhor one thing, it is favouritism. Voters will not support an $87.7-million slush fund in Defence Minister Peter MacKay's riding greater than the combined spending in all five Liberal-held ridings in Nova Scotia."
Flash back now to a front pager by Chantal Hébert, in which she reports a letter of thanks to Ms. Copps for her "generous assistance" in this caper:
In 2001, Jamie Kelley, a longstanding member of the federal Liberal party, approached [former environment minister David] Anderson's constituency office for help with funding the Victoria Rootsfest music festival. . When Kelley called Anderson's constituency office, he found the minister's aides eager to help.
"They told me of a secret slush fund where they could access money for constituency programs," he says. "There was no application form, no process other than to write a letter to Mr. Pierre Tremblay at public works."
In contrast to the sponsorship program, there's been no suggestion today that work being invoiced is not being done. Nor is there evidence that public funds are being diverted to the Conservative Party - a matter that would also necessitate calling in the cops. As to Ms. Copps, until she and other Liberals come forward with concrete proposals to prevent a recurrence of slush funds if and when they return to power, you have to take her views with a large grain of salt.
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