Rahim Jaffer was kind enough to respond to my email. Though I suspect it to be a form letter geared to the issue, I am happy he has responded relatively quickly. My response is below.

Dear Darren James,

Thank you for forwarding yourmessage to my office regarding the ongoing inquiry into the sponsorship scandal. On April 21, 2005 Liberal leader and Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin went on television to admit that there is widespread corruption in the Liberal Party. The question now is whether that party should now be allowed to continue in office for another ten months or more. Stephen Harper, myself, and my colleagues in the Conservative Party of Canada, believe that a corrupt party cannot remain in office. We believe that an election must be held as soon as possible, so you - Canadian voters - can exercise your democratic right to decide who you want as your government.

However, I understand that you may have concerns regarding the timing of the election and the possible consequences for Justice Gomery who is currently holding an inquiry into the scandal. That is why I have taken some of your questions that have been posed to me and have included them below, so you know where I, as your Member of Parliament, stand on these issues.

What do you say to polls that show that most Canadians don't want an election?

Paul Martin admitted on the 21st of April that an election is necessary because of Liberal corruption. Now, we're debating whether a campaign should be the standard thirty-seven days, or ten months like the Liberals want. A ten-month campaign is not good for the country, and Canadians don't want it. The country can't afford ten months of a government under an ethical cloud.

But shouldn't we wait for Justice Gomery's report prior to going to the polls?

I hope Justice Gomery is allowed to report. But the Liberal Party, led by Jean Chrétien will be in court soon to shut his inquiry down. So there is no guarantee that he will report on time, if at all. Paul Martin is asking us to give the Liberal Party, without even bothering to deny any of this corruption, a ten-month free ride in office. Regardless of when we do go to the polls, Mr. Gomery's inquiry will
continue as an election call cannot legally put an end to the inquiry process.

Isn't Justice Gomery the best judge of who did what?

Justice Gomery will report eventually, and might make determinations about criminal behaviour or recommendations for further action. But the people need to make a different judgment. They need to decide whether the Liberal Party remains fit for public office. Once he reports it will be up to the government to exercise justice on those implicated. Can we really trust the Liberals to exercise justice upon themselves?

Don't the Liberals still have a mandate to govern, just as Gomery has a mandate to investigate the scandal?

Paul Martin called an election last year after saying he had already gotten to the bottom of the sponsorship scandal. But he shut down the public accounts committee, and we hadn't even heard a single witness at the inquiry. Canadians will hear all of the evidence at the inquiry, and determine if the Liberal Party is still fit for public office. The Conservative Party of Canada does not believe that a corrupt party has the moral right to retain power just to avoid the consequences of their actions.

Couldn't the government get on with governing if you just accepted that Gomery should be allowed to do his work?

The Liberal government has treated the House of Commons with contempt, canceling opposition days and refusing to answer direct questions regarding the scandal. Instead, by trying to put off questioning into the scandal for ten months, Mr. Martin is making a transparent attempt to avoid accountability and hold onto power. This is simply unacceptable and Canadians must have the choice now if they want to condone or condemn this behaviour.

I hope that this answers some of the concerns that you may have going into what is likely to be a defining moment in Canada's history. A moment that will allow Canadians to say no to corruption and yes to a reasonable alternative, such as the Conservative Party of Canada.

Sincerely,
Rahim Jaffer, MP
Edmonton Strathcona

Hi Rahim,

Thank you for your reply. I have some questions about your responses:

> Paul Martin admitted on the 21st of April that an election is necessary
> because of Liberal corruption. Now, we're debating whether a campaign
> should be the standard thirty-seven days, or ten months like the Liberals
> want. A ten-month campaign is not good for the country, and Canadians
> don't want it. The country can't afford ten months of a government under
> an ethical cloud.

Do you have any quantitative data that supports this? The last poll cited by the CBC showed that 61% of Canadians supported a January election:

The Strategic Counsel poll found Canadians
preferred Martin's proposal of an election
next January by a 61 per cent to 33 per cent
margin over Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's
wish for an immediate vote.
- "Polls show Tories have lost their lead", CBC
April 29.

Ipsos Reid backs up this poll's results

> I hope Justice Gomery is allowed to report. But the Liberal Party, led by
> Jean Chrétien will be in court soon to shut his inquiry down. So there is
> no guarantee that he will report on time, if at all. Paul Martin is asking
> us to give the Liberal Party, without even bothering to deny any of this
> corruption, a ten-month free ride in office. Regardless of when we do go
> to the polls, Mr. Gomery's inquiry will continue as an election call
> cannot legally put an end to the inquiry process.

This is pure party rhetoric. The Liberal party under Paul Martin initiated the inquiry, and have done nothing to this point to hinder it. If you have evidence that there is a plan to legally shut down proceedings, I would think it to be your duty to reveal this to the Canadian public. If not, this is purely speculation that is heavily biased by your party affiliation. It also contains contradiction; in the first part of this paragraph, you say it will soon be shut down. Yet, in the last half you say that it will continue.

Paul Martin is not getting a "free ride", as you put it. He is in power because the Canadian electorate put him there, despite the early shakings of the Sponsorship scandal. We, as electors, decided to let the Liberals stay in power (though in a minority position) until the full details of the scandal were revealed and responsibility was placed. Given the recent polls regarding the election date, Canadians still take that position - we want to have full disclosure of the scandal before we decide how to act on it.

> Liberal Party remains fit for public office. Once he reports it will be up
> to the government to exercise justice on those implicated. Can we really
> trust the Liberals to exercise justice upon themselves?

This is a patently false statement. If criminal activity is found, it is not up to the liberals to impose punishment - that will be taken care of by the judicial system. In fact, there are already two criminal cases in the works based on the findings of the Gomery commission: Mr. Guite and Mr. Brault face charges of fraud

> determine if the Liberal Party is still fit for public office. The
> Conservative Party of Canada does not believe that a corrupt party has the
> moral right to retain power just to avoid the consequences of their
> actions.

The implication of this answer, and even the question, is that the Conservative party IS the right judge of this matter. The Conservative Party of Canada has taken a position of judge, jury, and (hopeful) executioner in the Sponsorship scandal and as such is doing a disservice to the Canadian population. We have indicated that we do not want an election at this time, which is supported in the polls mentioned above.

> scandal for ten months, Mr. Martin is making a transparent attempt to
> avoid accountability and hold onto power. This is simply unacceptable and
> Canadians must have the choice now if they want to condone or condemn this
> behaviour.

Canadians have made their choice: we want to wait to hear the full findings of the Gomery commission. If Mr. Martin is true to his word, an election will come soon after the findings are released. If the Canadian public judges, based on those findings, that his party is no longer worthy of forming our government, then we will vote them out. If Mr Martin is not true to his word, you can rest assured the Canadian electorate will remind him of his promise when the election is finally called. Either way, Canadians will make their decision regarding Mr. Martin's government.

I look forward to your reply,
--
darren james harkness
web guru | http://staticred.net/

"Success is not final and failure is not fatal.
It is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill