Mark Cameron neatly ties together the developments in Adscam today.
Chuck Guit� and Jean Brault, President of Groupaction, have been arrested on fraud charges related to $2 million worth of communications contracts for the firearms registry. Two grassy knoll-ish thoughts cross my mind. First, it’s interesting how the Liberal scandals seem to be coming together. You half expect it to come out in discovery that Guit� and Brault planned their fraud over a round of golf on Jean Chr�tien’s Shawinigan golf course followed by drinks at the Auberge Grand-M�re. Second, and more seriously, it’s interesting how the RCMP investigation seemed to proceed at exactly the speed necessary for Liberal election timing. This allows the government to quietly bury the Public Accounts Committee inquiry, say that arrests have been made and action is being taken, and refuse to answer further questions for fear of interfering in a police investigation.
If one had confidence that the RCMP were an entirely impartial, non-political police force, these kinds of unworthy thoughts would not cross our mind. But given the fact that Giuliano Zaccardelli has shown himself to be a political initimate of the current government, and that the RCMP itself has been implicated in Adscam, you can’t help but wonder whether the RCMP and the government colluded on timing (or if the RCMP just decided to speed things up as a pre-election gift for Martin). Remember that Liberal Quebec lieutenant asked for arrests to be made in advance of the election only a few weeks ago
Not an unworthy thought at all. News story here.