May 8 and 9, 2008 - The Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois attack the government over Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier’s former relationship with a woman who had personal ties to Quebec bikers in the 1990’s.
The government refused to answer the questions claiming they inappropriately malign the reputation of an innocent woman.
Questions about national security?
The Liberals and the Bloc insist the issue raises national security concerns, but the NDP say they are uncomfortable pursuing this line of questioning.
April 15 to 17, 2008 -The RCMP searched Conservative Party Headquarters executing a warrant obtained by Elections Canada.
Elections Canada has not revealed the reason for the raid, and the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant has been sealed in a Toronto court.
The RCMP say the Mounties were merely assisting with the Elections Canada warrant:
It is not an RCMP investigation. We’re there to assist, but that’s it.
- RCMP Cpl. Jean Hainey
The Conservative Party is suing Elections Canada over an August 2007 ruling by the agency that disallowed rebates claimed for election spending during the 2006 election.
Conservatives claim other political parties follow the same practices, and they accuse Elections Canada of applying different standards to the Conservative Party.
The Tories say Elections Canada improperly seized confidential legal documents related to their civil dispute, and they claim the timing of the search is suspicious coming just one day before Elections Canada officials were to be cross-examined by Conservative lawyers.
The situation has led to speculation that Elections Canada is acting out a vendetta against Conservatives over past disagreements.
Links:
Stephen Harper’s August 2001 fundraising letter in which he says “the jackasses at Elections Canada are out of control.”
March 21 to May 7, 2007 - Opposition parties attack the government over allegations of prisoner abuse by Afghan authorities as reported in a Globe & Mail article and audio slideshow on April 23. They accuse the government of violating the Geneva Conventions by knowingly handing detainees over to Afghans for torture, and demand the resignation of Defense Minister Gordon O’Connor.
The Opposition also cites an internal government report released by the Department of Foreign Affairs under access to information, claiming government cabinet ministers illegally influenced the civil service first to deny the existence of the report, and then to black out portions of the report as part of a “massive systematic cover-up”.
The Opposition further claims that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Red Cross do not have access to detainees as specified under the 2005 Afghan Detainee Agreement, and they accuse the government of lying to Canadians.
The Government says they are unable to confirm the Globe & Mail allegations, and they promised to investigate the issue further. The government also says that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Red Cross do in fact have access to detainees, and that they have been unable to confirm the Globe & Mail reports of abuse. They criticize the Opposition parties for taking the allegations at face value and implying the Canadian military and Minister of Defense are guilty of lying, misconduct and cover-up.
On May 3, the government signed a new detainee agreement that formally spells-out existing arrangements allowing Canadians unrestricted access to detainees.
The accusations seem to have damaged the government’s approval ratings according to a recent SES poll showing divided support for the government’s handling of the issue.
The Opposition parties continue to make personal attacks against Gordon O’Connor and call for his resignation. Even some Tory bloggers say a new Defense Minister is needed before the government can move past the issue.
Do you agree that Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor should resign?
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