Chuck Cadman

The late MP for Surrey North is in the news again. The allegations made in this upcoming book are serious. If the reports are accurate, the people involved have no place in public life. It is crucial that someone get to the bottom of this. Offering a $1,000,000 life insurance policy to a dying MP to gain his vote on a matter of confidence is both illegal and immoral. How far up the Conservative food chain this goes is a big question. The reports quote Harper as having known about it before hand and having done nothing to stop it. Here's the full quote from CBC.ca:

Stephen Harper is also quoted in the book, confirming some of the details.

Harper said his understanding of the offer to Cadman was that "it was only to replace financial considerations he might lose due to an election.

"I don't know the details," he's quoted as saying in the book. "I can tell you that I had told the individuals — I mean, they wanted to do it — but I told them they were wasting their time. I said Chuck had made up his mind he was going to vote with the Liberals."

Harper also confirmed the people who met with Cadman were "legitimately representing the party."

Harper had a responsibility to tell these people not to approach Cadman with the illicit offer. He also had a responsibility, if they had insisted on going forward with their plan, to separate himself and his party from their actions. There is no way that the offer should have been made with Harper's prior knowledge by people "legitimately representing the party."

If these reports are accurate, we may have found an election issue. I have no confidence in a government that is willing to pay people for their votes. It is tragic that the late Mr. Cadman may be used for political gains, however, his death does not reduce the immorality and illegality of these actions nor does it reduce the government's involvement.