The CBC ran the story yesterday.
In 2005 Independent MP Chuck Cadman had a visit from Conservatives at his Ottawa office.
The late Independent MP from British Columbia who kept the Liberals in power in the spring of 2005 was offered a $1 million life insurance policy by the Conservatives in an attempt to win his vote, according to an upcoming book.
Chuck Cadman, who was battling cancer and died in July 2005, sided with the minority Liberals in the crucial vote on May 19, 2005, ensuring Canadians would not have to head to the polls for a summer election.
New details about what happened behind the scenes of that dramatic vote are recounted in Like A Rock: The Chuck Cadman Story, written by Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk.
The book is coming out March 15, but CBC News has obtained a copy.
If the elements of the story are true, the Conservatives’ actions may amount to a criminal offence.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, it’s illegal to bribe an MP.
Cadman, a former Reform and then Canadian Alliance MP, was dying of skin cancer when the crucial vote on a budget amendment came up on May 19, 2005.
The Liberal prime minister at the time, Paul Martin, needed Cadman’s vote to stay in power, while Stephen Harper’s Conservatives needed the Independent MP’s support to force an election.
Two days before the vote, Zytaruk writes, Cadman was visited by two Conservative party representatives — who are not identified — and presented with a list of enticements to rejoin the party before the vote.
A million-dollar life insurance policy was on the list, Zytaruk writes.
“That was on him, so that if he died I’d get the million dollars,” Cadman’s wife, Dona, is quoted as saying. “There was a few other things thrown in there too.”
Dona Cadman said her husband was offended by the offers, the book says.
The only other person present at the meeting in Cadman’s office was the MP’s legislative assistant, Dan Wallace, who, Zytaruk said, “recoiled like a spring” when asked what happened that day.
“I believe Dona Cadman as the day is long,” Wallace is quoted as saying. “She has no interest in fabricating anything.”
Now The Globe and Mail is running with Ottawa’s reaction.
Mr. Zytaruk, who writes for a Surrey newspaper, has covered stories about Mr. Cadman since the murder of his son drove him into politics.
After Mr. Cadman’s death, Mr. Zytaruk heard that Mr. Harper, who was then leader of the opposition, was paying a personal visit to the Cadman residence. Mr. Zytaruk interviewed Mr. Harper in the driveway.
“Of the offer to Chuck,†he quotes Mr. Harper as saying, “it was only to replace financial considerations he might lose due to an election, OK. That’s my understanding of what they were talking about.
“I don’t know the details,†he said. “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. I knew why, and I respected the decision, but they were just, they were convinced there was, there was financial issues and, there may or may not.
“They were legitimately representing the party,†Mr. Harper confirmed. “I said ‘Don’t press him, I mean, you have this theory that it’s, you know, financial insecurity, and you know, just, you know, if that’s what you say make the case,’ but I said ‘Don’t press it.’â€
Yesterday, Ms. Buckler of the PMO wrote in an e-mail that “On Sept. 9, 2005, the then Leader of the Opposition visited Dona Cadman at her residence. During that visit, Dona asked him about this story. Subsequently, on the same day, a local reporter/author Tom Zytaruk asked him about Dona’s same story. The then Leader of the Opposition looked into the matter with party officials and could find no confirmation.
It is in the public interest that what happened gets put out, and put out as soon as possible. No insurance company would have offered Cadman coverage, and there is way too much assumed.
Where would that money have come from, what else was offered besides entry back into the party?
The PMO is essentially saying Dona Cadman who is running federally for The Conservative Party in Surrey North is a liar or mistaken.
‘Conservative visitors’ to Chuck Cadman’s office  made a statement today.
In a statement released Thursday, Tory campaign director Doug Finley and Tom Flanagan, a University of Calgary political science professor who is a close friend and former campaign chief of Mr. Harper, confirmed that they met with Mr. Cadman on May 19, 2005 to discuss his possible re-admission to the Conservative caucus – a fact “widely known in political circles†and on the public record, they said.
The statement does not address the insurance policy allegation, but suggests televised remarks by Mr. Cadman made later that day puts the matter to rest.
“We offered ways that we – as campaign officials – could help Mr. Cadman in the Conservative nomination process, and if successful, wage a competitive campaign in a general election,†the statement said.
“Later that evening, Mr. Cadman confirmed our offer of campaign assistance to a national television audience and further confirmed that this offer was ‘the only offer on anything.’ As the record shows, Mr. Cadman declined our offer to re-join the Conservative Caucus.â€
Chuck Cadman was dying, how could a million dollar offer be floated as an insurance policy or defrayed election costs?
- May 17, 2005 – Doug Finley and Tom Flanagan meet with Chuck Cadman at his Ottawa Office (according to news reports quoting Tom Zyturak)
- The statement from The Conservative Party says the meeting with Chuck Cadman occurred May 19, 2005
- Liberal Leader Paul Martin also visits with Cadman. When?
- May 19, 2005 vote in Parliament
- July 9, 2005 Chuck Cadman dies
- September 9, 2005 Stephen Harper visits Dona Cadman at her home and runs into reporter Tom Zytaruk.
Liberal MP Garth Turner posted Buying Chuck yesterday, I didn’t pay much attention. Commenters have. Bloggers are. The Commons Ethics Committee will have to.
Turner has a transcript of an telephone interview today with Dona Cadman on CTV Newsnet.
What does Dan Wallace, Chuck Cadman’s legislative assistant have to say?
Update: Peter’s Politics picked up on The Conservative overture in 2005
There will be, of course, a righteous furor on so many fronts. Then, after vague statements and weak denials have run their course, there will be an inquiry. It will last for 18 months and cost millions of dollars. Lawyers will buy lakeside homes in Muskoka with the proceeds. In the midst of the summer – with tv viewership at it’s annual low – the handsomely bound and strongly worded report will be released to a surprising lack of fanfare. The government will pledge to seriously consider its findings. Then? Well… the Jays will finish third in their division, the Leafs will sign a couple of mediocre, 40 year forwards and the whole world will go back to wondering whatever happened to Kato Katelin.
Or I might be cynical.
Sigh.
You forgot that the book will pre-sell very well and shoot to the top of the best-seller list.
The Raptor’s star player will break something, the Olympic committee will never ever let women ski jumpers jump; we’ll get 3 more metres of snow before March 21st, Rick Mercer will sign a movie deal with Warner Brothers and the ethics committee will pass the buck.
In the interest of transparency there will be a public inquiry that will run for 18 months, cost taxpayers millions of dollars, be handsomely bound and so worded that anyone wading through it will need a long vacation and clorohydrate.
By then have several more political outrages behind us and will have forgotten which one this is.
Or I might be cynical too.
The story here isn’t that influence peddling went on, the deeper story is that Chuck Cadman’s do exist in our politics.
We forget people of conviction come along who just won’t be bought.
I think in this case, all the political squawking in the world isn’t going to diminish his character and what he chose to stand up for, and that’s nothing to be cynical about.:^)
Pingback: Chuck Cadman, Conservatives and connecting the dots at Bene Diction Blogs On
Amen to that.
If I understand the first part of your post correctly basically what (Senator in waiting) Mike Duffy is saying is that Chuck Cadman voted for the budget in order to protect his family and keep his MP life insurance policy.
That means that Duffy is suggesting that one man refused to bring down the government because his family came first? That he put 30 million Canadians on the back burner?
I think Duffy needs to find another job. Either that or Mr. Cadman was one of the sleeziest MP’s we ever had.
The conservative spin will make him out to be the latter. This government will stop at nothing to further their agenda and protect their precious and wealthy butts.
So they offered him 1 million to bring down the government (knowing he would probably lose his seat as an MP and that he was dying) because they were benevolent? Malevolent is more like it.
This man’s legacy may well be tarnished because the money and power is with the Cons.
Guess I am cynical too. Harper scores again. Score – Harper 50 , Canadians 0. When are we going to take down Harper and his team? They have done a lot of damage in two years.
Good call kerouac.
Yahoo News: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080228/national/harper_cadman_offer_2
-In 2005, a prospective Conservative candidate in Ottawa claimed he’d been offered $50,000 for expenses to make way for a star Tory candidate. Harper publicly denied there was a deal, but a subsequent court case vindicated Allan Riddell’s claim.
-In May 2005, Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal claimed he was offered a Liberal sinecure abroad or a Senate seat for his wife in return for scratching his budget vote. Grewal secretly taped the negotiations with then prime minister Paul Martin’s chief of staff and Liberal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh. An ethics inquiry ended up rebuking Grewal.
-Conservative MP Belinda Stronach crossed the Commons floor on May 17, 2005, in return for a seat in Martin’s Liberal cabinet. Her vote, along with Cadman’s, helped the Liberal minority survive for another half year.
-Freshly elected Liberal MP David Emerson abandoned the Liberals two weeks after the Jan. 23, 2006, election in return for a seat in Harper’s Conservative cabinet.
-Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien is currently facing two counts of influence peddling involving allegations he dangled cash and a federal appointment to induce a fellow candidate to quit the municipal race in the fall of 2006. Terry Kilrea did quit, but did not accept the alleged offer. Conservative officials, including cabinet minister John Baird, insist no federal appointment was ever discussed or offered.
- Elections Canada looked into 1 million funnelled by the CP. The party says it didn’t do it, Elections Canada says they did
The insurance policy argument is a none starter.
Here is Ralph Goodale (G&M)
“Under the existing parliamentary life insurance plan, if members cease to be MPs they can keep their insurance but the premiums go up and the benefits go down,” Mr. Goodale said. “Did the Conservatives offer to make up that difference in exchange for Mr. Cadman’s vote? Was that the offer?”
There would be no need for a medical or review.
And we forgot to mention that after the Libs, the Cons will be wiped off the Quebec’s map. So the Bloc Quebecois will get strongly back on track as well as the separatism movement.
The real irony is if the Libs and the Cons are having problems it is because they both try to get elected in promising to keep Quebec with in Canada. Let me tell you that all that is very entertaining for Quebeckers, either for separatists or not, especially because the non-separatists want to stay in Canada for only one reason; the fear to loose money, (ie, pension, jobs, etc.)
Trust me, I am separatist, but the ROC would have better hate the Quebeckers who don’t want to separate like Dion, Chretien, Chuck Guite, etc.
Yes, the next few months will be fun. Get ready for elections. Dion is so dead in Quebec since he agreed with extending the military mission in Afghanistan till 2011 ( he was politically death even before in Quebec).
Anyway, I want to tell the ROC how I am sorry for all Canadians who just want a functional country. Since 1981, it’s been quite pathetic and sad. You should definitely get rid of Quebec before it is too late!