Sixty million dollars is the figure now reputed to reflect the cost of the Gomery Commission.
That means, remarkably, that the inquiry into a controversy dubbed "Adscam" will end up costing three times the government's annual ad costs. (While total outlays for event sponsorship were pegged at $50-million, $30-million of that went directly to sponsoring events, leaving the balance to be spent on promoting the government's presence at those events.)
Those who would like to bury the findings of the Gomery Commission (like Warren Kinsella who links Sheila Copps) are upping the "how mcuh is this commission going to cost the taxpayers" rhetoric. By doing so they try to lay the charge the commission will "waste" more money that "adscam" itself. First of all it is a tough case to make that it is a waste of money to hold a government accountable for its' corrupt and possible criminal practices. Second, the cost of the commission is not independent of adscam, it is part and parcel to it. Without adscam there is not commission. You can add the cost of the Gomery Commission directly to the cost of Liberal Party corruption. In fact, if they ever pay the taxpayers back the money they stole they should be made to pay for the costs of the inquiry itself.
