This, in the end, is what the Sponsorship Inquiry reveals. The danger of corruption inherent in a one-party state. Well, at least according to David Frum.
One-party states such as Canada are prone to corruption, as everybody knows. And on balance, Canada has fared pretty well compared to, say, Italy when it was dominated by the Christian Democrats, or India under the Congress Party, or Mexico under the PRI. But one reason Canada has fared well is that the natural tendencies of a one-party state have been checked by powerful institutional restraints: an honest civil service; a free press; competitive businesses who resent being squeezed for funds.
The behaviours that together we call the sponsorship scandal were aimed at weakening every one of these restraints. An entire department of state and all who work there are alleged to have been transformed (in the name of national unity) from public service to partisan warfare. Huge amounts of public money were spent on advertising in media outlets, inevitably dulling those outlets’ curiosity about possible wrongdoing by their advertisers. Instead of being victimized, businesses were cut in on the action: Some got sponsorship dollars in the form of ad commissions, others allegedly overcharged the program to compensate themselves for bills owed by the governing party. How far did it all go? Who was involved? Every Canadian should demand answers. It’s not just money that has been lost; serious questions have been raised about the integrity of Canadian government.
