Maybe the Gomery Report will not be a whitewash afterall.
... Mr. Justice John Gomery is concerned that federal officials may have corrupted the "non-partisan and professional character of the civil service" and tilted the sponsorship program in favour of "advertising agencies that donated to the Liberal Party of Canada," inquiry documents show.
In addition, Judge Gomery has indicated he may find that the sponsorship program was managed in a way that "lacked transparency and failed to optimize resources."
The information is contained in letters in which Judge Gomery has warned a number of bureaucrats and Liberal officials that he could slap them with a finding of misconduct in his final report, asking them to respond to his allegations.
...the document provides a glimpse of Judge Gomery's thoughts on the sponsorship scandal, suggesting he may find there was political interference in the program. The next election is expected to be fought in part on Judge Gomery's report into the sponsorship scandal.
...Among other things, Judge Gomery indicated in his letter that he may find that federal officials "intervened, directly or indirectly, in the selection and management of sponsorship and/or advertising activities of the federal government in an inappropriate manner that is incompatible with the non-partisan and professional character of the civil service."
In addition, Judge Gomery said that he may find that federal officials "intervened directly or indirectly in order to favour, in the process of awarding sponsorship and/or advertising contracts, the advertising agencies that donated to the Liberal Party of Canada."
[Emphasis Added]
The fall session of Parliament could be very interesting and the game of chicken may be back on.
