Posted on 05/19/2005 12:39:53 PM PDT by doc30
Montreal — Alfonso Gagliano is attempting to join former prime minister Jean Chretien's move to have Justice John Gomery removed from the sponsorship inquiry.
Pierre Fournier, lawyer for the former public works minister, said Thursday his client filed papers in Federal Court asking to join Chretien's motion.
The lawyer said Judge Gomery has created "concerns about partiality" but wouldn't cite specific comments.
When you read the application by Mr. Chretien ... I think you'll find that most of the reproaches he makes against the commissioner are equally applicable to Mr. Gagliano," Mr. Fournier told reporters outside the inquiry hearing room.
Mr. Chretien's lawyers have expressed discomfort at an exchange in February between Judge Gomery and Alex Himelfarb, Canada's top bureaucrat.
The judge said Mr. Himelfarb's failure in 2003 to brief Mr. Chretien on a scathing report by the auditor general into the sponsorship program was tantamout to a "conspiracy of silence."
In media interviews before Christmas, the judge also referred to former sponsorship boss Chuck Guite as a "charming scamp" and said golf balls monogrammed with Mr. Chretien's name were "small-town cheap."
Judge Gomery also suggested some witnesses hadn't been truthful and speculated about the impact of his findings on Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government.
Although Mr. Gagliano's papers were filed in Federal Court in Montreal, his lawyers will be in Ottawa to begin their legal arguments, Mr. Fournier said.
Mr. Chretien's lawyers will begin legal arguments in Federal Court on June 6 and 7, by which time Judge Gomery is likely to have finished hearing witnesses.
Peter Doody, one of Mr. Chretien's lawyers, has said it's likely the court case won't be resolved for months.
If Mr. Chretien wins a favourable court ruling, however, it could block Judge Gomery from delivering two reports planned for the end of the year.
The judge had refused a request by Mr. Chretien in February to step down voluntarily and Mr. Martin has thrown his support behind the judge.
ping
Canada is run by such good little fascists.
Not fascists, just garden-variety mobsters.
Ya know? If Canada was a real democracy, this would be investigated by a independent prosecutor, appointed by either the Justice minister or the Courts, with a mandate to get to the bottom of the graft and corruption at ALL costs. But since its Liberaland all they can do is appointment by PM who really doesn't have an interest in getting to the bottom of things.
His mandate ought to be to get to the bottom of ALL the graft and corruption in the Canadian government, not just Adscam. Won't happen though.
Anybody here think that $2,000,000,000.00 REALLY went into comptuers and software for that gun registry???? Or another fistful of billions into that socialist health care system??? Uh Huh.
Yep 2 giga bucks would've been a nice infusion for DNDCA...
Absolutely unbelievable. Chretien, the ex-Prime Minister trying to remove the judge. Sheesh. We're living in a Banana Republic up here.
And the scary thing is that the majority of people in Ontario think that is a good thing...
Yes and guess what. Liberal support in Ontario is back where it was last summer at 45%. Can you F*&**& believe that? Can Canadians get any stupider? Is our future Clifford Olson for Prime Minister? Cause you damn well that those yuppies on Viagra in Hamilton and Toronto will vote for him if he dawns the Liberal red.
Those Bolsheviks in Ontario don’t give a damn about democracy. If the government gives them all they ask for they would gladly submit to a soviet type republic. As long as everyone obey the laws of the political correct thought police (meaning we can call men whores, but not women) they would sell their freedoms to have me fork out my hard earned money to pay for a national babysitting service.
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