Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 16, 2005, Winnipeg, Manitoba By Brian Daly m ont real Jacques Corriveau accused of funnelling at least $ 1.1 million in sponsorship Money to the Federal liberals denied any role in the alleged conspiracy yesterday and shifted the heat Back to his accuser and Man Jean Brault. No Corriveau replied when he was asked by Bernard Roy counsel for the sponsorship inquiry. Never. The Retiree suggested Roy direct his questions to former Liberal fundraiser Alain Renaud who Brault says was a party operative planted at by aults group action firm to steer Cash to the party. The one who was closest to or. Brault was or. Renaud said Corriveau. I had no such relations with or. Brault. Brault has implicated Corriveau and promoter Luc Lemay in the wide ranging scheme that allegedly used group action to secretly funnel the Money to the part yes debt Ridden Quebec Wing. Brault has testified he paid Corriveau a Friend of former prime minister Jean Chretien $ 494,000 under one bogus contract and alleged Corriveau sent the Cash to the party. But Corriveau denied under Cross examination from Liberal party lawyer Doug Mitchell that he sent any of his income to the liberals. He added Brault approved every one of the payments under the contract. Corriveau said the payments were compensation for wresting major sponsorship deals from a competitor Groupe Everest. The formula of the Bills was Given to me by or. Brault As Well As the amounts that appear on the Bills. The 72 year old witness also shot Down several of by aults other allegations including. Denying collaborating with one time Quebec Wing presidents Benoit Corbeil Michel Beliveau or Roger Legare to divert Cash from group action to the part yes strapped coffers in the 1990s. And rejecting by aults assertion that Corriveau was involved in steering party workers Serge Gosselin and John Welch onto group actions payroll. Brault said the alleged corruption involved top Liberal officials and aides to former Public works minister Alfonso Gagliano spectacular allegations that could Lead to the collapse of Paul Martins minority government. Corriveau is also accused of earning $ 7 million under the sponsorship program for doing Little work. But he said Lemay who paid him most of the Money approved All of the Bills and the Dollar figures. The program was designed to raise the profile of the Federal government after the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum. Corriveau a longtime Liberal has told presiding judge John Gomery he has health problems and sometimes has trouble concentrating or recalling specific events. He sometimes give exact answers or had to be asked a question More than once yesterday. Corriveau who is also accused of submitting Bills for events at nonexistent olympic stadiums in Quebec told the inquiry the invoices contained a printing error. He said the events did take place and he did consulting work for the Hunting and fishing events in cities including Rimouski Chicoutimi and Sherbrooke where there Are no such stadiums. It was a significant printing error. He noted a Bill for a 1997 Hunting and fishing show at the Montreal olympic stadium was used As a template for Billing at the regional shows and the words olympic stadium were not removed. Corrie aus company Pluri design was responsible for printing signs for the liberals Quebec Wing in the 1997 Federal election Campaign and he was owed about $ 900,000 by the party. Under persistent questioning by Gomery he finally admitted he was paid by Gagliano. Corriveau told the inquiry earlier yesterday he lobbied the Federal government for sponsorship contracts on behalf of companies such As be Mays Groupe polygon which received millions in sponsorship contracts even though Corriveau a snot legally registered As a lobbyist. Corriveau noted he was a Good Salesman. Corriveau also said he did not receive any More commissions from group action for sponsorship work after 2000 even though the program wrapped up a few years later. Also yesterday Corriveau acknowledged Chretien is Niece landed a Job at group action in the 1990s after she solicited a recommendation from him. Canadian press the g Omery i inquiry liberals under siege w Winnipeg f ree p ressa8 s saturday pril 16, 2005 by Andy Riga Montreal the Gomery commission is unearthing so much sponsorship scandal material it has added three weeks to its hearings so More witnesses can be grilled. Hearings were to end May 6 but commission lawyer Bernard Roy said yesterday he now expects it to run until May 27. Among those expected to testify during the following weeks Are. April 18 Jacques Corriveau a Friend of former prime minister Jean Chretien continues until monday or tuesday. Then will come employees of Groupe Everest which got millions of dollars in sponsorship contracts. Witnesses will include Everest president Claude Boulay and his wife Diane deslauriers. Executives of another firm Media Ida vision Are also to testify. April 25 two key players Charles Guitz a former Federal bureaucrat who ran the sponsorship program and Paul coffin head of coffin communications recipient of sponsorship funding. Testimony will be covered by a publication ban. May 2 Federal Liberal officials including Benoit Corbeil former head of the part yes Quebec Wing and Joseph Morselli a party fundraiser and Friend of Edminister Alfonso Gagliano. Witnesses have said Corbeil and Morselli raised Money for the party from companies that got sponsorship Cash. May 9 executives of two advertising firms Vickers and Benson and Bop that got sponsorship contracts. Also up will be officials from Kroll Lindquist Avey a forensic accounting firm hired by the commission to follow the sponsorship Money Trail. May 16 representatives of the auditor general of Canadas office. As Well officials from three Federal departments the privy Council office Treasury Board and Public works Are to report on what has been done to tighten up spending rules. May 23 some witnesses May be recalled. Can West news service Corriveau denies sending Money to grits says payments compensation for wresting deals from competitor Ryan Remiorz / Canadian press Corriveau testified Brault approved All the payments under the contract. Inquiry adds 3 weeks of hearings




    
 
     
   
 
    
 
        
   


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   0                                 3 4 5 6    4     1 4 3 4 7 7 7 4 8 8 8 3  Reading writing math study skills wow. Educate. Com proud sponsor of the Manitoba Moose 1128 Henderson Hwy. 938 read 200 Mead Wood or. 988 5055 530 Kenaston blvd. 938 read identify your Childs specific needs with a skills assessment get individual attention and personalized teaching learn from highly trained and certified teachers Benefit from flexible hours that fit your Busy schedule the g Omery i inquiry liberals under siege w Winnipeg f ree p rests saturday pril 16, 2005 a9 by Anne Dawson Ottawa the Federal conservatives could win an election Over the $ 250 million sponsorship scandal but first they have to convince Ontario voters it is Worth going to the polls now says a compas Survey for can West global. Conservatives would have Only a slight four per cent Lead Over the liberals if a vote were held today 34 per cent of canadians would vote for the conservatives compared to 30 per cent for the liberals. But that would jump dramatically 36 per cent of canadians would vote conservative compared to 26 per cent for the liberals if canadians were pressed to think about the explosive testimony they have heard about corruption and kickbacks at the Gomery inquiry. Canadians Are divided about calling an election Over corruption. Its Quebe cers who want to Call the election its bloc quebecois voters who want to Call the election its conservative voters who want to Call the election. Its not liberals said Conrad Winn president of compas. Compas surveyed 1,004 canadians april 11 through 13 and the results Are deemed accurate to within approximately 3.1 percentage Points. Can West news service by Alexander Panetta o Ottawa the Federal liberals Are building an election strategy around the Leader they see As a rare Bright spot amid a series of disastrous polls. Just like the last Campaign prime minister Paul Martin will be getting plenty of face time if theress an election this Spring. Thatus because the same polls indicating widespread disgust with Liberal scandal also suggest people dont blame Martin. Canadians clearly Trust the Man said one Liberal strategist. Theress an affection for Paul Martin and wed be crazy not to lean into that. It will be an even More Leader driven Campaign than last year when the prime ministers face was splashed on every Campaign poster and the liberals were re branded team Martin. Liberals who heaped scorn on the move in 2004 might be less disdainful this time around As the party struggles in the Wake of damaging testimony at the sponsorship inquiry about kickbacks to Liberal officials. Four polls released this week showed the liberals behind the conservatives for the first time since the Early 1990s. An end ironic Survey put the grits just a Shade above the nip. But Only 28 per cent of respondents in the end ironic poll said Martin was very responsible for the sponsorship scandal. Theress Only one time Ive Ever seen Public opinion move like this outside of an election Campaign said Darryl Bricker of Itsos Reid. And it was with Sheila Fraser is report last year on the sponsorship scandal the news is so bad that liberals Are said to be struggling to recruit candidates especially in Quebec for the first time in years. Its even reportedly been a Challenge wooing Back the people who ran unsuccessfully for Liberal seats in 2004, including former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray. However Defeated stars such As former Saskatchewan Cabinet minister Chris Axworthy and b. C. Union Leader Dave Haggard have indicated they will run again said a senior Liberal. The situation is most dire in Quebec where the liberals have fallen behind the conservatives for the first time since the Days of the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord in 1990. In a conference Call this week with lower level organizers Quebec lieutenant Jean Lapierre was told that at least one Liberal fundraising event in the province had to be cancelled because there a snot enough interest. Lapierre has convened the part yes maps and ministers for an election planning session at the part yes Quebec Headquarters today in Montreal. Liberals will attempt to make it Clear that the names of those implicated in Jean by aults explosive sponsorship inquiry testimony were never fans of Martins. In fact they were allies of Jean Chretien or Alfonso Gagliano who did everything they could to thwart Martins Rise to Power said one source. The fact that this is a Paul Martin party versus a Jean Chretien party has to be made Clear said the High level organizer. Canadian press Jonathan Hayward / Canadian press Martin people dont blame him Paul Martin rare Bright spot for grits theress an affection for Paul Martin and wed be crazy not to lean into that Liberal strategist tories could win Over scandal poll ;