Tory election campaign hit by report bombshell
Posted Apr 11, 2011 8:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A scathing draft of the Auditor General’s report on G8 spending that leaked to the media suggests the Harper Conservatives mislead parliament to win funding and may have broken the law.
The draft accuses the government of misinforming Parliament to win approval of a $50-million fund for spending in Industry Minister Tony Clement’s riding.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser suggests the process by which the funding was approved may have been illegal.
The Conservatives themselves want Auditor General Sheila Fraser to release the final version of the report before Tuesday night’s federal leaders’ debate.
Tory spokesman Ryan Sparrow said the draft report does not reflect the final report, which was shelved until after the May 2 election.
Sparrow said the government is prepared to facilitate the final report’s release, which he said would also require the consent of the Speaker.
News of the report landed like a bombshell on the federal campaign trail.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff echoed the call for the report’s release and accused the Conservatives of showing contempt for Parliament and for Canadians.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe also called for the report to be released before Tuesday night’s English leaders’ debate.
In a statement, Fraser confirmed she could not release the report
