I didn't do it
March 18, 2004
That line was made famous by Bart Simpson, but also seems to be a favorite of politicians lately. Try
"I Didn't do it!"
The latest I noticed was Alfonse Gagliano as he denied blame for the sponsorship scandal. "I know Nothing! Nothing!
He listed all the various positions he was juggling at the time and used that as an excuse - basically he was too busy to do his job right. I would hope all students off on March Break would look at this carefully in case they had homework they were supposed to do over the break.
See the related CBC story, or my excerpts below.
CBC News - Gagliano
Gagliano denies blame for sponsorship scandal
Last Updated Thu, 18 Mar 2004 12:20:50
OTTAWA - Alfonso Gagliano said Thursday that he has been the innocent victim of the scandal in which $100 million was misdirected in a federal sponsorship program.
Testifying before the House of Commons' public accounts committee, Gagliano said that he had suffered personally as a result of unproven allegations about his role in the sponsorship scandal.
"I feel that I am the one who has paid the greatest price for this scandal thus far," Gagliano said in an opening statement Thursday morning.
"Most of all, I have paid the price of my honour and my dignity."
Gagliano was minister of public works from 1997 to 2002, and served as the Quebec lieutenant for then-prime minister Jean Chrétien.
His ministry's mandate included handing out federal funds for cultural events designed to foster better relations between Quebec and the rest of Canada.
In a report released Feb. 10, Auditor General Sheila Fraser concluded that as much as $100 million of the $250 million spent under the program was kept by communications and advertising firms that did little more than pass along cheques.
Gagliano was fired as Canada's ambassador to Denmark on the same day the report was released.
On Thursday, he told the committee that his role as minister was to oversee an operation that employed thousands of civil servants.
'A minister does not run his department': Gagliano
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