Ottawa Citizen blows the whistle on Tory whistleblower

The roles of Pierre Poilievre and John Baird called into question in negotiations with sponsorship whistleblower and Tory candidate Allan Cutler

Ottawa (7 July 2006) - The tables have been turned on the young MP in charge of whistleblowing for the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Pierre Poilievre, who has advocated paying whistleblowers who come forward to expose wrongdoing, is now alleged to have promised a compensation deal to Allan Cutler, the man who blew the whistle on the Liberal sponsorship scandal and then used the high profile he achieved in the process to run as a star Tory candidate in the Jan. 23 federal election.
Tory MP Pierre Poilievre

The Ottawa Citizen quotes Cutler as saying Poilievre, MP for the Ottawa area riding of Nepean-Carleton, promised him before the election he would be compensated for career damage that allegedly happened during the Liberal years in power.

The newspaper also says negotiations related to the terms of Cutler's "restoration" began by e-mail between Cutler and Poilievre and Treasury Board President John Baird in mid-February, just days after the Tories took power on Feb. 6.

Baird and Poilievre

Poilievre is Baird's parliamentary secretary in the new Harper government. Baird is a former provincial cabinet minister who honed his political skills while serving former Tory premier Mike Harris in Ontario. Baird now represents Ottawa West in Parliament.

"The promise was a promise by them as the Conservatives that this would take place," the paper quotes Cutler as saying in relation to a post-election settlement.

"It wasn't anything to do with an election; it was a promise that I deserved it and therefore I should have it. I don't have it in writing, it was an oral discussion, with Pierre anyway; it might have been with John later on."

Baird, an ultra-partisan loyalist who is among Harper's most senior ministers, denied through a spokesman, that he made any promises to Cutler in advance of the election.

Poilievre was less than clear when asked by the newspaper whether he had direct talks before the election with Cutler, a man elevated by Harper personally and Conservatives generally to near martyrdom status during the campaign.

"I advocated on behalf of Allan Cutler and all the whistleblowers who were victimized by Liberal corruption," Poilievre told reporter Tim Naumetz. "But I never promised Allan Cutler a nickel or a dime."

A symbol of Tory virtue

Cutler was held up by the Tories as a symbol of virtue who would epitomize a new era of ethics and accountability once the Conservatives took power. However, he was soundly defeated in Ottawa South by David McGuinty, a brother to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Poilievre has been given personal responsibility by Harper for overseeing issues related to whistleblowing.

Cutler claims his career was put on ice by the Liberals after he informed internal auditors in 1996 that sponsorship contracts were being awarded improperly. He now feels he should be compensated for professional hardship endured from that point forward until he retired, and for promotions he alleges he would otherwise have enjoyed.

The Citizen reports that the Conservatives gave the Ottawa South riding association $24,000 the day before the election call, and transferred another $41,000 to Cutler's campaign three weeks later. The riding association also transferred $15,000 to his campaign, it says.

Cutler raised $21,822 in donations from individuals and corporations, while his campaign expenses totalled $74,000.

Fuller explanation owed

Opposition MPs say both the government and Cutler owe Canadians a fuller explanation of all the issues related to the matter.

"I think it's incumbent on Mr. Baird and Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Cutler to come clean and tell the public what's happened here," says McGuinty, who is now Cutler's MP.

NDP MP Pat Martin, who has staunchly supported Cutler, says he still feels compensation is warranted but it is "potentially very creepy" for Cutler to have discussed a compensation deal before agreeing to run as a Tory candidate.

"If the offer of compensation was tied in any way to his agreement to run as a candidate, that would be financial inducement and would, in my view, be ethically wrong," says Martin.

Poilievre, first elected at age 25 in 2005 and still the youngest MP in the Commons, has emerged (in lockstep with Baird) as one of the most combative partisans in Harper government.

Before Parliament adjourned for the summer in June, Poilievre was forced to apologize after being videotaped by Commons cameras giving an obscene arm gesture to opposition MPs during a recorded vote on an opposition motion.

Several unparliamentary incidents

The fallout continued the next day with demands that Harper take disciplinary action against Poilievre because it was another in a string of such incidents.

Only a week before the obscene gesture, Poilievre was caught on tape swearing at opposition MPs. He was also accused of performing a "pixie dance" while the Commons Speaker was discussing his unparliamentary hand gestures.

The incidents prompted Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale to comment: "This little boy needs some potty training. He is just not up to standard."

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has long been campaigning for stronger federal whistleblowing legislation in Canada. The links below provide background on the union's efforts to raise the issue and encourage political leaders at all levels to take action. NUPGE

More information:
• Accountability legislation still woefully weak on whistleblowing
• Accountability Act falls short of Harper campaign rhetoric
• Tory MP whistling to himself about whistleblower bounty?
• Blow the whistle and get paid? Tories studying idea
• Are Tories wavering on whistleblowing legislation