Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04OTTAWA3132
2004-11-19 20:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Ottawa
Cable title:  

CANADA'S LIBERALS ON THE DEFENSIVE: POLITICAL

Tags:  CA PGOV PREL 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

192028Z Nov 04
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 003132 

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2009
TAGS: CA PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: CANADA'S LIBERALS ON THE DEFENSIVE: POLITICAL
BACKDROP FOR PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

REF: OTTAWA 3115

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Brian Flora, reasons 1.4 (b
) (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 003132

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2009
TAGS: CA PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: CANADA'S LIBERALS ON THE DEFENSIVE: POLITICAL
BACKDROP FOR PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

REF: OTTAWA 3115

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Brian Flora, reasons 1.4 (b
) (d)


1. (C/NF) Summary: Just over ten days in advance of President
Bush's visit to Canada (reftel),PM Martin,s Liberals were
hit from three sides in Parliamentary Question Period
November 18. Conservatives criticized the PM,s slow
disciplining of anti-American MP Carolyn Parrish, questioned
the Party's knowledge of a former Liberal Minister,s alleged
mafia ties, and accused the Immigration Minister of
impropriety. The three cases received front-page attention
the following day, and their negative impact for the PM and
his Liberal caucus will likely drag on for some time. The
Liberal Party is already hamstrung by its minority government
status, and this will make things even more difficult for
Martin to pursue his agenda. The only good news is that
anti-American MP Parrish's ejection from the Liberal Party
will save Martin from the guilt by association that he has
been enduring because of her. End Summary


2. (C) This cable offers additional political background in
advance of President Bush's visit to Canada November 30 to
December 1 (see reftel).

PARRISH THE THOUGHT: CAROLYN GETS THE BOOT
--------------


3. (C) Thursday,s Question Period in Parliament brought to
the public three embarrassments for the Martin government.
Just prior to the Question Period Martin finally put his foot
down and gave Carolyn Parrish the boot. In a tersely worded
statement he said &After speaking with the caucus executive
earlier this afternoon, I am announcing the decision,
effective immediately, to dismiss Carolyn Parrish from the
government caucus. . . I told her that, while I have defended
her right to express her views frankly, I cannot, as Leader
of our Party and the government caucus, tolerate behavior
that demeans and disrespects others. . .8


4. (C) The decision came after two incendiary incidents,
Parrishisms as they are known here. First, a Parrish skit
that will air tonight on a popular Canadian television
program of political satire -- &This Hour has 22 Minutes,8
was previewed in the press Thursday. In the skit, Parrish is

seen crushing a George W. Bush doll with her boot, laughing
as she grinds it into the carpet. This of course, was added
to Parrish,s many &off camera8 remarks about the American
bastards8 and the &coalition of the idiots.8 Parrish
followed this up by stating in an interview that the reason
Martin can,t control her is that she has &absolutely no
loyalty to this team -- none. After what they put me through
and lots of my colleagues, they can all go to hell.8 She
went on to state that she would not be upset if Martin loses
the next election, and continued her diatribe Friday by
stating that she was relieved to be out of the party,&which
is no longer the party of Trudeau, Pearson, or Chretien.8


5. (C) Parrish will still be a member of Parliament, joining
the other independent Chuck Cadman. (Cadman, a staunch
conservative, will probably be less than thrilled by the
prospect of sharing a bench with Parrish.) The move leaves
the Liberals with 132 seats (taking out Speaker Milliken who
only votes to break a tie),which, when added to the 19 NDP
totals 151. The Conservatives and Bloc together have 153 (99
and 54). The two independents thus become very significant
players in contentious votes, as does the Speaker.
Presumably, Parrish will be less likely to help the
government than Cadman will be to help the opposition.


6. (C) The Conservatives used question period to spotlight
the fact that Martin did not move against Parrish for her
many attacks against the United States, but when she attacked
him she was put out immediately. Parrish,s riding outside
Toronto is reported by the Globe and Mail to be reacting with
a combination of &pride, anger, and amusement8 to
Parrish,s antics and her ouster from the Liberal Party.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: FORMER MINISTER ACCUSED OF MOB TIES
-------------- --------------


7. (C) Staying on the offensive, Opposition Leader Stephen
Harper then raised allegations in Question Period that former
Liberal Cabinet Minister Alfonso Gagliano had ties to the
Bonanno crime family in New York. The accusations, which
were reported November 18 in the New York Daily News, were
based on FBI documents which are quoted in the National Post,
as follows: & was shown a picture of
Alfonso Gagliano. Lino stated he recognized Gagliano from
his trip to Montreal in the early 1990,s. Lino advised that
Gagliano was introduced to him as a soldier in the Bonanno
family by Joe Lopresti, another Bonanno member in Canada. At
a dinner, Lopresti bragged to the individual that the
Montreal Bonannos had such extensive connections, including
to Gagliano, a politician.8


8. (C) Harper asked the PM in Question Period whether the
government was aware of these accusations and when it became
aware of them? Martin replied that he had not seen the
report until that morning, but stated that the accusations
were very serious and &everyone should be careful about
accepting or in fact repeating such allegations in a
premature way.8 The story was front page above the fold
news in all major dailies, and the details as reported in the
press cut several different ways. Lino, according to some
involved in the Bonanno family case, has questionable
credibility (he reportedly pleaded guilty to six murders and
is an admitted drug user). On the other hand, Gagliano, an
accountant, admitted in 1994 to keeping books for a convicted
mob figure in Montreal (the RCMP later cleared Gagliano of
any wrongdoing in the case but the individual in question
served six years). It is the kind of case that will drag on
for weeks or months as accusations and counter-accusations
surface.

THE CITIZENSHIP FOR STIPPERS PROGRAM
--------------


9. (C) In a rare triple-header, the Conservatives then turned
on Immigration Minister Judy Sgro, who was accused of
fast-tracking the citizenship petition of a Romanian stripper
who worked on Sgro,s campaign part-time. Tory MP Monte
Solberg also demanded an explanation for the $11,000 lodging
and per diem expenditures for Ms. Sgro,s political staff in
Toronto during the election. Sgro responded regarding the
nude dancer petition that &all the things I have done have
been based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. How
dare they question a person,s lifestyle and suggest that
they are less worthy.8 She then defended the temporary duty
during the election by stating that all the spending by her
staff conformed completely with treasury department rules.
Solberg responded for the Opposition: &I do not think the
immigration minister understands how serious the situation
is. If she will not answer, will she step aside until the
ethics commissioner finishes his investigation?8

COMMENT
--------------


10. (C/NF) Overall it was not a good day for PM Martin, who
departed later in the afternoon for a 10-day trip to Latin
America and Africa. The Parrish dismissal was inevitable and
takes away an ongoing thorn in the PM,s side. Parrish will
retain the capacity to embarrass Canada, but will no longer
heap shame on the Liberal Party and provide such rich
material for the Conservatives in Question Period. The
significance of the Gagliano case, according to one
commentator, is not what actually happened, but the fact that
a mob figure has been tied to the Liberals at all, at a time
when they are still digging out of the sponsorship scandal.
It will be a millstone around the Liberal,s neck and
Harper,s team will look to milk it for everything it is
worth. And the Sgro controversy will likewise conjure up
images of a Liberal Party that skirts the rules whenever it
suits it.


11. (C/NF) While the minority Liberal government does not
seem to be in danger of falling anytime soon, taken together
these cases further weaken Martin personally, who comes out
looking tepid for his slow disciplining of Parrish and his
failure to investigate earlier allegations against Sgro. It
was probably a good time to get away.

Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa

DICKSON