harls
Apr 2, 2008, 3:55 PM
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=32eeadfd-5f24-4b16-887f-b7d3d4ad7e2a&k=77122&p=1
Finding way to stall light-rail deal like 'hitting jackpot': Baird
Jake Rupert, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008
OTTAWA - Conservative MP John Baird says the City of Ottawa repeatedly lied to him about the contract for its aborted north-south light-rail project.
Mr. Baird made the statements to a House of Commons committee yesterday looking into whether he abused his power and meddled in Ottawa's 2006 municipal election. Under questioning, he maintained he did the right thing.
Mr. Baird repeatedly said he was simply doing his job of protecting taxpayers' money as president of Treasury Board at the time, city officials had lied to him about penalties and deadlines in the city's contract with a group of companies hired to undertake the $1-billion project, and that he consulted with government lawyers and Treasury Board members before making his decision.
When he finally saw the contract, he said, he found the "jackpot" that allowed him to delay the initiative until a new council vote following the 2006 election. The new council voted to cancel the project.
"I did not choose to get involved," he said. "This issue came to me. In no way, shape or form did I interfere in an election."
Mr. Baird said after several people, including city councillors, urged him to do something, he requested information from the city on contract deadlines and penalties and got five different answers. He said when he got a copy of the contract, his suspicions were validated because it showed the deal could be delayed until after the election without penalties.
"I hit the jackpot, and we decided to take advantage of that," he said.
"We were all lied to in a blatant attempt to get this approved for political reasons," Mr. Baird said.
Opposition members of the committee challenged Mr. Baird to produce the names of the Justice Department lawyers who examined the contract for him, and he could not. They also said most members of the Treasury Board were not in Ottawa at the time Mr. Baird said they met to discuss the issue. He said he'd get back to them on that point.
After the appearance, NDP MP Charlie Angus said Mr. Baird's version of events and his stated motivation for taking action are suspect. He said the committee could file a report to the House of Commons or decide to call more witnesses, such as the lawyers Mr. Baird said he consulted and Treasury Board members he said he met with. But Mr. Angus said he'd heard enough already.
"He personally intervened in that election. He stepped over the line," Mr. Angus said. "I think this raises really serious concerns about his judgment. I think the minister is somewhat of a walking political time bomb."
Mr. Baird was Treasury Board president when, during the election campaign, he announced a caveat on $200 million in federal funding toward the light-rail project after seven other government departments had signed off.
The project was a contentious issue in a tight mayoralty race, and Mr. Baird's caveat was that for the money to flow, the project needed to be approved by the newly elected council.
Mr. Baird was accused at the time of using political power to influence the outcome of the election because then-mayor Bob Chiarelli, a longtime opponent of Mr. Baird's, supported it, while the Conservative-leaning challenger Larry O'Brien opposed it. Mr. O'Brien won the election; Mr. Chiarelli came third.
Liberal MP Mark Holland said he didn't find Mr. Baird's assertions credible. "He seems to have acted alone in this. ... The only explanation for his actions that I can come up with is that he was interfering in a municipal election," he said.
Conservative MP James Moore, however, called the whole process "a smear campaign," and said Mr. Baird was simply doing his job.
Municipal officials are now putting the finishing touches on a new mass transit plan. After the old plan was cancelled, the companies the city chose to give the contracts to filed lawsuits against the city claiming a total of $277 million in damages.
Liberal MP Robert Thibault said nobody should lose sight of how things ended up the way they did. He pointed out that the city's duly elected council voted for the project after years of planning and the deal would have closed without Mr. Baird's actions.
"You exchanged your judgment for an elected council's, and that means the city has no light rail, and the city is being sued ... for millions," Mr. Thibault told Mr. Baird during the meeting. "I think it's clear what happened here."
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
Frankly, I don't know who to believe anymore. This whole show stinks.
Finding way to stall light-rail deal like 'hitting jackpot': Baird
Jake Rupert, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008
OTTAWA - Conservative MP John Baird says the City of Ottawa repeatedly lied to him about the contract for its aborted north-south light-rail project.
Mr. Baird made the statements to a House of Commons committee yesterday looking into whether he abused his power and meddled in Ottawa's 2006 municipal election. Under questioning, he maintained he did the right thing.
Mr. Baird repeatedly said he was simply doing his job of protecting taxpayers' money as president of Treasury Board at the time, city officials had lied to him about penalties and deadlines in the city's contract with a group of companies hired to undertake the $1-billion project, and that he consulted with government lawyers and Treasury Board members before making his decision.
When he finally saw the contract, he said, he found the "jackpot" that allowed him to delay the initiative until a new council vote following the 2006 election. The new council voted to cancel the project.
"I did not choose to get involved," he said. "This issue came to me. In no way, shape or form did I interfere in an election."
Mr. Baird said after several people, including city councillors, urged him to do something, he requested information from the city on contract deadlines and penalties and got five different answers. He said when he got a copy of the contract, his suspicions were validated because it showed the deal could be delayed until after the election without penalties.
"I hit the jackpot, and we decided to take advantage of that," he said.
"We were all lied to in a blatant attempt to get this approved for political reasons," Mr. Baird said.
Opposition members of the committee challenged Mr. Baird to produce the names of the Justice Department lawyers who examined the contract for him, and he could not. They also said most members of the Treasury Board were not in Ottawa at the time Mr. Baird said they met to discuss the issue. He said he'd get back to them on that point.
After the appearance, NDP MP Charlie Angus said Mr. Baird's version of events and his stated motivation for taking action are suspect. He said the committee could file a report to the House of Commons or decide to call more witnesses, such as the lawyers Mr. Baird said he consulted and Treasury Board members he said he met with. But Mr. Angus said he'd heard enough already.
"He personally intervened in that election. He stepped over the line," Mr. Angus said. "I think this raises really serious concerns about his judgment. I think the minister is somewhat of a walking political time bomb."
Mr. Baird was Treasury Board president when, during the election campaign, he announced a caveat on $200 million in federal funding toward the light-rail project after seven other government departments had signed off.
The project was a contentious issue in a tight mayoralty race, and Mr. Baird's caveat was that for the money to flow, the project needed to be approved by the newly elected council.
Mr. Baird was accused at the time of using political power to influence the outcome of the election because then-mayor Bob Chiarelli, a longtime opponent of Mr. Baird's, supported it, while the Conservative-leaning challenger Larry O'Brien opposed it. Mr. O'Brien won the election; Mr. Chiarelli came third.
Liberal MP Mark Holland said he didn't find Mr. Baird's assertions credible. "He seems to have acted alone in this. ... The only explanation for his actions that I can come up with is that he was interfering in a municipal election," he said.
Conservative MP James Moore, however, called the whole process "a smear campaign," and said Mr. Baird was simply doing his job.
Municipal officials are now putting the finishing touches on a new mass transit plan. After the old plan was cancelled, the companies the city chose to give the contracts to filed lawsuits against the city claiming a total of $277 million in damages.
Liberal MP Robert Thibault said nobody should lose sight of how things ended up the way they did. He pointed out that the city's duly elected council voted for the project after years of planning and the deal would have closed without Mr. Baird's actions.
"You exchanged your judgment for an elected council's, and that means the city has no light rail, and the city is being sued ... for millions," Mr. Thibault told Mr. Baird during the meeting. "I think it's clear what happened here."
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008
Frankly, I don't know who to believe anymore. This whole show stinks.