CANADIAN POLITICS:

WHAT IS HARPER'S SECRET ?:

The story of the "power pair", Rahim Jaffer and Helena Guergis continues to develop by the day. The latest is that Canada's Ethics Commissioner has excused herself from investigating the so far secret (how typically conservative !) "allegations against Guergis because it is "not within her mandate". What this means is that whatever Guergis is guilty of is probably not connected with how she allowed her husband to use the perks of her office as a junior minister. What exactly Guergis is accused of and probably guilty of (beyond sharing her husband's cocaine) has been conveniently buried beneath an RCMP investigation which will no doubt take an extended time, especially as the government will apply all sorts of pressure to extend such time.

What are the skeletons in the closet ? Molly has noticed that one thing that was "in the news" a week ago is no longer such ie how Guergis got a "sweetheart deal" on her recent purchase of an Ottawa house. If the "influence" on the bank was from her and her husband's organized crime contacts then yes; it is not within the purview of the Parliamentary Ethics Commissioner. But it is still criminal. Look for this to be thoroughly buried for a long time to come. *It seems to have been forgotten by the mass media in the last week. for memory's sake here's an article from the Toronto Star a week ago about this particular pit that the couple has gone swimming in.

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Probe Helena Guergis mortgage, Liberals ask ethics czar

Tory minister received $800,000 for new home without down payment

OTTAWA–The Liberals are asking the federal ethics commissioner to look into a big mortgage given to embattled Tory cabinet minister Helena Guergis.

They want to know if Guergis received preferential treatment to finance an expensive new home.

Liberal MP Marlene Jennings wrote to commissioner Mary Dawson on Tuesday, asking her to look into reports that Guergis was given a mortgage for the full $880,000 cost of the Ottawa home.

Jennings says reports suggest a Bank of Nova Scotia branch in Edmonton granted the mortgage without requiring a down payment.

She notes that the conflict of interest code for MPs stipulates that no MP or family member shall accept – directly or indirectly – any gift or benefit that might be perceived as an attempt to influence the MP.

Guergis, the minister of state for the status of women, came under opposition fire in February for throwing a tantrum at Charlottetown airport.

And last week, she faced further calls for her resignation after it was revealed that several current and former staffers had written letters to newspapers praising the minister – without identifying their links to her.

Guergis's husband, former Edmonton Tory MP Rahim Jaffer, has helped keep the spotlight on the minister. He was fined last month for careless driving after charges of cocaine possession and impaired driving were dropped.