Posted by NewSoul on 1/18/2004, 8:50 am, in reply to "Re:Scott Brison M.P. for Kings-Hants Nova Scotia P.C. Finance Critic defects to the PaulMartinLiberals" "It is rather Kafkaesque. Just imagine how many Liberals across the country are trying to raise money for their campaigns. The party itself has been in substantial debt and to be raising money to pay off the leadership debt of another party is absurd," Ms. Copps said. Mr. Brison, who initially said he was unsure if the Liberals were raising money to pay off his $30,000 debt, subsequently told CanWest News Service that although that may have been the original intention, he has decided it would not be appropriate to accept the money and will turn it over to either the Liberal party or a charity. "I don't like the optics of that. It's not a huge amount of money anyway. I would much rather pay it off myself," said Mr. Brison, who has always stated he was never promised anything by the Liberals in exchange for joining their party. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grits assailed for Brison funding Anne Dawson, Chief Political Correspondent January 17, 2004 OTTAWA - An attempt by the federal Liberal party to pay off the campaign debt incurred by Tory defector Scott Brison during his bid last year for the Progressive Conservative leadership is "Kafkaesque" and outrageous, Sheila Copps said yesterday. Ms. Copps, who has accused Prime Minister Paul Martin and his "backroom boys" of attempting to oust her from federal politics, demanded to know why the Liberal party would even contemplate paying off Mr. Brison's debts considering he rang them up when he was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. "It is rather Kafkaesque. Just imagine how many Liberals across the country are trying to raise money for their campaigns. The party itself has been in substantial debt and to be raising money to pay off the leadership debt of another party is absurd," Ms. Copps said. Mr. Brison, who initially said he was unsure if the Liberals were raising money to pay off his $30,000 debt, subsequently told CanWest News Service that although that may have been the original intention, he has decided it would not be appropriate to accept the money and will turn it over to either the Liberal party or a charity. "I don't like the optics of that. It's not a huge amount of money anyway. I would much rather pay it off myself," said Mr. Brison, who has always stated he was never promised anything by the Liberals in exchange for joining their party. There was always speculation on Parliament Hill that Mr. Brison, who lost the Tory leadership race to Peter MacKay last June, had received a guarantee that he would either get a Cabinet post or get his campaign debt paid off as payback for crossing the floor. Within days of Mr. Brison's defection, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to Mr. Martin with a special emphasis on Canada-U.S. relations. Toronto lawyer Alfred Apps organized the fundraiser, scheduled at the University Club of Toronto for next Thursday, in conjunction with former Liberal party president Stephen LeDrew. Mr. Apps said yesterday that he and Mr. LeDrew came up with the plan to hold the fundraiser and called Mr. Brison's office to find out if he had a debt. He said an assistant informed him that there was a debt so they decided on their own initiative to have the proceeds of the event forwarded to Mr. Brison's campaign fund. Mr. Apps said Mr. Brison called him yesterday to inform him he was not aware that this event was intended to raise funds for him and to inform him that it should be donated to a charity. "If there's anything left over from the event it's going to go [to a charity] rather than into his campaign because he doesn't want any appearance of impropriety whatsoever," Mr. Apps said. He said any surplus will be sent to the Paul Martin's Seniors Society, an endowment fund sponsored by the March of Dimes that conducts medical research on polio. © National Post 2004
Link: Copps attacks Liberals over Brison Campaign Debt
This is delicious! Liberals were raising money to pay off his leadership campaign debt!
http://tinyurl.com/2yo3a
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=c1faccd1-76f7-46d9-bc6f-f47205dee430
Copps decries 'Kafkaesque' idea to pay off defector's debt
CanWest News Service
