Shady Business As Usual

Today, major newspapers are reporting that the Conservatives may be attempting to derail the Ethics Committee's inquiry into the In & Out scandal by discouraging key witnesses from attending.

The official agent for a Conservative candidate in Toronto told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that he and other potential witnesses were told by an organizer for the federal party as late as Monday that they didn't have to testify at the inquiry if they didn't want to.

Douglas Lowry said the organizer, whom he named as Carmen McGregor, gave the advice after he and others received summonses from the Commons ethics committee.

“We've all been told,” Mr. Lowry said.

I don't know if it's true, but it's certainly easy to believe. I only wonder how long it will take for the Conservatives to blame these allegations of impropriety on the Liberals...

[Conservative MP Gary Goodyear] said Szabo's suggestion that something is amiss is just further evidence that this is a “partisan forum” and described the hearings as an “illegal” process.

Ahhh....and there it is. Your Conservative government, ladies and gentlemen: governing from the bottom down.

Update: A good review of the Ethics Committee shadiness over at Liberal Arts & Minds.