Mulroney-Schreiber Scandal
The Mulroney-Schreiber scandal refers to the complex personal, political and business relationship between the Rt. Hon Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada, and Karlheinz Schreiber, a German-born Canadian businessman.
Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada (CPAC)
At the heart of this scandal are the cash payments made by Karlheinz Schreiber to Brian Mulroney in 1993, allegedly agreed to while Mulroney was still Prime Minister, with the first of the three cash payments occurring while Mulroney was still a Member of Parliament. Mr. Mulroney contends these payments were for work he did internationally, lobbying on behalf of Thyssen Armoured Vehicles, a German company represented by Schreiber. Mr. Schreiber maintains the payments were for work Mr. Mulroney was to do lobbying the Canadian government. There is a question as to whether lobbying the Canadian government of Members of Parliament on behalf of the Thyssen corporation would have constituted a violation of the conflict of interest or post employment code in force at the time as well as the Parliament of Canada Act [1].
The Harper government had long been aware that allegations existed concerning Mr. Mulroney and his relationship with Karlheinz Schreiber. Prime Minister Harper was present with Mr. Mulroney at the Greenest Prime Minister Awards when Mulroney was questioned by journalists specifically about the cash payments he received from Schreiber [2].
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Despite this, the Harper government continued its close association with Brian Mulroney, allowing him wide-ranging access to members of Cabinet, allowing him to be a successful advocate on many files, including telecommunications for his employer, Quebecor. Indeed, Prime Minister Harper claimed to regularly consult Mulroney as a political advisor, and Harper cabinet minister Marjory Lebreton was said to be in daily phone contact with Brian Mulroney [3].
On November 8th, 2007, Karlheinz Schreiber filed an affidavit in Federal Court in Toronto detailing his extensive relationship with Brian Mulroney over many years, including the meetings with Mulroney while he was Prime Minister, and the cash payments he made to Mr. Mulroney It was also revealed that Mr. Schreiber had made many of these same allegations in a March 2007 letter to Prime Minister Harper.
On November 9th, Stephen Harper called a press conference announcing that members of the government should cease their dealings with Brian Mulroney, and that he was engaging Dr. David Johnson to recommend whether a public inquiry into the allegations was warranted. Days later, after Mr. Mulroney himself said he welcomed an inquiry, Mr. Harper yielded to opposition demands and agreed to call a judicial inquiry. .
Peter Van Loan, Conservative House Leader (Source: pm.gc.ca)
Dr. Johnson reported on Monday, April 7th, recommending a limited inquiry into the affair. He even suggested the inquiry commissioner might want to make the hearings more "efficient" by holding parts of the probe in secret. Responding to the report, Government House Leader Peter Van Loan told reporters, "We will be acting on the recommendations that Professor Johnston has provided and a commissioner should be appointed very soon.".
The government then delayed appointing a commissioner for another 66 days likely to ensure that an inquiry could not be up an running until 2009, well after an expected fall election.
On June 12th, 2008 the government appointed Jeffrey Oliphant, associate chief justice of Manitoba's Court of Queen's Bench to head the judicial inquiry [4].
The Oliphant inquiry is not scheduled to begin until February 2009. Richard Wolson, the Winnipeg lawyer serving as chief counsel to the probe, says he and his staff face a huge amount of work compiling and analyzing documentary evidence before they can put any witnesses on the stand [5].
References[1] Harper announces public inquiry into Mulroney Schreiber affair, The Canadian Press, Jan 11, 2008 [2] Video seen in “Brian Mulroney: The Unauthorized Chapter”, The Fifth Estate broadcast Oct 31., 2007[3] Mulroney casts long shadow in Harper circle, The Globe And Mail, November 10, 2007 [4] Judge appointed by Mulroney named to lead Schreiber inquiry, Edmonton Journal, June 13, 2008 [5] No hearings until next year in long awaited Mulroney Schreiber probe, The Canadian Press, Aug 12, 2008
