Monday, March 10, 2008

Who was the leak in Goodale’s department?

All of Ottawa appears to have "leak-fever." Last week it was Conservative leaks. This week, it's new revelations about old Liberal leaks.

Everyone remembers where they were when they heard that the RCMP was investigating the Liberal Government during the 2005 election. The sudden spike in trading that preceded then-finance minister Ralph Goodale’s announcement that there would be no change to the taxation of income trusts led market watchers to speculate on a leak from inside.

But Goodale flatly denied that his department bungled the hasty pre-election press conference. “There was no leak,” he implored.

And Goodale appeared to have been partially vindicated when a Finance department official was charged, not for leaking, but for allegedly using the information to enrich himself.

But today we learn that the RCMP was ready to charge another civil servant or Liberal political staffer as the leaker -- but were unable to lay charges because of a court ruling affecting the Security of Information Act.

So who had the Mounties fingered?

Some have speculated that it may have been Liberal MP Scott Brision who was found-out for his boastful email to a Bay Street buddy.

The Globe and Mail's revelation puts the whole scandal back on the table. A prospect Liberals may perversely welcome -- as being forced to answer for their past indiscretions at least spares them from having to explain why they are hell-bent on helping Harper today.

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