PM moves to sue Liberals for libel over Cadman affair

PM moves to sue Liberals for libel over Cadman affair

Bal Brach , Canwest News Service

Published: Monday, March 03, 2008

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is moving to sue Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, deputy leader Michael Ignatieff, House leader Ralph Goodale, and the entire Liberal party in relation to last week's controversy involving the late Independent MP Chuck Cadman.

A notice of the suit, served on the parties at 7 a.m. today, claims the prime minister was libelled in "two devastatingly defamatory articles published at www.liberal.ca entitled 'Harper Knew of Conservative Bribery' (Feb. 29, 2008) and 'Harper Must Come Clean About Allegations of Conservative Bribery, Liberals Say' (Feb. 28, 2008)," according to the document, signed by Ottawa lawyer Richard Dearden.

"These malicious and reckless defamatory statements impugn the reputation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper," the five-page document said.

The legal document asks that "on the first available opportunity," Dion read an apology, drafted by the plaintiffs, in the Commons.

The notice says that if the offending articles are not removed from the Liberal website and Dion does not apologize in an acceptable manner, the "non-action will cause aggravated and punitive damages."

The Liberal party confirmed that the documents were served, but it has not yet responded to the suit, and none of the allegations has been proven in court.

At issue are comments made in connection with allegations that the late MP Cadman was offered a $1-million incentive in May 2005 to vote with the Conservatives to bring down the former Liberal minority government of Paul Martin. Cadman, who was dying of cancer at the time, denied an offer had been made.

However, excerpts from a soon-to-be-published book by Tom Zytaruk say that, on his deathbed, Cadman told his wife, Dona, daughter, Jodi, and other close friends that he had been offered a lucrative life insurance policy in exchange for his vote.

In the end, Cadman, a former Tory, voted with the Liberals to keep the government in power.

The Conservative party will pay the legal bills for the suit, said party spokesman Ryan Sparrow.

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click here to read the full legal letter