...and this isn't influence peddling?

Here's a quote from the Globe and Mail earlier this evening:

"Last Friday, Mr. Prentice announced to the House that Mr. Jaffer approached a senior staffer to make "representations" on behalf of someone else’s company. There was confusion on where the meeting took place, but under questioning by Liberal critic David McGuinty today (Monday April 26th, 2009), Mr. Prentice confirmed that the meeting took place in Helena Guergis’s ministerial office."

Here we thought the Conservatives were "tough on crime" and "tough on lobbying". Apparently, they are only tough when it's not one of their own sullying their little pigpen.

When testifying before the Parliamentary Committee last Wednesday, Rahim denied using Helena's office other than to store some boxes when he was booted out of his office after losing the 2008 election and other things that normal husbands use their wife's office for....except, that she WAS the Minister of State for the Status of Women at the time, hardly what could be termed a "typical Canadian office occupant".

Here's what he said during his "interrogation" when asked about using his wife's office:

"I'm glad you're raising that, I would like the opportunity to respond. When I was an MP, I never abused my privileges nor would I abuse my wife's resources in any capacity. Where the confusion happened is after the last election, I had 2 weeks to clear my office. I sent boxes to my wife's office. I rarely went in there, other than help here with Christmas cards, sit in on scheduling meetings (I don't know about you, but I never sat in on scheduling for my wife's business meetings). My role had changed. We had a separate office for my business. The only reason I used the Blackberry was to keep track of my wife's schedule."

You'd think that the Conservatives would regard this whole affair like a bandaid, the quicker you pull it off, the less it hurts. Instead, the Canadian media and the Opposition is having to drag information out of the ruling party one tidbit at a time. Maybe the Harperites are hoping that we'll get tired of rubber-necking this accident and just move along.

You've got to hand it to Rahim and Helena though, they've both got cohones! And a couple of econo-sized cases of entitlement to go with them.

References:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/prentice-drops-jaffer-bombshell-tories-reignite-abortion-debate/article1547270/