Boudria’s demotion follows revelations his family rented a luxury ski chalet owned by Groupe Everest, a Montreal advertising agency that has received several lucrative contracts from the Department of Public Works. Opposition MPs have hammered away at the Minister ever since the revelations were made public, insisting upon his resignation. Anyone who has watched Question Period recently will find it easy to believe Boudria’s claim that he looks forward to resuming his previous post.
The irony is that Boudria was brought in to repair the Department of Public Work’s tarnished image. His predecessor, Alphonse Galiano, was given an Ambassadorship and packed off to Denmark amidst charges his department had doled out millions in contracts to Liberal supporters. As one of the Liberal “rat-packers” who ceaselessly attacked corruption in the Mulroney government throughout the 1980’s, Boudria had enjoyed a squeaky clean reputation until the ski chalet imbroglio.
As for Art Eggleton, the Defence Minister’s undoing came when it was revealed he contracted an ex-girlfriend, Maggie Maier, to write a report on post-traumatic stress disorder. The problem was that similar reports were already being written; furthermore, Maier’s final result was a scant fourteen pages including bibliography. While the amount of money involved ($36,500) was minor compared to the millions that have been squandered by the Department of Public Works, the optics of the situation were poor. Newspapers splashed pictures of Eggleton and Maier - who happens to be blonde, slim and attractive - across their front pages. Initially defending his actions, rumour has it that Eggleton did not go willingly and the Prime Minister had to demand his resignation.
The weekend Cabinet shuffle represented a turnaround for Chrétien, who previously boasted that he had never lost a minister due to unethical behavior. The PM is known for his loyalty – not too long ago he rigorously defended Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart against accusations that her department mishandled funds. As previously noted, even Alphonse Gagliano was rewarded with an Ambassadorship. However, recent polls showing forty-five percent of Canadians believe the Liberal government is corrupt forced the Prime Minister to take action.
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