The Election: Day 35/ Goodale covering for PMO???

Is Goodale covering for PMO???

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There's something fishy in the Income Trust scandal pool. Yesterday Ralph Goodale said the PM didn't know about the income trust decision before he (Goodale)announced it. This statement was made a couple of days after Martin said he knew of the income trust decision in advance of the announcement. Who's telling the truth, Goodale or Martin? Or is Goodale trying to distance his boss and PMO officials from possible involvement in the scandal? Read the stories and form your own opinion.

"Goodale takes heat off Martin
"Says PM not told of income trust plan

Probe to be key in campaign's final push
Jan. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM
LES WHITTINGTON
OTTAWA BUREAU


OTTAWA—Finance Minister Ralph Goodale is trying to get Paul Martin out of the line of fire in the income trust controversy as the Liberals and other parties revive their full-scale election campaigns today.

Martin acknowledged on Friday that as Prime Minister he was privy to the decision-making in advance of the income trust announcement by the finance department on Nov. 23. The handling of that announcement has led to an RCMP probe of possible illegal leaks to investors.

But Goodale said yesterday, while he and Martin discussed the tax treatment of income trusts before the finance department announced its decision, the Prime Minister was not aware of the final position the government was going to take.

"It's interesting, I had a conversation with the Prime Minister and we talked through the options and the ideas — we could do this and we could do that," Goodale said on CTV's Question Period yesterday.

"And my last conversation with him (before the announcement), we were not at a final decision-making point," Goodale explained. " See the Toronto Star


Compare this with an earlier story On December 31.



"Martin urges voters not to jump to conclusions
Dec. 31, 2005. 01:00 AM
LES WHITTINGTON
OTTAWA BUREAU


OTTAWA—Paul Martin says he knew in advance of the finance department's decision in November on the tax treatment of income trusts, making him one of the people who may be interviewed by police as the RCMP investigates a possible illegal leak of information to investors.

"Well, I knew and I'm one of them," Martin said yesterday when asked who in the Prime Minister's Office had advance knowledge of the government's Nov. 23 announcement. "

And on December 30 CBC reported:

"Martin says PMO knew about income trust announcement
Last Updated Fri, 30 Dec 2005 18:48:52 EST
CBC News See the CBC
Paul Martin said he and some other people in the Prime Minister's Office had advance knowledge of a government decision on income trusts before it was made public, something he says isn't out of the ordinary.

The RCMP is investigating opposition allegations the decision on tax policy regarding income trusts was leaked prior to its Nov. 23 announcement. Opposition politicians point to a flurry of market trading in the hours before the announcement and claim inside information benefited Liberal-friendly traders and investors.

Martin, who spoke following a campaign stop at a Montreal-area mosque, said he was one of a number of people in the PMO who were informed of the decision before it was made public.

"I knew and I'm one of them. The fact is, that the people who would be on a need-to-know basis would have that information," said Martin. "

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