OTTAWA — The NDP says it may pursue criminal charges after the Conservatives covertly listened in, taped and distributed audio of a closed-door NDP strategy session.
NDP Leader Jack Layton can be heard on the tapes boasting to his caucus that he had prepared scenarios to bring down the government with the help of the Bloc Quebecois before the Conservatives issued their recent economic statement.
The caucus talks took place Saturday and a recording of the meeting was delivered to the media on Sunday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's staff.
In response, NDP MP Thomas Mulcair said the government is panicking and desperate to change the channel on its economic management and may have committed what could be an illegal act.
New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa November 20, 2008. (Chris Wattie/REUTERS)
Mr. Mulcair said his party is looking into “the application of the Criminal Code,” in the taping.
As for the substance of the call, Mr. Mulcair said the talks with the Bloc were perfectly normal consultations between parties in a minority government. They began only after the government's economic update was delivered last Thursday, he said.
And Mr. Mulcair pointed as an example to consultations that took place between Mr. Layton, Mr. Harper and the Bloc's Gilles Duceppe in September 2004 when the Liberals were freshly installed as a minority government.
Mr. Harper, who was leader of the Opposition at that time, held lengthy discussions with Mr. Layton and Mr. Duceppe aimed at supplanting Paul Martin's Liberal government without an election in the fall of 2004.
Those talks did not invoke a coalition, but rather revolved around replacing the elected Liberal minority with a Conservative government led by Mr. Harper and supported by the New Democrats and Bloc on an issue-by-issue basis.
During Saturday's conference call, Mr. Layton also is heard saying it doesn't matter what the policy issues are, they just need to defeat the Harper minority. He says he hopes a lasting coalition can be built that will survive two or three years in government.
NDP spokesman Brad Lavigne said the Conservatives are merely trying to deflect attention from the government losing the confidence of the House of Commons.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said there was nothing unethical about covertly listening in to the private NDP deliberations, taping those discussions and releasing them to the media.
An unidentified Tory was “invited” to participate in the call, said PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas.
“Maybe the invitation was meant for the Bloc, and they accidentally invited us. We were invited. When you get invited somewhere you have the opportunity to choose to participate or not participate.”
Summary: A private meeting held by the NDP was taped by the Conservitives and released to the media. Now the NDP want to press charges.
1. Why do you think that the Conservitives did this?
2. Do you think that the NDP should press charges?
3. How do you think the Conservitives will benefit by knowing what the NDP were discussing?
8 comments:
they make a meeting to discuss the charges that a criminal should have.
1. Why do you think that the Conservitives did this?
Answer: I tihnk that the Conservitives didt this because maybe in that meeting there is someething that the NDP did, and they did not like it. So therefore, this tape might be something that they can hold against them.
2. Do you think that the NDP should press charges?
Answer: I don't think that they is nesscary. Because i mean, if they did'nt do anything wrong then there should not be a problem. Unless, they said something that did they not wanted the public to know
A private meeting held by the NDP was taped by the Conservitives and released to the media. Now the NDP want to press charges.
The NDP says it may pursue criminal charges after the Conservatives covertly listened in, taped and distributed audio of a closed-door NDP strategy session.
Yes because it will be unfair.
I think they should charge the person who taped the NDP conference, and not the NDP becuase its not its falt.
I heard on the radio that the NDP invited the Conservative guy by accident so it was really the NDP's fault for this all happening.
I think that who ever tapped the conversation should be charged and fined.I think that this is a huge invasion of privacy that should not be stood for.
The artical called "NDP wants Mounties to investigate taped call" posted by BILL CURRY of the Globe and Mail is interesting because the conservatives taped a private meeting. It is common sense that when someone calls a private meeting they have the right to talk freely and it shouldn't be spied on and taped which I think is just wrong and the NDP should press charges.
This relates to the topic we are studying because a lot of parties were fighting over becoming the leader of Canada back in confederation and now the parties are still fighting over power.
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