Eggleton faces censure PM urged to dump Eggleton


By JOHN WARD-- The Canadian Press

OTTAWA (CP) -- The government agreed Friday that a Commons
committee should consider claims that Defence Minister Art Eggleton
showed contempt for Parliament this week, a serious rebuke of the
minister.

Government House leader Ralph Goodale said, though, that Eggleton
shouldn't be forced to step down while MPs consider whether he
deliberately misled the House on the question of when he learned that
Canadian soldiers captured prisoners in Afghanistan.

"This country is involved in a major international conflict," Goodale
said. "This is a time for the minister of defence to be at his post and he
shall do so."

Earlier, House Speaker Peter Milliken said he felt the matter should go
to committee.

"I have concluded that the situation before us, where the House is left
with two versions of events, is one that merits further consideration by
an appropriate committee, if only to clear the air," the Speaker said.

Were Eggleton to be found in contempt of Parliament, the Commons
could take a broad range of action, ranging from a simple motion of
censure to removing him from office. Any action would require the
backing of the Liberal majority in the House.

A political storm has raged around the minister since Tuesday, when
he told the Commons he only learned on Jan. 25 that Canadian
soldiers had captured fighters in Afghanistan and turned them over to
the Americans.

The next day, Eggleton recanted, saying he had actually heard about
the captures during a phone briefing on Jan. 21 and didn't tell Prime
Minister Jean Chretien or the cabinet for a week.

He wanted more details, he said.

Eggleton's flip-flop came in the middle of a debate about whether
prisoners should be handed over to U.S. authorities at all, since the
Americans have refused to accord prisoner-of-war status to such
captives.

Eggleton denied any intent to mislead the Commons, saying his
reference to Jan. 25 involved a news photo which he first saw that day.
The photo showed soldiers hustling three men out of a transport plane
in Kandahar.

The opposition brushed off his explanation as unlikely and, out for
blood, called for his resignation.

Brian Pallister of the Canadian Alliance, who has led the charge
against Eggleton all week, suggested the minister and the prime
minister hid the truth in order to stave off an uproar within Liberal
ranks over the prisoner issue.

Eggleton kept silent during a Liberal caucus meeting last weekend.

Pallister said the minister showed disrespect for Canadians.

"I do not take this as a matter of personal disrespect to me, but rather I
take it as something far greater than that. I take it as a matter of
disrespect for my constituents."

MPs deserve honest answers, he said.

"It is not a chamber which exists for the convenience of the
government."

Garry Breitkreuz, another Alliance member, said the whole issue must
be aired publicly.

"Canadians are becoming very cynical about what is happening in
Parliament," he said.

Michel Gauthier of the Bloc said Eggleton's behaviour was not
believable.

"Why did he hide his first contradiction by an explanation that doesn't
hold any water?"