POLS 3440 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sponsorship Scandal, John Gomery, Gomery Commission

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 3440
• Professor: Geoff Stevens

Document Summary

This week we will look two canadian scandals, one federal and the other municipal. Sponsorship scandal and the toronto computer leasing scandal have some features in common patronage, conflicts of interest, fraud, abuse of trust and misuse of public funds. In other ways, however, they are distinctly different. Leasing scandal involved hockey, sex and the bribery of a prominent elected politician. Sponsorship scandal did not involve those colorful elements, it did precipitate the defeat of the liberal government of the day and the conviction and imprisonment of some of the principal miscreants. Every now and again, a scandal changes history. The watergate scandal in washington was one; it forced president richard nixon to resign in disgrace. In canada, the pacific scandal of 1873 brought down the conservative government headed by canada"s first prime minister, sir john a. macdonald, and led to the election of the country"s first liberal government.