There's no story here, folks, now move along

This is just extraordinary. Extraordinary.

Canada's national police force can't be trusted to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into new criminal allegations made at the Adscam inquiry, Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay suggested yesterday. MacKay points to RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli's "perceived" cosy relationship with the previous government of Jean Chretien and the fact the force was itself tangled up in the ad scandal. "There's already been significant examples of where the RCMP have been too -- and I emphasize 'too' -- closely linked to the Prime Minister's Office," MacKay said, recommending either the Quebec or Ontario provincial police conduct a probe instead. He cites the involvement of Jean Chretien's senior staff in the RCMP handling of protesters at a 1997 Asia-Pacific leaders' summit in Vancouver, the force's decision not to investigate Chretien's alleged actions in the so-called Shawinigate affair and the costly, failed probe of former Conservative PM Brian Mulroney and Airbus. The RCMP also received more than $3 million from the disgraced sponsorship program, some of it channelled through a non-government bank account. "In all of those instances, there were questions in the minds of the public about (the RCMP's) proximity to the government, including the commissioner's close ties, both socially and professionally to Francie Ducros (Chretien's former communications director) and members of the PMO staff," MacKay said.

The deputy leader of the Conservative party says the national police force, the people we count on to protect us from the bad guys, can't be trusted; that it's in cahoots with the ruling party; that it may be corrupt itself? And this isn't front page news on every newspaper in the country? What has this country become, when the truly shocking is too obvious to report? UPDATE: Mind you, maybe Peter just holds a grudge.