Just a humble little ticket-seller from Venezia

Joe Morselli dispels those rumours, once and for all:

At times nervous and tired, Morselli minimized his role in the Liberal Party of Canada's fundraising activities in Quebec. He said he was named to the party's finance commission by Gagliano, but his job was to sell tickets, nothing more. He also made a point of mentioning that he was born in the northern part of Italy, where there are no "godfathers groups," he said, referring to Mafia organizations... Morselli told the inquiry he was angry at Dezainde for firing Wajsman, and called him a "racist." He said he lost his cool, his blood pressure went up. "If I would have had a club, I would have hit him. Did I declare war on him? Probably," he said.

Just how good a ticket-seller was he?

He was asked by Gagliano, Quebec's chief Liberal organizer, to organize a quick cocktail party in October 2000. Morselli put together an "ad hoc" fundraising committee, inviting all main advertising agencies who had federal sponsorship contracts, to take a seat. The event, which took place at Montreal's Chateau Champlain, was a huge hit. It raised $600,000. Later, said Morselli, Paul Martin, who was finance minister at the time, thanked him for his efforts.

I bet he did: $600,000 from a "quick cocktail party"! Mind you, if Joe Morselli asked me to buy a few tickets for "the cause," I'd be inclined to buy them. Other stories:CP: Morselli denies stories of kickbacks CTV: Ex-Liberal fundraiser admits to pocketing $5,000