The Kinsella files

This week promises to be ... interesting. At the Gomery inquiry, there is the prospect both of the Guité testimony coming unwrapped (what, has Captain's Quarters' source gone to ground?) and Benoit Corbeil's testimony. And at Public Accounts, a possible reprise of the Kinsella vs Herle slugfest of a couple of weeks ago. For those seeking to follow the latter a little more closely, I have posted some of the supporting documents Kinsella has provided the committee: contemporaneous records of those long-ago days when a plucky Public Works minister and his boyish executive assistant were doing battle with Finance, Industry, Justice and Agriculture on behalf of the Canadian taxpayer. He seems to have kept everything: journals, notebooks, talking points, debriefing memos, inter-office letters, requests for proposals, it goes on and on. Rather than dump the whole lot on you, I've reproduced some of the key documents, the ones that give the gist of his allegations against Earnscliffe, the communications and polling firm that was the home of several of Martin's key political advisers, notably David Herle: that it was improperly awarded several contracts by the above departments, some untendered, some with the help of "wired" bidding processes, where the requirements were tailored in such a way as to favour Earnscliffe; that it represented a number of firms lobbying the minister of Industry at the same time as it was also providing advice to the minister; and that Paul Martin's executive assistant Terrie O'Leary had a personal relationship with Herle, and had jointly purchased a country property with him (from Peter Mansbridge!). Remember that these are allegations only, and that Herle, Martin, O'Leary et al all vigorously deny any wrongdoing. The documents include: * Kinsella's talking points for a briefing he gave to Dave Dingwall, Minister of Public Works, October 1995 Page 1 Page 2 * A more elaborate memo on the same topic, also for Dingwall, also dated October 1995 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 * A background paper describing Earnscliffe's corporate structure and history Page 1 Page 2 * A list of contentious contracts awarded to Earnscliffe and a related firm Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 * An example of the "mandatory requirements" allegedly favouring Earnscliffe, in this case on a Dept. of Justice Request for Standing Offers * Kinsella's shorthand notes from late 1995 on the Earnscliffe matter (contained in a letter to John Williams, chairman of the Public Accounts committee). Fave quote: "Martin problem ... [is an] 'octopus'" * His journal entries on the same topic. Highlight: Martin called him (he claims) a dozen times in one night protesting at a contract to Earnscliffe being held up. In fairness, there is also material from: * O'Leary Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 and * Herle, defending Earnscliffe's contracts as having respected all the relevant guidelines and provided substantial savings for the taxpayer. Page 1 Page 2 I should also add this letter from Herle's lawyer, protesting at the treatment his client received at the first Public Accounts hearing. Which is probably a fair complaint. We should be careful here. Kinsella obviously has something of an axe to grind. And Herle notes that Ernst & Young looked into the whole matter, and found nothing untoward. (UPDATE: Or did it? The subject is explored further here.) Still, it should make for an ... interesting session. BONUS: Here's a transcript of the first encounter.