"There must be something that you want"

Hoo boy. Inky Mark, Conservative MP for Dauphin-Swan River, has gone public with claims that a Liberal cabinet minister offered him a job, perhaps as an ambassador -- "the suggestion was, there must be something that I want, right?" -- to step down as an MP. As in, before a confidence vote. Apparently he's not the only one:

The Conservative party's deputy leader claims federal Liberals are calling opposition MPs to offer them plum appointments in an effort to keep Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government in power... Providing no names, [Peter] MacKay told reporters in Ottawa on Monday night that "a number" of Conservatives had been approached to take seats in the Senate and other positions.

The Liberals don't deny talking to Mark, but counter that he was the one who raised the subject, angling for either a Senate seat or a diplomatic posting. Who knows? Maybe they're both wrong. Maybe it's all a big misunderstanding. Maybe no one offered or asked for anything. But just in case, a tip o' the hat to the first reader who can identify the relevant Criminal Code provisions. UPDATE: Art Williams was fastest, but I think John G has the more correct answer:

119. (1) Every one who (a) being the holder of a judicial office, or being a member of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, corruptly (i) accepts or obtains, (ii) agrees to accept, or (iii) attempts to obtain, any money, valuable consideration, office, place or employment for himself or another person in respect of anything done or omitted or to be done or omitted by him in his official capacity, or (b) gives or offers, corruptly, to a person mentioned in paragraph (a) any money, valuable consideration, office, place or employment in respect of anything done or omitted or to be done or omitted by him in his official capacity for himself or another person, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.

However, I'm prepared to be persuaded otherwise, if you know what I mean... UPPERDATE: CTV has more:

"On Friday, a Minister of the Crown called me and talked about the possibility of what I could do or wanted to do in my political career," Mark told CTV, reluctant to say exactly who made the call. "I basically told him I'd be happy if I could retire." According to Mark, the unnamed MP first offered to make him an ambassador. When he turned that offer down, it was implied he could opt for a seat in the Senate, if he wanted it. "The suggestion was I should take serious consideration of our discussion."

This is a very serious charge. It seems to me Mark should tell us which minister made the offer, preferably in testimony before a Commons committee. Meantime, the RCMP might like to make a few calls. UPPESTDATE:

Reg Alcock, the Liberal president of the Treasury Board, told CBC News that only he and Prime Minister Paul Martin would be authorized to make such an offer, and neither has done so. "There has been no offer made, no offer contemplated," he said. "This is an outrageous claim."

MORE REG:

"There is absolutely no way that this Prime Minister will authorize any undertaking of that sort, period. Will not happen. Has not happened. Is not going to happen. Period!" Melanie Gruer, a spokesman for Mr. Martin, also told globeandmail.com that while the Liberals have the "greatest deal of respect" for Mr. Mark, they're also aware that the Tory MP has been "fishing" for a Senate or ambassador position for some time.

REALLY REG? John G strikes again! UPPESTDATER: Rumours have been swirling about a possible Mark appointment for days. A Manitoba correspondent emailed me last Thursday (a day before Mark says the Liberal minister called him):

I heard yesterday that Inky Mark was offered Manitoba's vacant Senate seat.

While I can't believe any Tory would take it, Inky's on the outs with Harper, is seen as a nobody in caucus, and has been passed over in the Manitoba hierarchy several times over. People in his riding think he's been defeated by the system, so...

UH-OHDATE: Inky's got phone records. Who knew? CRIMINAL CODEDATE: This section might also be of interest:

124. Every one who (a) purports to sell or agrees to sell an appointment to or a resignation from an office, or a consent to any such appointment or resignation, or receives or agrees to receive a reward or profit from the purported sale thereof, or (b) purports to purchase or gives a reward or profit for the purported purchase of any such appointment, resignation or consent, or agrees or promises to do so, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.