Will Canadians Let Mulroney Speak?

CP/Decima has released a poll showing most Canadians don’t believe Mulroney’s version of events around his pasta/tank/airplane business dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber, that shady yet cuddly international man of money bags.

Schreiber is wanted on bribery, fraud and tax evasion charges in Germany. But Canadians believe him over our former prime minister. Schreiber has spent the last few years in jail awaiting extradition. We have seen him escorted by RCMP officers in handcuffs, and can tell you how he would answer the “boxers or briefs” question. His testimony has appeared to contradict itself on several occasions. And yet, only 30 per cent of respondents say they don’t believe him, compared to 51 per cent who don’t believe Mulroney. Further, more than twice as many people were more likely to say they DO believe Schreiber over Mulroney.

What amuses me here is that Mulroney hasn’t even given his version of events yet – and people still don’t believe him. There have been four prime ministers since 1997 when the federal (Liberal) government awarded him a $2.1 million libel settlement after he was linked to kickbacks in the sale of Airbus jets to Air Canada in 1988. He has had many opportunities (including in his recent book) to explain why he accepted the $300,000, why he concealed those payments from Revenue Canada and the RCMP, and why he claimed not to know Schreiber. And why cash?

Unfortunately, members of the Commons Ethics Committee appear to be so focused on either connecting or distancing the current government from the whole affair, that they have forgotten their mandate – to determine if, in the light of Schreiber’s allegations, the Chrétien government acted properly in settling with Mulroney and if Mulroney was being truthful at the time, and if a public inquiry is warranted.

Mulroney will have 20 minutes to provide an opening statement tomorrow to a committee on which he has no friends, likely with his family in the background (at his request to the committee.) He will attempt his own act of contrition and paint a picture of himself that many Canadians won’t believe – because the story will be told by him. He will be witty and charming, and fiercely partisan. He will be aggressive; he will be defensive. He’s a fighter, it will be quite the performance.

But it will be mostly in vain. Canadians have already made up their minds that they don’t believe his version of events. Still, that’s some TV worth watching.