Helena Guergis - Resignation From Cabinet, Forced From Caucus

Resignation From Cabinet, Forced From Caucus

On April 9, 2010, Guergis resigned her post as Minister of State for Status of Women, and she was expelled from the Conservative caucus. In announcing the resignation and expulsion, PM Harper also said that he had asked both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Commons ethics commissioner Mary Dawson to investigate allegations surrounding Guergis. Harper stated that pending the results of the investigation, Guergis would leave the Conservative caucus and sit as an independent.

Guergis maintained at the time that she had no knowledge of what she was being accused of. Opposition MPs pressed the government for more details about the allegations surrounding Guergis, citing Harper's previous willingness to defend her. At Question Period on April 12, 2010, Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Official Opposition Liberals, wondered how soon the government would "tell Canadians the truth." His sentiments were echoed by NDP leader Jack Layton, who called for Harper to "come clean" about why Harper went so far as to call in the RCMP, because he was ultimately responsible for his ministers. Transport Minister John Baird, speaking for the government, was reticent with further details, saying only that Harper "acted quickly and appropriately" after being tipped off by an unknown "third party." Ignatieff has also linked the events to organized crime, due to the reports of cocaine being present: "I don’t want to make false accusations but you don’t get cocaine at a corner drug store, right? You have to get it from somewhere, from someone and usually that means organized crime".

Some people have expressed concern that Guergis's right to due process (innocent until proven guilty) has been infringed upon. On The Michael Coren Show, commentator Akaash Maharaj, former Liberal and Independent MP John Nunziata, and host Coren himself voiced opposition to the way Guergis was being treated. "Whatever happened to due process in this country?" Nunziata said. On May 16, 2010 Alfred Apps, Canada's Liberal party president, said Guergis was treated unfairly by PM Stephen Harper. "This whole Guergis situation is what I hope will become a big wakeup call to Canadians," Apps said. "We treat our public servants … with just horrific disrespect these days and then we go on and treat our members (of Parliament), we don't give them the natural justice that we would expect to give to ordinary Canadians." Apps continued, "He's (Stephen Harper) basically taken onto himself, on the basis of serious and credible allegations – and there's no evidence yet that they were either serious or credible." Further, Apps said, "She has the right to know specifically the allegations against her; she has the right to be heard and answer to those allegations." However, Conservative MP Shelly Glover said Harper did the right thing in expelling Guergis. According to Glover: "These were serious allegations that were brought forward to the prime minister, and frankly he did the right thing. He is the prime minister of the country and we need to maintain confidence in all the people working for him."