Harper on Bruce Carson: Unbelievable
Before perusing this article I would encourage readers to check out this excerpt from Lawrence Martin's book Harperland, the excerpt itself published last October long before the Carson saga became real news. Consider how prominently Bruce Carson has fit into the daily life of Stephen Harper over the years and then read the latest revelations and ask yourself: is Harper credible?
Earlier today Stephen Harper went on at length before the press to claim that he knew of some of Bruce Carson's criminal past but not about "revelations that we're finding out today".
Yet in breaking news the subject of the controversy, Bruce Carson, declares that everything about his past was fully disclosed in the process of applying for security clearances necessary to work in Harper's office and that he specifically made then Chief of Staff Ian Brodie aware of his past and concerns regarding the impact to his application.
Something doesn't smell right. Today in 2011 Harper says, no, I didn't know:
Harper in the dark on ex-aide Carson's past problems (April 4, 2011 Mark Kennedy, Postmedia News) "The fact is, I did not know about these revelations that we're finding out today," the Conservative leader said. "I don't know why I did not know. Obviously, we're going to have to go back and look at our system. Stephen Harper, April 4, 2011
Yet when Carson was first hired on to the Harper inner circle in 2006:
Carson says no one balked at his criminal past upon joining Harper's PMO (April 4, 2011 - Jim Bronskill and Joan Bryden, Today, Canadian Press) Bruce Carson says no one raised a red flag about his criminal past when he joined Stephen Harper's newly minted government as a top adviser. [...] Carson said in an interview he mentioned his criminal history in early 2006 to Ian Brodie, then Harper's chief of staff, when completing an application for a Secret-level security clearance. And Carson says he hid nothing when filling out the extensive form.
"Certainly, my belief is that I listed all of the criminal offences to which I had been convicted. I had a discussion with Ian Brodie about this," Carson told The Canadian Press.
In an appearance today on CBC's Power & Politics journalist Jim Bronskill of The Canadian Press relayed a conversation he recently had with Bruce Carson about the circumstances of his application for work in Harper's office. Carson explained his past to then Chief of Staff Ian Brodie and asked Brody "so, is this the end of it?" meaning are his opportunities in the PMO over. Brodie is said to have responded "No, go and fill out the form."
In 2006 Carson says he fully disclosed all of his past in a declaration in order to obtain both a job working for Harper as well as obtain the necessary security clearances. Carson further says that he had a specific conversation with Harper's Chief of Staff, Ian Brodie, about his past and whether it would affect his work opportunity in Harper's office. In 2011 Harper claims that they learned of "these things afterwards".
There are two issues that matter here.
The first issue is Carson is currently under investigation by the RCMP regarding a new set of allegations related to his work as a government insider. Mr. Carson is innocent until proven guilty, and if not for his past perhaps the public could simply take note of the current allegations, serious as they may be, and wait for due process to work out.
The second issue is whether Stephen Harper demonstrated good judgement in knowingly hiring someone with a criminal record - five fraud convictions and disbarred from the Law Society - and allowing that person to become part of his inner circle and carry a high level security clearance.
The impression left regarding what was known about Carson's past is that the PM must have known much more than he is letting on but won't admit it due to the even more serious context of the new allegations Carson faces over events that happened on Harper's watch, not to mention that Harper is engaged in an election campaign.
Canadians will have a hard time believing that Stephen Harper, famous for micro-managing everything, did not know about Carson's past and these latest revelations will not help him as he attempts to change the channel.