Date: April 12th, 2005
For Release: Immediate
STECKLE UNDERSCORES HIS LIBERALISM
OTTAWA – In response to an article in today’s London Free Press, Paul Steckle, the Member of Parliament for Huron-Bruce, today confirmed his loyalty to the Liberal Party of Canada and his intention to seek the party’s nomination for the next General Election.
Steckle, the four term liberal incumbent for Huron-Bruce stated, “I was tremendously surprised to learn that I am considering a run at the Conservative nomination. I hope they understand that I don’t even vote for them.” Steckle further stated, “I have never been shy about criticising my government and party when I felt that they were heading in the wrong direction; my record on that is clear. That said I am proud of the immediate and decisive way that our Prime Minister has dealt with the Sponsorship file. His actions on this matter clearly demonstrate his desire to ferret out any wrongdoing and then to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. To me, these are the actions of an honest and sincere leader and not of someone who has something to hide or who is trying to politicize the regrettable actions of what could be a very small rogue group. To me, we need to permit Justice Gomery to complete the task our Prime Minister asked him to undertake; then our courts will have an opportunity to punish wrongdoers based upon the facts.”
Nick Whyte, the Huron-Bruce (Federal) Liberal Association President added, “I don’t doubt that the other guys would like to have Paul run for them; who could blame them. After all, he’s a great MP and the people of Huron-Bruce have acknowledged that fact four times since 1993. Furthermore, the Liberals have done great things for this country. Today the books are showing substantial budgetary surpluses and billions of dollars are being invested in health care, agriculture and defence. This is all in stark contrast to the $43 billion deficits of the last Conservative administration headed by Mr. Mulroney. If anyone has broken the law, Liberal or otherwise, they should go to jail but let’s allow the Gomery Commission to complete its work prior to drawing any final conclusions. More importantly, we must not forget that it was the Liberals that fixed the problems left in the wake of Mr. Mulroney’s Conservatives.
Steckle concluded by saying, “…aside from the fact that I have been a Liberal since 1968, I have no intention of walking away from a party and a leader that has a record of monumental achievements. This Party, like all parties, has its faults, but I will never cross over to an organization that counts Brian Mulroney as one of its most ardent supporters. Paul Martin has personally done nothing wrong and accusations based upon the unsubstantiated and unproven testimony should be treated accordingly.”
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For information contact:
Greg McClinchey, Executive Assistant
Paul Steckle, M.P.
(613) 995-9848 or steckp0@parl.gc.ca
Nick Whyte, President
Huron-Bruce (Federal) Liberal Association