Opposition MPs are demanding a deep probe and declaring the prime minister's credibility "in tatters" after Canada's top diplomat was dumped over a grave national security breach.
The Maxime Bernier scandal followed Stephen Harper on a whirlwind visit to Europe yesterday, while security experts and MPs at home condemned the PM for "defending the indefensible" for several weeks before finally cutting Bernier loose.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion slammed Harper's "appalling" lack of judgment in downplaying the issue as a private matter. He suggested the PM was putting his "protege" ahead of the best interests of Canadians.
Harper insisted the sensitive documents left at the home of Bernier's ex-girlfriend Julie Couillard did not fall into the wrong hands. The classified briefing notes were related to the spring NATO summit in Bucharest.
"We have no information that would indicate that documents have circulated," Harper said in Paris. "The documents were returned to the Government of Canada, but it is our intention to review the incident to ensure that is the case. But so far we have no information to suggest that any secrets have been revealed."
'VAUDEVILLE'
Liberal MP Bob Rae described it as "vaudeville" that the PM could not have known about the stray cabinet documents for a full five weeks -- until just before Couillard was set to expose the truth in an interview with Quebec's TVA. Fellow MP Denis Coderre raised fears the documents could have been photocopied and distributed to biker gang members.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a security expert and former CSIS agent, called the handling of documents "extremely serious," but said Harper should have bumped Bernier weeks earlier when the story broke about his relationship with Couillard, who has past ties to the Hells Angels.
"This is a government that got elected on a higher moral and ethical standard, and currently, Mr. Harper is failing all the way," he said.
Opposition MPs also demanded answers to Couillard's claim that her bedroom was bugged, but Juneau-Katsuya called it "highly improbable" that a microphone would be planted under a mattress or box spring as she recounted.
"Putting it in the mattress is not the best place -- there will be a lot of swing and ring and noise and stuff," he said. "If you want to listen to the conversation, you put it into the headboard, you put it into the lamp, you put it into the furniture, you put it under the bed, you put it in the wall -- you don't put it in the mattress."
PRIVATE LIVES
Harper also cast doubt on Couillard's statement.
"I have absolutely no information to suggest that's true," he said. "As we've said, private lives are private lives, and the Government of Canada does not intend to get into the business of investigating private citizens."
RCMP and CSIS would not comment.
"It's not our practice to confirm who may be or has been a subject of interest to the RCMP," said RCMP Sgt. Nathalie Deschenes.
International Trade Minister David Emerson will replace Bernier until a cabinet shuffle that could come within weeks. Rumoured contenders for the job are Lawrence Cannon, Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Stockwell Day.
