Class action planned against Ottawa

Canadian Press

(Ottawa)  A former advertising executive with links to a firm implicated in
the federal sponsorship scandal said Wednesday he'll launch a class action
lawsuit against Ottawa to recoup missing taxpayer money.

Alain Richard, formerly a vice-president at the Groupaction firm at the
centre of the scandal, says several-thousand Canadians have added their
names to his web site over a 24-hour period, wanting to join the suit. The
friends of the current government owe more than $50 to every Canadian
taxpayer, said Mr. Richard, whose site, www.jean-paul.ca, is named after
Prime Minister Paul Martin and his predecessor, Jean Chr‚tien.

I want to prove to the world that the only tool in a democracy isn't even
the newspapers  it's the internet, Mr. Richard continued. If I don't do it,
who will?

Auditor General Sheila Fraser found Liberal-friendly Quebec firms got
$100-million in commissions and fees under the $250-million sponsorship
program, often for doing little or no work. A judicial inquiry headed by
Quebec judge John Gomery is to find fault with individuals and assign
blame.
The scandal has rocked the government and driven down Liberal poll numbers.

Mr. Richard said he was vice-president of Groupaction's corporate branch
and was not involved in the government relations division implicated in the
sponsorship affair. But as an employee in the Montreal office, he said
signs of Groupaction's booming business were evident in the lavish lunches
his colleagues began taking at downtown eateries on a near-daily basis in
the fall of 1997.

You go from $25 bottles of wine to $125 in just a few days because the
contracts were just pouring in, he said in an interview. People were
spending money like crazy. The former executive said he has been warning
police agencies and government officials about the misuse of funds since
1997, but received no response.

He added he has received threats since coming forward, including
threatening phone calls at night. He also says he was accosted by two men
waiting for him in a parking lot two weeks ago. They told him he talked too
much and threatened to punch him in the face. Mr. Richard has since ramped
up security in his home and has purchased guard dogs to protect himself.

He also recently sent a letter to Mr. Martin, offering to tell his story. 
A Martin spokesman refused Wednesday to confirm whether the Prime Minister
had received Mr. Richard's letter. We're very appreciative that people are
coming forward, said spokesman Justin Kingsley. We want to assure them that
every letter we receive in this matter will be forwarded to Judge Gomery
and to public inquiry officials.

Mr. Richard said several thousand people have expressed interest in joining
his class-action suit since the site began accepting names. He said he
would file the suit once a certain number of names were collected, although
he wouldn't reveal the number.


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