Wed, 30 Nov 2005 13:01:34 EST
CBC News on-line
**Excerpt**
Harper calls for office of public prosecutions
A Conservative government would institute an independent office of public prosecutions that would be responsible for investigating criminal activity on Parliament Hill.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper told a campaign rally in Quebec on Wednesday that instituting such an office would make sure that nothing like the sponsorship scandal would happen again without politicians or public servants involved being punished.
"I invite you to look forward to ... a bold future where people are held responsible for their actions," he said.
The Liberals, Harper said, cannot be allowed to escape responsibility for the scandal that saw millions of dollars funnelled to Liberal-friendly advertising agencies, and some of it returned to Liberal party coffers.
Under current rules, Harper said, politicians have had too much say in how those involved are dealt with, and how much money should be repaid.
"Conservatives believe as a basic principle that politicians should not be accountable to other politicians, that government should not be accountable to itself," Harper said.
"A new Conservative government will ensure that decisions about criminal prosecution are independent of politicians and independent of politics."
The new office of public prosecutions would be in addition to the accountability package announced a week ago by the Conservatives.
The director of that office would be responsible for all federal prosecutions and make final, binding decisions regarding who should be charged and when.
"There's going to be a new code on Parliament Hill: bend the rules, you will be punished; break the law, you will be charged; abuse the public trust, you will go to prison," Harper said.
Harper goes to Halifax for a candidate rally later Wednesday.
