February 01, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Paul Martin today released the second and final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities and made the following statement:

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I want to thank Mr. Justice John Gomery for his diligent and thoughtful work throughout his commission of inquiry. His insights and recommendations will be of benefit to all Canadians in the ongoing debate as to how best to ensure government activities are conducted openly, transparently and effectively.

Naturally, it will fall to the new government to determine the policy response to the recommendations the Judge has made in this, his second and final report. However, our government takes great pride in the establishment of this commission of inquiry. To confirm public confidence, it was important that the failures and wrongdoing that occurred within the sponsorship program were identified in a public manner. Perhaps even more importantly, needed reforms to the process of government itself were required and I am proud of the initiatives our government led in that respect.

Once again, on behalf of all Canadians I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Justice Gomery for all his work."