Policy Options<\/em> and IRPP, 29 percent of respondents believe Martin should take responsibility for the scandal, as opposed to 16.3 percent who blame Chr\u00e9tien for the mess, among 1,000 Canadians surveyed from April 30 to May 4, 2005.<\/p>\nAnd this, in spite of the fact that Prime Minister Martin cancelled the sponsorship program on his first day in office, December 12, 2003, and appointed the independent Gomery inquiry on February 10, 2004, the very day his government released the explosive report of Auditor General Sheila Fraser.<\/p>\n
This shows that Martin, by being proactive on the sponsorship file, has taken ownership of it. Three Canadians in ten hold Martin accountable for the sponsorship scandal, while only about half as many place the blame on Chr\u00e9tien’s shoulders, even though these events occurred entirely on his watch as prime minister.<\/p>\n
Canadians see Prime Minister Martin talking about it, answering questions about it, and trying to manage it\u2014 so they see it as his responsibility more than Chr\u00e9tien’s. And Chr\u00e9tien’s not talking.<\/p>\n
As well, 43 percent of Canadians thought both prime ministers shared responsibility for the revelations before Gomery. Only 6 percent of respondents thought that neither Martin nor Chr\u00e9tien were responsible for the sponsorship scandal.<\/p>\n
Only in Quebec, where voters are most aware of the sponsorship program, was Chr\u00e9tien perceived as more responsible for the negative impact\u2014 and there by an impressive margin of 7 to 1. In Quebec, 29 percent of respondents thought Chr\u00e9tien should take responsibility for the sponsorship revelations, while only 4 percent though Martin was responsible.<\/p>\n
Moreover, our research also indicates that 67 percent of Canadians, fully two-thirds of the population, believes Martin, as minister of Finance, \u201cwas aware that government sponsorship money was allegedly directed to advertising agencies closely linked to the federal Liberals.\u201d However, only one-third of the population, 34 percent in our sample, thought Martin was \u201cpersonally involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, Canadians believe Martin was aware, but uninvolved in the dubious transactions around the sponsorship scandal, including illegal third-party donations, unreported cash and kickbacks that have been alleged before Gomery.<\/p>\n
To the casual observer, Martin was the senior Quebec minister, and therefore he had to know what was going on, even if he wasn’t directly involved. The suggestion that Martin was not aware simply does not resonate with voters.<\/p>\n
Nearly six Canadians in ten\u2014 59 percent\u2014 say they have been following the work of the Gomery Commission very or somewhat closely. While 12 percent of our respondents said they were following it very closely, 47 percent said they were following it somewhat closely.<\/p>\n
That’s a very high number\u2014 nearly as many Canadians who voted in the 2004 election: 60 percent. Essentially, all Canadians who are politically engaged are following Gomery’s work. Commissions of inquiry do not usually generate much ongoing interest, but Canadians are following Gomery on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n
SES also asked Canadians on behalf of Policy Options<\/em> and IRPP whether Prime Minister Martin’s televised mea culpa<\/em> in April affected their perception.<\/p>\nWhile 17 percent of respondents said their impression of Paul Martin improved after his television address to the nation, fully 59 percent\u2014 six voters in ten\u2014 said their impression was unchanged. And another 16 percent said their impression had actually worsened. Basically, it’s a wash. Just as many said their impression of the prime minister had worsened as said it had improved, and for most Canadians their impression was unchanged. While Liberal voters felt better, most Canadians were just reminded why they were unhappy with the government.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that after months of televised hearings and a succession of sensational revelations before Gomery, the commission had become an important factor with voters in the period before a possible election campaign. SES also asked Canadians about the impact or lack of impact the sponsorship scandal would have on their voting decision.<\/p>\n
Nearly two Canadians in three, 64 percent, said the Gomery effect would greatly or somewhat impact their voting choice in a spring election. Fully 27 percent said it would greatly impact their choice, while another 38 percent said it would somewhat impact their choice. Another 31 percent said it would not impact their decision at all.<\/p>\n
The impact of the Gomery inquiry on the public perception of Prime Minister Martin should give political leaders pause. It appears that the best of motives and a proactive open approach are no guarantee of gaining public confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nearly twice as many Canadians believe Paul Martin should take responsibility for \u201cactivities uncovered by the Gomery Commission\u201d rather than Jean Chr\u00e9tien, who was prime minister during the entire sponsorship program from 1997 to 2003. In an SES Research attitudinal survey for Policy Options and IRPP, 29 percent of respondents believe Martin should take responsibility […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-07T23:47:48Z","apple_news_api_id":"c38ff34e-ebf6-439e-a92c-791792fec6ec","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-07T23:47:49Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Aw4_zTuv2Q56pLHkXkv7G7A","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9346],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-262011","issues","type-issues","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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