The press confirms David Smith works out of his home
Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 03:08 PM
Leader
The Ottawa Citizen ran a story Thursday, and local Conservatives aren't cutting David Smith much slack:
Reports of $1 million in federal contracts being awarded to a company once owned by Pontiac Liberal MP David Smith leave serious doubts about Mr. Smith's integrity, the head of the new Quebec wing of the federal Conservative party said yesterday.
Lawrence Cannon, a former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister who is now the Tory candidate in Pontiac, said a published report yesterday shows Mr. Smith is closely linked to Abotech Inc., a Gatineau computer consulting firm.
We get confirmation that Abotech is run from his home:
Mr. Smith, 41, a former federal public works employee, said his wife and two children have run the company from his home since he was elected in 2004 and he has nothing to do with it. He said he cleared his Abotech connection with federal ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro and believes Mr. Cannon is "just playing small politics."
I reported that Abotech's corporate address was in fact David Smith's residence on Wednesday.
We also learn more details about how the Ethics Commissioner gave David Smith and Abotech a clean bill of health after the 2004 election:
Mr. Smith said he has provided all the information required on his assets and business interests and the holdings of his wife and family. He said he met KPMG auditors to explain his connection with Abotech and later told ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro he would co-operate with an investigation.
"When I was elected, I submitted everything to the ethics commissioner for review and he consulted me on some issues," Mr. Smith said. "He said everything was in accordance with the regulations.
"I told Mr. Shapiro that my wife is now the majority shareholder in Abotech and the other shareholders are my two children. I wrote to Mr. Shapiro and requested that he look into these recent allegations. I have always been very transparent and answered all questions about myself."
But we still don't have an answer as to how a firm that he once run, a man who had years of experience in computer consulting, was handed over to his wife and kids with absolutely no further involvement from him, and yet continued to provide services worth hundred of thousands of dollars to the federal government.
