Today, Brian Mulroney testified in front of the Commons ethics committee, answering the charges leveled by Karlheinz Schreiber that he accepted money, or not, for Airbus, or Bearhead, or a pasta business, or not.

But the fireworks happened when Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez asked after the recent wireless auction. Here is a video of the exchange. Rodriguez barely gets the question out when the Conservative MPs were all over him. The wireless auction?

A strange diversion? Perhaps. Rodriguez was sharing his time with Liberal MP Ken Dryden, so presumably Ken Dryden knew what Rodriguez was going to ask.

But did he know why Rodriguez asked that question? That's where things got weird.

I got an email about this earlier today, but Proud to be Canadian has been following this. Speaking to Mike Duffy of CTV, Jean Lapierre made a startling allegation:

Jean Lapierre: Well, Mike, I will surprise you, but last night I knew all about those questions. They were written by the CBC and provided to the Liberal Members of Parliament and the questions that [Liberal MP and committee questioner] Pablo Rodriguez asked were written by the CBC and I can’t believe that but last night, a very influential Member of Parliament came to me and told me those are the questions the CBC wants us to ask tomorrow.

Mike Duffy: Well I would say that’s uh libelous or defamatory so we’ll have to uh put a caveat on that—far be it from us to ever suggest they were ever doing anything…

Later, on Mike Duffy Live, Mike Duffy revealed that the story was essentially true. The CBC was working with the Liberal researchers to frame questions to ask Brian Mulroney. We still don't know exactly the extent of the cooperation.

Now the question of the wireless auction was brought up before by Scott Brison on November 29. The allegation was that Mulroney spokesman Luc Lavoie ought not to have been in contact with Industry Minister Jim Prentice:

The role Brian Mulroney's chief spokesman in the federal auction of wireless spectrum was brought into question today after Liberal MP Scott Brison said the government may have violated ``the spirit" of an order issued by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But Industry Minister Jim Prentice denied anything improper had occurred in the lead up to the auction decision announced yesterday, saying Brison's veiled accusations were "beneath contempt."

The Liberal industry critic said Luc Lavoie, who often publicly represents Mulroney and is chief spokesperson for Quebecor Inc., a telecommunications firm with interest in the spectrum auction, should not have been permitted to contact the government after Nov. 9, when Harper banned his ministers and MPs from communicating with Mulroney.

Prentice told The Canadian Press that the issue did not arise because he met Lavoie only once, on Sept. 27, long before the latest cloud over Mulroney's dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber forced Harper to issue the order to his government members.

"I afforded each of the CEOs of the incumbents and the CEO's of the companies that had expressed an interest in the spectrum auction. I afforded each of them 50 minutes to meet with me," Prentice said.

"In that context . . . I met with Mr. Lavoie and (Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl) Peladeau for approximately 50 minutes to an hour on Sept. 27. I have not since that time talked to Mr. Lavoie or Mr. Peladeau."

The wireless auction issue did not really succeed at getting any traction, and didn't succeed any more at connecting the current government with the Schreiber mess than any other attempt.

So I have to ask myself if the CBC has taken on a distinctly yellow tinge, as in yellow journalism:

Yellow journalism is a pejorative reference to journalism that features scandal-mongering, sensationalism, or other unethical or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or journalists. It has been loosely defined as "not quite libel".

Is the CBC engaging in yellow journalism? Scandal-mongering by manipulating the Liberals into revisiting this question, hoping to create a story instead of just report on one?

I find it interesting that we know of this connection between the CBC and the Liberal researchers because of Liberals. Jean Lapierre was allegedly told of the cooperation by a Liberal parliamentarian. Then Mike Duffy received confirmation from another Liberal.

Why would Liberals spill the beans? Perhaps because they don't like what they're seeing, and that's because the CBC is doing something that is making these Liberals feel very uncomfortable.

That's why I'm thinking that the people closest to what's going on are seeing the CBC go yellow. And given the amount of taxpayer's money that goes into keeping the CBC afloat, that is going to make a lot of Canadians see red.

Certainly the Conservatives are upset. Stephen Taylor has the press release from the Conservative Party. They want answers.

Check out other entries from the Karlheinz Schreiber category
Results will open in a new window.