Guergis breaks silence, says she pleaded with Harper to reveal allegations

OTTAWA – Speaking out for the first time since Prime Minister Stephen Harper kicked her out of cabinet and the Tory caucus a month ago, Helena Guergis says she still doesn’t know the reason why.

The beleaguered former junior cabinet minister told CBC’s The National Monday night that she repeatedly pleaded with Harper to explain exactly what the allegations were against her.

But she said that neither Harper, nor a party lawyer he referred her to, have told her what she’s accused of.

“I still don’t know what it is I’m supposed to have done,” Guergis told the CBC.

Guergis, her voice breaking with emotion, said she’s been hurt by Harper, who she thinks dislikes her husband, ex-Tory MP Rahim Jaffer.

“If he doesn’t like my husband, which I think is pretty clear, that shouldn’t damage my working relationship, especially in light of the fact that I have done a good job,” she said.

Guergis told CBC that in a phone call she received while on vacation, Harper referred to serious allegations of “criminal behaviour” without mentioning any specific allegation.

She said Harper discussed her husband and his alleged involvement with drugs, as well as media reports about the couple.

“I was very emotional and, and I know was crying at one point because I was in shock,” said Guergis as she spoke of the five-minute-call.

“I just kept saying, ‘Well, what have I done? Can you please tell me exactly what have I done, so that I can, I can address this.”

The former status of women minister broke down as she talked about her husband, saying she plans to stick by him.

“If people in your family make mistakes you don’t turn your back on them,” she said. “I am committed to my marriage and we will make it through this and we will work it out.”

Last September, Jaffer was charged with impaired driving and cocaine possession. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of careless driving.

Guergis had made only one public appearance — at a riding association meeting — since being turfed from cabinet on April 9.

The Conservative party dropped her as a candidate last week. She is appealing that decision, but rulings of the party’s governing body are considered final.

Harper has never publicly said what allegations compelled him to remove Guergis from caucus and refer the matter to the RCMP.

He has only referred vaguely to “serious allegations” against a member of his government, and said they related to her “comportment.”

Guergis told CBC she has not heard back from the RCMP despite two attempts to reach them. The Mounties have not confirmed whether they have started a formal investigation.

Guergis also suggested she’s being treated differently than other politicians who faced controversy.

“I find it very undemocratic,” she told CBC. “It’s been devastating.”

The man who brought the information on Guergis to the Conservatives, Derrick Snowdy, is scheduled to appear before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

Snowdy claimed he uncovered troubling information about Guergis and her husband while investigating a business associate of Jaffer’s, Nazim Gillani.

Snowdy said Gillani claimed he was holding offshore accounts for Guergis and Jaffer. Snowdy also said Gillani claimed he had compromising photographs of the couple. Gillani has denied those allegations, as have Guergis and Jaffer.

Guergis told CBC she has never taken illegal drugs, does not own any offshore accounts, and has never been photographed in compromising situations.

“There’s been a lot of horrible things said about me,” she said.

The couple are also in the hotseat over their activities around Parliament Hill. The lobbying and ethics commissioners have been sent numerous letters by Conservative and opposition politicians alike concerning potential violations.

Jaffer and his business partner, Patrick Glemaud — who are not registered lobbyists — communicated with at least six ministerial offices regarding various environmental projects they were working on through their company Green Power Generation. The pair insist they were not lobbying the government, just seeking information.

Guergis defended her husband saying he did not lobby on the Hill.

“I have no reason to believe my husband would lie to me, my husband would not want to hurt me or harm me in any way,” she said.

“He promised me he would never do that and cause a conflict for me,” she said. “What he was doing was trying to discover what role he would play in his job.”

Guergis said her husband didn’t use her office for anything work-related. She said he merely used her space to go through his old documents.

“He’s not going to be foolish enough or disrespectful enough to use taxpayers’ money for his own personal business,” she told CBC.

Despite all she’s been through, Guergis says she’s still not ready to give up politics and deserves a chance to clear her name.

“Give me the opportunity to stand up for myself.”

_ By Diana Mehta in Toronto.