Canadian P.M. loses another Minister

Press, 21 February 1987, Page 10

Canadian P.M. loses another Minister

NZPA-AP Ottawa The Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, his popularity with voters at a new low after a series of Government scandals, has lost his second Cabinet Minister in five weeks.

Roch Lasalle, Minister of State without Portfolio and a veteran standardbearer for the Conservative Party in Quebec Province, resigned after allegations that he attended a 1985 party at which businessmen paid sCansooo ($6765) each in hopes of winning government contracts.

Five weeks earlier, another Quebec-based Cabinet member, Andre Bissonette, Minister of State for Transport, was sacked amid a police investigation into a shady real estate deal in his constituency in which land for a projected aerospace factory tripled in value in 11 days.

Mr Lasalle was the seventh Cabinet Minister to leave Mr Mulroney’s Government since the Conservatives swept. to

power in September, 1984. Four of the seven left because of conflict of interest allegations. A police probe into the party Mr Lasalle attended has already led to influence-peddling charges against a Conservative member of Parliament, Michel Gravel, who has yet to stand trial.

The 57-year-old Minister said he would remain a member of Parliament but would not seek reelection.

Two of Mr Lasalle’s top aides resigned after it was disclosed that they failed to get security checks and had criminal records.

Mr Lasalle’s departure coincided with the latest public opinion poll which showed the Conservatives the most unpopular governing party in the 45 years polls have been taken.

The survey gave the Conservatives just 22 per cent, against 44 per cent for the Opposition Liberal Party, and 32 per cent for the New Democratic Party.