Happy birthday Mr. Mulroney?

Then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney leads Lucien Bouchard into the House of Commons after Bouchard's 1988 by-election victory. Mulroney turns 70 today.

Judge Won’t Delay Mulroney Inquiry, But Limits Length
Norma Greenaway, Canwest News Service

Friday, March 20, 2009

OTTAWA - Former prime minister Brian Mulroney turned 70 on Friday and got a tiny birthday break from the judge leading the inquiry into hefty cash payments he received from German-born lobbyist Karlheinz Schreiber soon after leaving office in 1993.

Although Justice Jeffrey Oliphant rejected Mr. Mulroney's bid to delay the March 30 start of formal inquiry hearings until April 14, he agreed after hearing the request Friday to limit the hearings to just two days -- March 30 and 31 -- and to then adjourn the inquiry until April 14.

The inquiry is expected to hear testimony from more than 20 witnesses. It is not known who will appear or when they will appear.

Justice Oliphant also promised a ruling by Thursday -- four days before the inquiry launch -- on Mr. Mulroney's challenge of the judge's recent ruling that he will consider the standards of conduct detailed in everything from the Criminal Code of Canada to the Income Tax Act when assessing the appropriateness of Mr. Mulroney accepting at least $225,000 from Mr. Schreiber in 1993. The two men offer different explanations about the purpose of the payments, which Mulroney waited six years to declare as income.

Guy Pratte, Mr. Mulroney's lawyer, told the hearing Friday the breadth of Justice Oliphant's ruling is unprecedented and needs clarification. He added that Mr. Mulroney "is not trying to derail this inquiry." Justice Oliphant will hear arguments on the standards issue on Tuesday.

Lawyers for Mr. Schreiber, the federal government and the commission counsel did not seriously object to pausing the inquiry, agreeing they could use the extra time to review 25,000 pages of documents they have been deluged with over the last few weeks. They agreed the new schedule should still allow the hearings to end, as planned, on May 22.

Justice Oliphant made no secret his desire to get cracking, noting he must have his report written by the end of September so it can be translated, published and delivered to the government by the December 31 deadline.

After hearing a couple of the lawyers talk about how they have been forced to juggle their schedules to accommodate the inquiry's schedule, a grinning Justice Oliphant piped in with his bottom line. "I have a daughter who is being married this summer. That cannot be rearranged," he said.