Liberal Cabinet Minister Sgro On The Ropes

[maplesyrup]

Stripper granted favour, MP says

A Romanian stripper whose case has put Judy Sgro at the centre of an ethics investigation was granted a special favour from the immigration minister to prevent her from being dragged into Canada's abusive sex trade industry, an NDP MP says.

"But that doesn't justify her jumping the queue. There are plenty of other ... women in dire straits who don't get privileged treatment because of their privileged access to the minister," Pat Martin said yesterday.

Martin (Winnipeg Centre) said a lot of women who come here as exotic dancers "are exploited more deeply into the sex trade industry."

Sgro has insisted she gave 25-year-old Alina Balaican a ministerial permit to stay in Canada because of compassionate and humanitarian grounds, not because the woman and her husband helped out on her re-election campaign in Toronto.

Sgro's problems deepened yesterday after the federal ethics commissioner launched a full-blown probe into allegations of wrongdoing in her campaign office during the recent election.

Bernard Shapiro will look into claims that Sgro gave preferential treatment to Balaican, turned a blind eye to another office regular wanted on a Canada-wide warrant and had senior advisers doing campaign work while on the government payroll.

This story has been slowly building, and it now appears about ready to hit the boiling point.

I believe the minister, Judy Sgro, should step down until the air has been cleared, otherwise her department is going to have a cloud over it until this matter is resolved.