Justice John Gomery says the sponsorship inquiry recommendations have fallen into a "black hole" because the Conservatives have not acted on any of them.

In an interview with CBC News Wednesday, Gomery said the only tangible result from the inquiry that he conducted has been the federal accountability act, a piece of legislation prepared by the federal government before the recommendations were filed.

Justice John Gomery says he thought the government would have taken action on his recommendations by now.
(CBC)

"We all know that commissions of inquiry tend to be called in times of crisis or some sort of pressing need for action to be taken of some kind, but when the report comes down, the crisis seems to have passed and governments have a tendency to put the report on the shelf and hope the whole issue goes away."

"I hope that is not the case," he said in Montreal.

Gomery added: "There was a tremendous amount of time and energy and a great deal of expense involved in the commission and I hope that it would produce tangible results."

During the sponsorship inquiry, witnesses said firms overbilled Ottawa for contracts designed to shore up support for the federal government in the wake of the 1995 sovereignty referendum in Quebec. The sponsorship scandal contributed to the downfall of the Liberal government led by Paul Martin.

Ottawa should have taken action by now: Gomery

Gomery filed two reports, one nearly a year ago and the other in February. The second contained 18 recommendations and a request that the government produce a report on the implementation of the recommendations within two years.

"I don't think anybody has heard anything about those recommendations. They seemed to have dropped into something of a black hole in Ottawa," Gomery said.

Gomery said he thought the government would have taken action on the recommendations by now, or at the very least, started a debate on the issues covered by the inquiry. The inquiry covered a lot more ground than does the accountability act, he said.

The act is designed to make the government more transparent and to crack down on unethical government actions. It also tightens political financing laws in Canada. It has not yet been proclaimed into law, although it has passed second reading in the Senate.

Gomery said his request for a report on implementation did not mean that the government should do nothing for two years.

One of his recommendations calls for a new procedure in the naming of deputy cabinet ministers in Ottawa. Currently, the deputy ministers are named by the Prime Minister's Office.

"I know that recommendation attracted critical comment from certain people, but I thought it deserved to be studied and it deserved some sort of response from the government," he said.

That recommendation, along with the others, has been ignored.

Gomery said he made only 18 recommendations in the hope that the small number would be dealt with individually, but he worries even those recommendations might be overlooked.

Five more facing charges

Meanwhile, Bernard Roy, the chief counsel for the Gomery inquiry, said Tuesday that five more people may be charged in connection with the scandal. Roy questioned witnesses appearing before the inquiry.

He said the investigations are taking a long time.

"Crown prosecutors are not well supplied with the resources to do this considerable work," Roy told the Canadian Press.
  
"The police investigations are also certainly long, and it often seems to be the case. I don't know if it's also due to lack of resources. People want to see heads roll, to see things unfold rapidly."

Evidence gathered by the inquiry cannot be used as evidence in a criminal trial, Roy said. Investigators could use the Gomery commission as a guide as they gather their own witness statements and evidence.

The commission heard from witnesses who said scores of sponsorship contracts were given to companies who performed little or no work for substantial amounts of money in the $250-million sponsorship program.

Only a few of the transactions have turned into criminal cases.

Advertising executives Jean Brault, Paul Coffin and former federal civil servant Chuck Guité were convicted and received jail time for their actions in the scandal.

Gomery had issued a stinging indictment of the Liberal party, particularly the Jean Chrétien government, which developed and oversaw the sponsorship program. Martin dismantled it when he took office.

With files from the Canadian Press