Opposition parties banded together yesterday to accuse Prime Minister Paul Martin of trying to bury Adscam before calling an election. Conservative MP Jason Kenney said the PM is pulling the strings of Grits on the public accounts committee probing Adscam to cover up a "huge Liberal scandal." "This is all being driven by an election timetable, not by the interest of Canadians," Kenney said during an opposition-party press conference. The Liberal majority temporarily shut down the committee Tuesday and ordered an interim report by week's end in an effort to table recommendations in the Commons before it breaks tomorrow and before an expected weekend election call. A federal election will permanently shut down the committee. NDP Pat Martin said he wants to hear testimony from the 90 names remaining on the witness list. "As soon as we start to get close to linking the PMO, to linking political interference, the hammer comes down and they put a stop to the investigation," Martin said. "It isn't fair to go to the polls now ... Canadians deserve to know everything possible." The Liberals also shot down a Bloc Quebecois request for former PM Jean Chretien, Martin, and Chretien's former aides to testify. Martin said yesterday he's still prepared to testify if called. Public Works Minister Stephen Owen said after 40 witnesses there's a need for an interim report. "For three months, for 40 witnesses, the public accounts committee, sometimes being stalled by the opposition, has been hearing witnesses. The time has come for an interim report," Owen said. Owen said Canadians will see unanswered questions addressed at the public inquiry slated to start in September. "The Canadian public will have a full view of what has happened here," he said.
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