OTTAWA–Former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli's decision to name then-Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale in a criminal investigation likely influenced the 2006 federal election, the chair of the RCMP public complaints commission says.

There is no evidence that Zaccardelli was intentionally meddling in the election, Paul Kennedy said, releasing a report into his 13-month inquiry into the affair.

But beyond that, "I haven't got the slightest idea what was going through the commissioner's mind," he said.

Kennedy said the Mounties should refrain from disclosing politically sensitive investigations during election campaigns. There could be exceptions to that rule, he said, and the commissioner should make the final call.

Goodale, the MP for the Saskatchewan riding of Wascana, said that based on Kennedy's report, "the conclusion that the events of December 2005 eventually had an adverse impact on the result of the election in January 2006 seems to be inescapable."

"It appeared to be a premeditated and calculated course of conduct," he said.

The now-retired Zaccardelli could not be reached for comment.

In November 2005, then-finance minister Goodale said the Liberal government would not tax income trusts, as many had feared. The NDP then urged the RCMP to investigate claims that major Bay Street players were tipped in advance of the Liberal announcement.

The Mounties chose the middle of the campaign for the Jan. 23, 2006 election to announce they were conducting a criminal probe. Kennedy said it was Zaccardelli's decision to write a letter on Dec. 23, 2005 to the complainant, NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North), confirming that a criminal investigation had been launched, which she promptly posted on her website, and that he also approved a Dec. 28 press release specifically naming Goodale.

"It is credible to assume that it may have been (a factor)," he told reporters, referring to the "dramatic shift" in power from the Liberals to the Conservatives.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh (Vancouver South) said Zaccardelli's "action effectively allowed the RCMP to descend into the political arena and we know there was an impact."

To Kennedy's proposal that the Mounties not disclose politically sensitive investigations during election campaigns, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott was non-committal yesterday, saying it "is a sometimes difficult balance to be struck between public disclosure and other important interests."

Wasylycia-Leis said she had no regrets and blamed Goodale for not clearing up the income trust allegations when he was finance minister.

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In February 2007, 50-year-old Serge Nadeau, director general for tax policy analysis at the finance department, was charged with breach of trust. It is alleged he made about $7,000 on deals, according to court records. He has yet to face trial.

Kennedy said Zaccardelli, who left office under a cloud after giving contradictory testimony at the Maher Arar inquiry, and other senior officers refused to co-operate with his investigation, but added the force's members are under no obligation to do so.



