Dona Cadman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dona Cadman is the widow of former Canadian Member of Parliament Chuck Cadman. She is currently the nominated Conservative Party of Canada candidate for the forthcoming 40th Canadian federal election in the riding of Surrey North.

1 Background
2 2005 Budget vote and bribery allegations
3 References
4 External link

[edit] Background

Dona was born into a Canadian military family in Chilliwack, BC. In addition to residing in Germany, Dona lived in eleven different Canadian bases from coast to coast during her first 18 years.

Dona married Chuck Cadman (1948 - 2005) in 1969 and had two children; a daughter Jodi born in 1973 and a son Jesse (1976 - 1992). In 1992 their son Jesse was murdered in a random act of violence by a group of young offenders. In an effort to turn their personal tragedy into a cause for public good, in 1993 Dona and Chuck and a small group of friends founded CRY (Crime Responsibility and Youth). CRY was dedicated to strengthening the justice system and helping youth at risk in the hopes of preventing future senseless acts of violence. When her husband, Chuck, was later elected to Parliament, Dona remained active in Victim's Rights organizations and Criminal Justice reform groups.

Dona worked for Canada Post for ten years; and has also been active in her community, coaching girl's softball and sitting on the Surrey Girls Softball Board of Directors. Dona is an active member of the Surrey Mayor's Crime Task Force and she sits on the development committee for the SOS Children's Village BC.

[edit] 2005 Budget vote and bribery allegations

Dona's husband, Chuck Cadman, was originally elected as a Reform Party MP in the 1997 federal election. He later joined the Canadian Alliance, which was the successor to the Reform Party. In the 2000 election, Chuck was reelected to Parliament as a Canadian Alliance MP. However, Chuck subsequently failed to secure the Conservative Party nomination in the 2004 federal election (the Conservative Party was the merged successor to the former Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party). Undaunted, Chuck ran and was reelected to Parliament as an independent. In that election, the Liberal Party was elected with a minority government, and Chuck's unaligned vote would soon prove crucial to that government's survival.

On May 19, 2005, Chuck flew to Ottawa for a confidence vote on the Liberal government's 2005 budget, not long after undergoing chemotherapy treatment for malignant melanoma. Chuck voted with the government on the 2005 budget, which had incorporated amendments proposed by the NDP, and forced a tie in the House of Commons. The tie was broken by Peter Milliken the Speaker of the House of Commons, who voted in favour of the Liberal budget. The budget was later passed in Chuck's absence on June 23, 2005. Chuck Cadman died on July 9, 2005.

In an interview after the budget vote, Chuck Cadman said he voted in favour of the budget simply because he was obeying the wishes of constituents who did not want to face another election a year after giving the minority Liberals their shaky mandate. Dona Cadman alleges, however, that prior to the vote two Conservative Party officials offered her husband a million-dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his vote to bring down the Liberal government in May of 2005. ^[1] These allegations first became publicly known in early 2008 in connection with the scheduled March 15, 2008 publication of Like A Rock: The Chuck Cadman Story, by Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk.

If the elements of the story are true, the Conservatives' actions may amount to a criminal offence. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, it is illegal to bribe an MP. ^[2] An audio tape suggests then-opposition leader Stephen Harper was not only aware of a financial offer to Chuck Cadman but gave it his personal approval. ^[3]

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been asked to investigate, and confirmed late February 28, 2008 that it is examining a claim from the Liberal Party that the incident violates the Criminal Code's Section 119 provisions on bribery and corruption.^[3]^[4]

James Moore, Conservative MP for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam told a news conference June 4, 2008 that two top audio specialists found that the tape in which PM Stephen Harper confirms financial considerations had been offered to Chuck Cadman had been altered. But Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, the critic for intergovernmental affairs, said on June 5, 2008 that the Tories have not been clear about what they claim was doctored on the tape. He said the Tories have also forgotten a huge part of the allegations -- the testimony of Cadman's widow, Dona Cadman. In her affidavit, Dona Cadman "repeats very clearly her recollection of her husband's words to the effect that two Conservative operatives... offered him a million dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his vote," said LeBlanc.^[5]

It is unclear what effect Dona's allegations will have on her status as the nominated Conservative Party candidate in Surrey North.