Need help viewing / downloading a PDF? Click Here
November 7, 2005
View / Download complete poll in PDF
Gomery Fallout: Chretien Damaged, Martin’s Credibility with Business Weakened
A BDO Dunwoody/Chamber Weekly CEO/Business Leader Poll by COMPAS in the Financial Post
The main fallout from the Gomery Inquiry into the Sponsorship scandal has been heightened business repudiation of former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and weakened respect for incumbent Paul Martin, who until recently could count on high esteem from the business community.

Key findings about changes in business panel opinion since February, 2004:
  • Jump in proportion holding Chretien responsible—79% now holding him very responsible, essentially as high as Gagliano’s proportion (84%);
  • solidification of majority who believe the program had no purpose other than patronage (51% up from 45%);
  • jump in proportion who feel the Liberals deserve to be defeated (46% up from 29%) and a decline in proportion who feel that Martin was innocent and the Martin Liberals deserve power (7% down from 19%);
  • in bad news for former Finance Minister Martin, a jump in the proportion who are certain that a company CFO would know of misspending of that magnitude (71% up from 55%); and
  • a high performance score for the quality of the Gomery Report (79%) with low and declining scores for the Martin government’s commitments to fair contracting (53% down from 63%) and accountability (50% down from 60%).

These were the main findings from this past week’s web survey of CEOs and business leaders undertaken by COMPAS for The Financial Post on behalf of BDO Dunwoody LLP and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Category(ies)