YELLOWKNIFE, August 1, 2002 (LSN.ca) – At least part of the story of an alleged rape victim alleging blackmail by a Liberal Cabinet Minister has proved true. Last week an 18-year-old girl alleged that Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s adopted son sexually assaulted her. This resulted in the arrest and subsequent release and upcoming trial for Michel Chretien. Liberal Cabinet Minister Ethel Blondin-Andrew who was accused of blackmail by the mother of the 18-year-old has admitted she called the girl’s mother. The mother of the girl says she called the Prime Minister’s office before calling police to lay charges. She says she received a call back from Western Arctic Liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew. The mother quoted her recollections of the phone conversation to the media saying: “‘I just spoke to the Prime Minister,’ she said, and then she told me he is the Prime Minister, he has all the power and he will to fight this case for Michel. Then she told me that ‘a lot of dirty things are going to come up about your past and the media will be there.’”
While the Minister’s lawyer, Pat Santini, has confirmed that she called the woman on at least one occasion and discussed the allegation, Blondin-Andrew denies the blackmail.
Yesterday, Canadian Alliance Justice Critic Vic Toews called on Blondin-Andrew to explain her conduct with respect to the phone call. Toews called the phone call “highly inappropriate” and said that the Minister should immediately make a public statement in answer to the allegations. “A Cabinet Minister should never intervene in specific criminal cases,” stated Toews. “As a Minister, the perception of undue influence is very real and she needs to explain her conduct to Canadians. This issue is especially troublesome given that the criminal allegations are directed against a member of the Prime Minister’s family.” See the coverage from The Yellowknifer and CBC: https://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2002-07/jul26_02pmo.html https://cbc.ca/stories/2002/08/01/blondin-andrew020801