Mr. Chrétien has claimed he sold his shares in the golf course in November 1993, and has released the bill of sale confirming that sale to Toronto hotelier Jonas Prince. However, the Prime Minister has acknowledged that, starting in 1996, his lawyer acted to collect the debt owed on the sale by helping Mr. Prince resell the shares, which he eventually did in 1999.
 

The Auberge Grand-Mère (Photo: CP)

Opposition MPs argued the Prime Minister effectively had a conflict of interest when he lobbied the federal Business Development Bank to provide a loan to the Auberge Grand-Mère, a hotel next to the golf course. The opposition insists Mr. Chrétien was in conflict because the prime minister would be more likely to collect his debt if Mr. Prince was able to resell the shares, and Mr. Prince would have trouble reselling them if the adjacent hotel was in financial difficulty.

Mr. Chrétien says he was merely working for his constituents when he lobbied the BDC for the Auberge. Ethics Commissioner Howard Wilson, who reports to the Prime Minister, says he was kept fully informed of Ms. Weinstein's activities and has concluded there was no conflict of interest.
-- Shawn McCarthy

Chronology of events

       November 2000         February 2001        March 2001    1999


Key departments, agencies, letters and documents

Opinion/Analysis

March 2001

It's not the whole story, experts say (March 28)

Chrétien claims vindication (March 28)

The paper: 86 handwritten words (March 27)

Move fails to satisfy opposition (March 27)

Ethics counsellor releases Chrétien documents (March 27)

Chrétien documents to be released Tuesday (March 27)
PM keeps key documents to himself (March 26)

Pressure builds on Chrétien (March 24)

Opposition grills PM on golf deal (March 16)

Had nothing to do with Asper essay, PM says (March 14)

February 2001
Chrétien slams persistent Clark (Feb. 21)

PM compares Clark to Joe McCarthy (Feb. 20)

RCMP won't investigate PM (Feb. 20)

PM's daughter linked to federal bank (Feb. 14)

Opposition wants ethics rules cleared by Parliament (Feb. 10)


Chrétien wants hotel questions dropped: Tories (Feb. 2)

November 2000

Inn got cash after 24 Sussex meeting (Nov. 26)

Accusers lost - or did they? (Nov. 22)

PM driven by patronage instincts? Or economic concerns? (Nov. 22)

Day says he won't let loan issue drop (Nov. 22)

Chrétien cleared, goes on attack (Nov. 21)

PCs: 'Come clean,' Clark tells PM (Nov. 20)

Ethics counsellor reconsidering hotel case (Nov. 20)

Chrétien fires back (Nov. 18)

Prosecutions rare under corruption clause (Nov. 18)

Day will demand criminal investigation of Chrétien (Nov. 18)

Day accuses Chrétien of breaking the law (Nov. 17)

Chrétien's call to banker 'horrendous,' Day charges (Nov. 16)

Top banker links job loss to loan in Chrétien's riding (Nov. 15) 

1999
Prime Minister cleared of conflict in granting funds to hotel in his riding (May 7)

Key departments, agencies and documents:
Letter from Prime Minister responding to Joe Clark (March 26)

What was written and said (Nov. 21)

The released documents, letters to and responses from the Office of the Ethics Counsellor 

• Business Development Bank of Canada
• Conflict of interest code

Opinion/Analysis:


A strange little scandal continues to hurt PM (March 24, 2001)

The name's Integrity, Jean Integrity (March 20, 2001)

Jean's excellent adventure (Nov. 18, 2000)

Down for the count? Not on your life (March 27, 2001)

Shawinigate can't be fixed by spin alone (Feb. 26, 2001)

There are bigger fish for Clark (Feb. 16, 2001)

A stretch to argue Chrétien role a crime (Nov. 20, 2000)