OTTAWA — Alliance MP Rahim Jaffer fought back tears as he apologized Tuesday to his constituents, his colleagues and his parents for covering up for a staffer who impersonated him on a radio show.
Jaffer’s hands trembled as he read a statement in the Commons saying he was sorry for the antics of Matthew Johnston, his executive assistant, in an on-air interview with a Vancouver station.
“It was wrong for my assistant to appear on the radio claiming to be me and it was wrong for me to cover that up,” he said.
“I told the producer that it was actually me on the radio. I lied.”
Jaffer was demoted as head of the Alliance caucus small-business committee after the incident. Johnston resigned.
Jaffer apologized to Commons Speaker Peter Milliken for “not living up to the standards of this House.”
He apologized to fellow Alliance MPs “for not living up to their standards of integrity.”
“I apologize for embarrassing them,” he said, as Alliance Leader Stockwell Day looked on.
“I pledge my loyalty again to my leader and the whip, who’ve dealt with me firmly yet compassionately.”
On Tuesday, Day said he didn’t think the situation with Jaffer would have a lasting impact on the party.
