Charles Guité
Encyclopedia
J. Charles Guité (born 1943 or 1944 in Dugas, Quebec, on the Gaspé peninsula
), raised in Campbellton, New Brunswick
, is a former Canadian
civil servant who was in charge of the federal sponsorship program
from 1996 to 1999.
On April 2, 2004, previously confidential testimony from a 2002 inquiry into suspicious Groupaction
contracts was made public. In it, Guité admits to having bent the rules in his handling of the advertising contracts but defends his actions as excusable given the circumstances, saying, "We were basically at war trying to save the country... When you're at war, you drop the book and the rules and you don't give your plan to the opposition."
He became head of federal government advertising in the 1980s, and left the public service in 1999.
On June 6, 2006, a jury in Montreal
found Guité guilty on all five counts of defrauding the Federal Government
. On June 19, he was sentenced to 42 months in jail. He appealed his conviction and sentence and both appeals were dismissed in 2008. Since he was granted bail pending appeal, his 42-month sentence did not begin to run until 2008.
On December 23, 2008 the National Parole Board authorized Guité's conditional release making him eligible for day parole on February 15, 2009 and full parole on September 16, 2009. Under Canadian law, first time non-violent offenders are allowed an accelerated review and a possible early release.
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
), raised in Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a Canadian city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.Forestry and tourism are major industries in the regional...
, is a former Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
civil servant who was in charge of the federal sponsorship program
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
from 1996 to 1999.
On April 2, 2004, previously confidential testimony from a 2002 inquiry into suspicious Groupaction
Groupaction
Groupaction Inc. is a Canadian advertising agency at the centre of the 2004 Canadian sponsorship scandal. It was incorporated in 1983 as Groupaction Marketing Inc. and received its first federal advertising contract in 1994 with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ....
contracts was made public. In it, Guité admits to having bent the rules in his handling of the advertising contracts but defends his actions as excusable given the circumstances, saying, "We were basically at war trying to save the country... When you're at war, you drop the book and the rules and you don't give your plan to the opposition."
He became head of federal government advertising in the 1980s, and left the public service in 1999.
On June 6, 2006, a jury in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
found Guité guilty on all five counts of defrauding the Federal Government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
. On June 19, he was sentenced to 42 months in jail. He appealed his conviction and sentence and both appeals were dismissed in 2008. Since he was granted bail pending appeal, his 42-month sentence did not begin to run until 2008.
On December 23, 2008 the National Parole Board authorized Guité's conditional release making him eligible for day parole on February 15, 2009 and full parole on September 16, 2009. Under Canadian law, first time non-violent offenders are allowed an accelerated review and a possible early release.