PM VOWS SPEEDY ACTION IF RAIDS TIED TO PARTY

Prime Minister Paul Martin promised Tuesday to "act very rapidly" if a
police investigation into drugs and organized crime in B.C. uncovers links
to his government.

But Martin told reporters in Wolfville, N.S. that he would wait until the
investigation, which has reached all the way into the B.C. legislature, is
finished.

"When the investigation is complete, if there are any consequences flowing
from that, we will act very rapidly," Martin said.

Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton demanded that the prime minister take action
now, however. Key members of the federal Liberal party's B.C. executive
should step down while the police investigation is completed, he said.

Layton called a press conference in Ottawa to demand that Martin suspend
Bruce Clark, finance chairman for the B.C. federal Liberals and a key
fundraiser for Martin's leadership campaign, as well as Eric Bornman,
communications chairman for the provincial wing of the Liberals and a
co-ordinator of local organizers for the Martin campaign in B.C.

Offices of Clark and Bornman have been searched by police as a result of
the investigation connected to a police raid on the B.C. legislature Dec. 28.

"I'm asking Paul Martin to step in and make sure it happens, one way or
another," Layton said in an interview Tuesday from Ottawa.

"I'm calling for him to make arrangements so that those who have been
implicated in investigations by the police, who are officials of the
Liberal party, should step aside from the positions that they're occupying
in the Liberal Party of Canada throughout the investigation period."

No charges or allegations have been made against either Clark or Bornman.
But Layton said they should step aside and that perhaps even Mark Marissen,
who voluntarily allowed police access to documents in his home office,
should also step down.

Marissen was chairman for Martin's leadership campaign in B.C. and has been
asked to fill the same role in the upcoming federal election.

Marissen is married to B.C. Education Minister Christy Clark, sister of
Bruce Clark.

"It's a very common situation that when these sorts of investigations are
underway involving public officials that they step aside from their
circumstances during that process," Layton said.

"Frankly, I would have thought they would have thought of it themselves
already. The investigation then can take place, there will be no sense in
which they are acting as representatives of the Liberal Party of Canada
while the investigation is underway."

Neither Clark nor Marissen returned phone calls Tuesday. Bornman said he
hadn't been asked by the party to step aside and was still awaiting more
information before commenting in-depth on the case.

Meanwhile, Canadian Alliance caucus House leader John Reynolds said
Canadians need assurance that no drug money made its way into Martin's 2003
leadership campaign.

Martin told reporters he was still unsure about the nature of the police
investigation in B.C. "We have not been contacted by the police, so
essentially we don't know what they're looking for."

The prime minister confirmed police have asked for certain e-mails from
Marissen. But police have said Marissen has not been implicated in the
investigation "and was simply the recipient, perhaps, of some e-mails,"
Martin said.

Bill Cunningham, B.C. president of the federal Liberal party, said Martin's
approach to the situation is the right one.

"None of these people (Liberal executive) are suspects, none of them have
been charged with anything and, in fact, in Mr. Marissen's case, the RCMP
have gone out of their way to make that point clear," Cunningham said. "To
condemn someone for being helpful in a police investigation, I think, is a
little much ... We are not going to do anything based on a knee-jerk
reaction to some irresponsible speculation."

Layton said he wasn't concerned about the status of David Basi or Bob Virk,
the two ministerial assistants whose offices were searched in the
legislature and who have also been active in the federal Liberal party. The
federal NDP leader said he was surprised that the Liberals, both provincial
and federal, haven't attached more urgency to this issue.

Provincial NDP Leader Carole James agrees with Layton. James also continued
to criticize Premier Gordon Campbell for not cutting short his Maui
vacation. Campbell isn't expected to return to work until Monday and has
spoken just once to the media since the raid.

"This isn't something that just impacts the Liberal party," James said.
"This, in fact, impacts all British Columbians. People expect leadership
and I think that leadership is having the premier in the province, even if
he's not able to answer the questions."