TORONTO – A close friend of former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer said Wednesday he is "shocked and surprised" to learn the former chairman of the Conservative caucus and husband of MP Helena Guergis has been charged with drunk driving and possession of cocaine.
"I couldn’t believe this when I heard about it," said Patrick Glemaud, a family friend and former university classmate of Jaffer’s. "Rahim understands how devastating this will be when his family hears about it."
Ontario Provincial Police say Jaffer, 37, was pulled over early Friday morning after a grey Ford Escape was seen travelling northbound on Regional Road 50 at a high rate of speed through the village of Palgrave, about 65 kilometres northwest of Toronto.
"When the officer approached the car, she smelled the odour of alcohol and demanded a roadside screening test," said Caledon OPP Sgt. Mike Garant. "He was arrested and searched, and that’s when the alleged cocaine was found."
Jaffer was taken to the Caledon OPP office, where he provided two more breath samples, said Garant. After spending about four hours in police custody – part of which was spent in a jail cell while police processed his case -Jaffer was released.
OPP Insp. Dave Ross could not say Wednesday night whether anyone was in the car with Jaffer when he was arrested. Ross was unable to say how much cocaine Jaffer was allegedly carrying, or the readings on his breath test. It’s not known whether he received a speeding ticket.
"We take our commitment to road safety seriously," Ross said, "and we are always disheartened when we arrest someone for this offence."
Jaffer’s licence was suspended for 90 days and he will make his first appearance in criminal court in Orangeville, Ont., on Oct. 19.
Jaffer was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997 for the riding of Edmonton Strathcona as a member of the Reform Party. At 25, he was one of the youngest MPs on Parliament Hill and became known for his outgoing personality.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Jaffer chairman of the Conservative caucus shortly after the 2006 general election.
Jaffer lost his seat in the 2008 election after being defeated by New Democrat Linda Duncan.
He and Guergis married Oct. 15, 2008, the day after the last federal election.
Calls to Jaffer and Guergis’s office were not returned Wednesday night.
But in an e-mail to the Globe and Mail on Wednesday night, Guergis briefly addressed the charges. "I take this very seriously. I love my husband. I will wait for further information before I make any comment," she wrote.
Jaffer’s arrest Friday isn’t the first time the former MP has courted controversy. In 2001, Matthew Johnston, one of Jaffer’s aides, impersonated the then-Canadian Alliance MP on a national radio broadcast. Jaffer was suspended from caucus duties by the party and apologized to the House of Commons.
Since his defeat in the last election, Jaffer has been working in business development for Green Power Generation Corp., an Ottawa-based company that promotes and develops projects in the renewable energy field.
Glemaud, who is the CEO of Green Power Generation and has known Jaffer for 20 years, said he is confident his friend will be exonerated.
"At the end of the day, it will be proven that he is not guilty. But the damage has already been done," Glemaud said, adding that he spoke to Jaffer on Wednesday afternoon and described him as "doing well, but shocked."
"This is a young man who has had a good political career and has accomplished a lot of great things in my mind. I will stand by his side."
In the run-up to the last federal election, Jaffer’s campaign took out an advertisement on an Edmonton radio station that made reference to remarks NDP Leader Jack Layton made in 2003 about his appreciation of marijuana.
"Edmontonians understand how difficult it is to make sure our children make the right choices, especially on serious issues like drug use," the advertisement said.
"The Conservative party supports drug-free schools and getting tough on drug dealers who sell illegal drugs to children. Don’t let our schools go up in smoke."
With files from Karen Kleiss, the Edmonton Journal
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