Tories defend themselves against construction scandal

The top Quebec Conservative had dinner with the firm being paid $9 million to renovate Parliament Hill.

The RCMP is investigating a government contract awarded to Quebec construction firm LM Sauvé after revelations that the company paid a Conservative supporter named Gilles Varin $140,000 to help land the job. The opposition is now hammering Conservative MP Christian Paradis after he admitted he was the guest of honour at a lavish cocktail party organized by LM Sauvé in 2009, a year after the contract had been awarded to the company. Paradis was minister of public works at the time. Liberal and NDP MPs called on Stephen Harper to fire Paradis during a heated question period yesterday, but Harper said it's the company that is under investigation and that no government officials have acted improperly.