Former Canadian PM testifies before sponsorship inquiry News
Former Canadian PM testifies before sponsorship inquiry

[JURIST] Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien [CBC News profile] testified Tuesday before a judicial commission of inquiry [Gomery Commission website] as part of an ongoing government investigation into a national unity program that resulted in $100 million in contracts being awarded to advertising firms with close ties to Chrétien's Liberal Party, with little return. No Canadian prime minister has testified before such an inquiry since Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, appeared before a commission in the midst of an 1873 railway scandal. Chrétien said Tuesday he "regrets" any mistakes that resulted from the program, which was launched to increase unity in the wake of an unsettling 1995 referendum on separation for Quebec. He defended the program, though, calling it necessary to forestall another referendum. On Thursday Chretien will be followed to the stand by current Prime Minister Paul Martin [official website], who launched the inquiry in February 2004. Martin was finance minister when the program was launched. CBC News has in-depth coverage of the Gomery inquiry. CTV News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.