Martin Cauchon joins gang-up on Liberal leadership front-runner Trudeau

OTTAWA – Liberal leadership hopeful Martin Cauchon has joined the gang-up on front-runner Justin Trudeau by dark horse contenders.

The former cabinet minister is calling on Trudeau to reimburse not-for-profit groups who paid him to make public speeches while he was an MP.

Cauchon says speaking to non-profit groups should be part of an MP’s regular duties and he attributes Trudeau’s “mistake” to a lack of experience.

Trudeau has disclosed that he’s earned $277,000 in public speaking fees since becoming an MP in 2008 — all cleared by parliamentary ethics watchdog Mary Dawson.

Trudeau ally Dominic LeBlanc says Cauchon has evidently decided the only way to get attention for his low-profile leadership campaign is to join “the band of negative warriors” attacking the front-runner.

Montreal MP Marc Garneau and former MP Martha Hall Findlay have both taken direct jabs at Trudeau over the last few weeks.