It would appear that one of the main factors affecting outcomes in this race is the Liberals inability to rid themselves of the odour of scandal. Respondents were asked what factors have contributed to the Conservatives moving ahead in the polls. ‘On-going accusations of scandal and corruption’ (among the Liberals) was cited most frequently as the reason for the Conservative rise in popularity ( 73 %). “As things now stand, this election is being lost by Paul Martin’s Liberals primarily because of their inability to shake public perception that they are corrupt,” said Dr. Adam Di Paula, Senior Vice President of NRG Research Group.
http://www.nrgresearchgroup.com/media/documents/NRG-election-2006-01-20.pdf (PDF Link!)
Note: http://www.nrgresearchg...

As for this story, as a BCer I would suggest that nothing has changed much since the last election so I am not sure what this noise is really all about other than Tory promotion.