The man hired by Stephen Harper to investigate federal spending in the 1990s now plans to run for the Bloc Quebecois.
The sovereigntist party announced its star recruit Daniel Paille at a Montreal hotel on Friday.
Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe said Paille would become an economic advisor in his office, while also seeking the nomination to run for the party in the next election. Paille hopes to become the MP for Hochelaga riding.
Outcry
When he was appointed in 2007 and given a $1 million budget to examine the polling practices of the former Liberal government, Harper's opponents screamed conflict of interest.
They complained he had granted Paille -- a former Parti Quebecois provincial minister who worked on the Yes side in the 1995 Quebec referendum -- unfettered access to the books of his federal opponents.
In the end, though, Paille's report was mild on the ex-Liberal government and actually slammed the Conservatives for getting carried away with public-opinion polling. He called the Tories' spending on polling "quite astounding."
No conflict: Duceppe
Duceppe pointed to that final report Friday as proof there was no conflict between Paille's work for the federal governnent and his party allegiance.
"There was no conflict of interest at all. In fact, (Paille) made a very good report and the Tories were not that happy when they looked at that report," Duceppe said.
"This is not Daniel Paille's problem, this is Stephen Harper's problem."
Paille has worked as an auditor, economist, and tax expert. He said his work for the federal government was apolitical.
"It was part of my professional life and that's it," Paille said.
"They never asked me about any political opinion. They hired me to do a job. I did it. That's it, that's all."
