http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7331616Canada Immigration Minister Quits in Pizza Scandal
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Immigration Minister Judy Sgro, already embroiled in a scandal over favors given to a Romanian stripper, resigned on Friday after a pizza shop owner said she reneged on a promise to give him asylum in Canada in exchange for free pizza.
The affair is yet another headache for Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, who lost his parliamentary majority in a June 2004 election amid widespread anger over a sponsorship scandal in French-speaking Quebec.
"She met with the prime minister this morning and handed over her resignation," an official said. Sgro became the first minister to quit since Martin took power in December 2003. Sgro resigned after pizza shop owner Harjit Singh filed an affidavit which accused Sgro of offering to help him stay in Canada in return for pizza deliveries and assistance with her election campaign
Sgro resigned after pizza shop owner Harjit Singh filed an affidavit which accused Sgro of offering to help him stay in Canada in return for pizza deliveries and assistance with her election campaign. Parts of the sworn statement -- filed in Canada's federal court -- were quoted in the Toronto Star. The newspaper said Sgro planned to step down so she could clear her name and CBC television said she would fight the allegations.