After the controversy about whether Paul Martin’s closest advisors covertly offered a bribe to a pair of Conservative MPs in exchange for their support in the House of Commons, now come stories of another bribe by Martin’s team.

Buried (of course) in a story by the Globe and Mail’s Ottawa gossip columnist, Jane Taber, is the revelation of open chatter on the Hill about offers made to Carolyn Parrish. According to Taber’s column on May 28,

Lately, there have been persistent rumours that a Liberal colleague was attempting to set up a call between her and the Prime Minister just before the May 19 confidence vote. And there are even more whispers that Martin strategists are negotiating with her so that she will not run as an independent in the next election, fearing she will beat the Liberal candidate. In return, Ms. Parrish would be rewarded with a diplomatic post before the next election.

In the Grewal story, speculation is raging about whether Martin’s chief of staff, Tim Murphy, offered material inducements in the form of Senate seats or diplomatic postings in exchange for the Grewals’ parliamentary votes and their eventual defection. If so, the RCMP will be expected to consider criminal charges of corruption.

Remember, Parrish is not a member of the Liberal caucus. She was booted for being too open about hating Americans and now sits as an independent. That means, if the stories are true, Martin’s team again appears to have offered a material inducement to a non-Liberal MP in exchange for her support.

Since Parrish is not a sitting Liberal, the situation is identical to that of the Grewals. All we’re missing is the tape – but Taber’s sources suggest exactly the same thing.

If, as Ottawa’s chatterers apparently believe, there’s been an offer by Martin’s team of payment in the form of a tax-funded job in exchange for Parrish’s support, it’s time for another call to the RCMP.