Associates taken aback by rapid fall from grace

OTTAWA— Discredited marquee CBC host Evan Solomon hunkered down inside his Ottawa home Wednesday refusing to answer the door or media questions.

Solomon, fired Tuesday for violating corporation polices by brokering art deals that earned him, in at least one case, commissions in excess of $300,000, did wave at a Star reporter from his kitchen and gave a thumbs up.

But the news of his side business, reported first by the Star, and his subsequent dismissal was the talk of Parliament Hill with some weighing in publicly and other more reticent to speak out.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau hesitated to comment but added he had not bought art from the Ottawabased host of Power & Politics.

“I am going to allow the CBC to weigh in on that. I don’t have any comments to make on that other than I’ve never bought any art from Evan Solomon,” he told reporters.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said it was “purely an internal matter for the CBC to deal with. I have no information about the details.”

Toronto MP Adam Vaughan, a former television reporter, was disappointed that someone he has known for years had not understood that brokering arts deal with people he interviewed would be seen as a conflict by CBC brass and the public.

“It is unfortunate that a mistake like this has had the impact it has had on him but the CBC has a reputation to protect and the profession has standards to uphold,” he said.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May said she thought “there are a lot more important issues for people in Canada to be thinking about.”

The news of Solomon’s firing broke in Ottawa just as a big party of politicos at a bar not far from Parliament Hill was getting underway.

The mood was shock, dismay and among many who knew and respected Solomon there was a sense of disappointment mixed with concern for the likeable broadcaster. With files from Tonda MacCharles and Les Whittington