Former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano is vowing to fight allegations he has links to an infamous mafia family in the United States.

Gagliano told Canada AM's Beverly Thomson that the story that surfaced in Thursday's edition of the New York Daily News is a lie.

"I can tell you like I've been saying since yesterday to anybody that wants to hear my story, my very short story -- I'm not a member of any family, whether the Bonanno or any other family. I don't belong to the Mafia.

"I am an honest man and I've been working professionally and in public life with esteem and integrity. This really doesn't make sense."

The article alleges Gagliano met with Frank Lino, a former Mafia capo-turned-informer. Gagliano insists no such meeting took place.

"I totally reject any participation at any meeting. I don't know the people mentioned in the article, except by reading their names or hearing their names in newcasts.
Really, this is -- I have a hard time finding the right word to describe this total affair."

Thomson asked Gagliano whether he planed to sue the newspaper.

"Well, we're not there yet," Gagliano replied. "First of all, I would like to find the details. But definitely, if I have any legal recourse I will sue anybody that put this thing together. Really, it's a fabrication of facts."

The issue arose during the House of Commons daily question period on Thursday, when Opposition Leader Stephen Harper asked about the story.

"The report claims that in the 1990s, he was a made member of the Brooklyn-based Bonanno crime family," Harper said in comments protected by parliamentary privilege.

"My question is simple: since Mr. Gagliano was in cabinet and ambassador during this period, was the government aware of this information? When did it become aware of these allegations?"

In response, Prime Minister Paul Martin told the House the allegations were serious enough to warrant waiting for "the facts" before they're repeated or accepted.

"I have not seen the report and was not aware of the allegations until such time, until this morning, in fact," Martin said.

"But let me just simply say that these are very serious allegations and everyone should be very careful about accepting or, in fact, repeating such allegations."

Conservative Deputy Leader Peter MacKay picked up the line of questioning when he rose a few minutes later.

"My question to the prime minister: has the RCMP ever raised questions at any time about Mr. Gagliano's appointment to cabinet in 1994?"

Answering MacKay's question, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan reminded the House that government doesn't typically comment on the Mounties' work.

"If the honourable member is asking about RCMP operational matters, I think, as he is fully aware, we do not comment on the operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

When MacKay pressed the minister to outline the steps taken to ensure that Gagliano cleared an adequate security check before being admitted to cabinet, McLellan said: "As I have said, I have no intention of commenting on these allegations," she said, advising MacKay to direct such questions to the RCMP.

In an interview with CTV News, Montreal mob expert Antonio Nicaso said the FBI informant cited in The New York Daily News report -- former Mafia boss Frank Lino -- leaves a lot to be desired. While he may know a lot about the Brooklyn-based Bonanno crime family mentioned in the report, Nicaso says Lino is also an accomplished liar.

"We know he was a killer, a loan shark and an influential member of the Bonanno crime family, but we don't know if he's credible in his story about Gagliano."

What is known is that this isn't the first time Gagliano's name has been linked to such stories.

In the early 1990s, an RCMP probe of clients of Gagliano's Montreal accounting firm delayed his appointment to cabinet. Gagliano's name was cleared.

More recently, the former public works minister, has been one of the key figures in a scandal involving the federal sponsorship program he helmed under then-prime minister Jean Chretien.

When Martin took office, he dismantled the sponsorship program and recalled Gagliano from the diplomatic posting he had been given by Chretien.

In response, Gagliano filed a wrongful dismissal suit.