Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED: The only work that the PMO has done since February 7th is to make it clear that the PMO does not consider itself accountable to parliament or to the people our parliament represents


Former justice minister says solicitor-client privilege is not hers "to waive"
Kathleen Harris ~~ CBC News -~~ Feb 20, 2019

Jody Wilson-Raybould told the House of Commons today (February 20th) she wants to tell her side of the SNC-Lavalin scandal now consuming official Ottawa, but she can't "waive" solicitor-client privilege on her own.


Sadly, it makes no difference what Ms Wilson-Raybould has to say. I do not doubt her honesty or integrity. She is the only person in this affair to have the good sense to say nothing.


Our Prime Minister, on the other hand, has no idea how, or when, to shut up. Whoever in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) who decided that demoting Wilson-Raybould was a good strategic move precipitated this scandal.

Media reporters smelled a rat and went digging. Their sources unearthed rumours that the PMO and Wilson-Raybould were at odds over how SNC-Lavalin should be treated in criminal charges the firm faced. When the first hint appeared in the Globe and Mail, the PMO damage control unit went into overdrive to squelch the rumour.

Over the next couple of weeks, on thing became very clear. The Prime Minister and this government had no intention of being open and honest about its dealings with SNC-Lavalin. We have listened to a series of ever-changing and often bizarre comments.


Wilson-Raybould resigned from her ministry and cabinet without explanation. As our consternation grew and Liberal members of the Commons Justice Committee tried to limit investigation into the affair, Gerald Butts, the most senior member of the PMO resigned, claiming that he was distracting from ‘important work’ of the PMO.

The only work that the PMO has done since February 7th is to make it clear that the PMO does not consider itself accountable to parliament or to the people our parliament represents. That revelation indicates that we have allowed our Prime Minster to acquire far too much power to abuse.

The media is abuzz with speculation over the Butts resignation, but that is deliberate misdirection.

The pertinent questions are:

  1. why are unelected advisors to the Prime Minister given the power to manipulate our government as they see fit; and 
  2. why is the PMO standing between members of its Cabinet and legitimate questions from the floor of the House of Commons.


No democratic government can operate shrouded in secrecy and avoid accountability to the public.

John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GORDON F. D. WILSON: When The Trick Masquerades as The Treat

Thirty-seven years ago, Halloween 1987, I became the leader of the BC Liberal Party.   British Columbia was badly polarized. Social Credit held one side and the NDP the other. It had been twelve years, 1975, since Liberal MLAs Garde Gardom, Pat McGeer, and Alan Williams had walked away from their party to join Social Credit, one year after the lone Progressive Conservative MLA Hugh Curtis had abandoned his party to sit with Bill Bennett, the son and heir apparent to long-serving BC Premier, WAC Bennett.   An unwritten agreement by the biggest Canadian political shareholders, the federal Liberals and Conservatives, decided that if British Columbia was to remain a lucrative franchise from a revenue perspective, they couldn’t risk splitting the electoral vote and electing the real enemy, the NDP, so no resources would be used to finance either a Liberal or Conservative party provincially.   “There are two sides to every street,” I was told by a very prominent Canadian businessman who cont
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH: As a BC Conservative member, and campaign worker, I will again state that the fact these errors were found -- AND brought to light BY Elections BC -- shows the system IS working

Sadly, two and a half weeks after the BC provincial election campaign, those who want to undermine our political process are still at.  PLUS, we also have one who doesn’t even live in our country, never mind our province. I speak of the buffoon running for President of the United States, who has poisoned the well when it comes to faith in the electoral process. Just today alone, comments such as the following, were being made of posts that I shared online: ... all the votes they keep finding has just favoured NDP on in all critical ridings and soon they will flip another riding in favour of NDP, Come on. ... Elections BC has ridiculed British Columbians, and I no longer have confidence or trust in their process and competence regarding the results Then there are others online, with comments like these – who are claiming fraud in the October 19th election: ... Who is the oversight for Elections BC? They should be investigated for election fraud! ... Fraudulent election ... should be red
Post a Comment
Read more

“With the talent and dedication of this caucus we will hold David Eby to account for his government’s out of control spending and ongoing failures in healthcare, public safety and addictions" — John Rustad

Today, John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, proudly unveiled his shadow cabinet, a dynamic team of talented individuals ready to hold David Eby’s disastrous government accountable and present a strong alternative vision for British Columbia. “ Our shadow cabinet is a diverse and experienced group, committed to restoring prosperity, public safety, and affordability for every British Columbian ,” said Rustad. “ With experts in every field, we are focused on delivering real solutions for the challenges our province faces .” Rustad emphasized the historic appointment of Aaliya Warbus as House Leader. The shadow cabinet reflects the Conservative Party’s vision to build a brighter future for British Columbia. The appointments are as follows: Leadership Positions : Aaliya Warbus – House Leader Bruce Banman – Whip Sheldon Claire – Deputy Whip Portfolios : Tony Luck – Municipal Affairs and Local Government Sharon Hartwell – Rural Communities and Rural Development I
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more