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

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more