FELDSTED: Why are lobbyists given apparent open access to government, when members of the public and legitimate public groups can’t get a foot in the door?

Reading accounts of alleged attempts to interfere with criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s denials of ‘giving any orders’ to the Solicitor General, I could not help but recall Trudeau’s denials following news of his family holiday stay at the Aga Khan’s private island.

Trudeau saw no difficulty in accepting a free vacation from a lobbyist who received substantial funding from the government, claiming that family friendship trumped all ethical concerns.

The ethics commissioner disagreed.

Trudeau has little sense of ethical impropriety. He does business with others as if he has no governance obligations to remain neutral, or to be responsible to the public.

79 meetings with senior government officials and SNC-Lavalin on one issue?

Why are lobbyists given apparent open access to government, when members of the public and legitimate public groups can’t get a foot in the door? Why is this heavy-handed influence on governance decisions allowed?

Governance must be in the best interests of Canadians, not in the best interests of business, cartels, industry and the media.

Instead, our federal government is increasingly acting in place of Canadians rather than for Canadians.

Why are drug companies allowed to lobby Health Canada?  Why does Crown-Indigenous Relations not consult with Canadians who bear the expenses? We are part of the Crown-Indigenous equation. The government acts on our behalf, not in place of us.

Decisions taken without consultation or respect for the impact on our lives is unacceptable.

I don’t care what the government objective in imposing a new (carbon) tax on gasoline and heating fuel is, when that is done without respect for its impact on my meager pension income. It limits my activities and freedoms without justification. Thousands of others will be harder hit as they have to continue commuting to work or need a vehicle to earn a living. Farmers with huge investments in land and equipment can’t shut down their tractors and their increased costs will work their way up the chain (with added costs at each level) to higher costs at the supermarket.

The federal government is not empowered to make decisions on pipelines, without consulting with the people it serves.

Municipalities, provinces and self-proclaimed environmental groups can get their knickers in a knot, but they do not represent Canada or more than a tiny fraction of Canadians.

The notion that vociferous protest groups and lobbyist, have the ear of government, and can influence policy to the detriment of the majority, is an unacceptable repudiation of the oath our members of parliament swear when they take office. 

   

Sunny days, sunny ways have turned out to be irresponsible lunacy.

 

John Feldsted

Political Consultant & Strategist

Winnipeg, Manitoba

PLEASE NOTE ... you may wish to read the following story, “On SNC-Lavalin, Conservatives will pursue every course of action to make sure Justin Trudeau and his office are held to account”, which was posted to the blog late yesterday afternoon

CLICK HERE