To the editor:
Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country Stephen Fuhr recently made a strong plea for transparency. (Stretching the Credibility of Balanced Budget Claim, April 29 Capital News)
Justin Trudeau`s bill The Transparency Act would have required accountability by all members of Parliament. Indeed, Liberal MPs and Senators have been posting online detailed, itemized expenses since October, 2013. The Conservative government defeated the bill on second reading. Shame on them.
Alas, local MP Ron Cannan, who had previously in April 2006 spoken so strongly about the necessity of real accountability, joined in with the conservative puppets and voted to defeat Trudeau`s Transparency Act.
But that`s the way the system works. You do what you are told to do by the leader. In this case the leader is an authoritarian ideological power bully intent on destroying the institutions on which Canada was built. He has politicized the public service, muzzled all the federal government scientists, dismantelled the Canadian Wheat Board, cut funding to the CBC to bring it to its knees and, internationally under his ideological vent, Canada is last in the ranking of 27 nations on the protection of the environment.
Canada is also the only nation to withdraw from the UN convention to fight drought.
And just look at his appointments. He enlisted disbarred lawyer Bruce Carson, who had previously been convicted of theft and fraud, to the PMO as chief policy analyst. He hired Arthur Porter, MD, to run the Intelligence Review Committee—a highly sensitive position, the watchdog over CSIS. Porter is now facing multiple charges of fraud, accepting a bribe and other criminal wrongdoing. He is currently in a Panamanian jail fighting an extradition order to return to Canada to face the charges.
Finally, on this note we have the appointment of Senators Brazeau, Duffy and Wallin, all facing criminal charges.
Need I say more? Yes.
Let`s not forget the $50 million spent in Tony Clement`s riding which Parliament approved after it was told that it was being used to control border congestion. Clement`s riding is nowhere near the border.
Back to the transparency bill. Are we going to continue putting up with the lack of transparency and accountability in this one-man government?
We can do better. We must do better.
Walley Lightbody, Kelowna
