Preparatory Pruning

I've been asked by a veteran to re-post an earlier entry from this past March - "Beating 'em in the alley." It's about the significant number of senior officials who were let go by the Harper government over the last while. This is what the PM accomplished with a minority government, against the firm opposition of all the other parties. It was a preparatory pruning, a kind of preamble to what will happen should the Conservatives gain a majority on Monday. Think about it.Hockey legend Conn Smythe was by all accounts a fierce competitor. His most famous quote was characteristically blunt: “If you can’t beat them on the ice, you can’t beat them in the alley.” I wonder what he’d think about what’s going on in the House of Commons this month? The Harper government has opted to avoid the typical democratic battles normally played out in the Commons and has opted for a more brutal game plan that feels more comfortable in the alley than on the traditional playing surface.The Conservative plan to keep important information from the public by denying information to Parliament is now coming to a head in Ottawa. The PM’s penchant for bruising people up in venues that can’t be seen is rapidly bursting out into the open and is in danger of becoming the hallmark trait of his tenure. Consider the following list.Pat Stogran – Veteran’s Ombudsman – sacked for his criticism of poor treatment for veteransChief Marty Cheliak – Director General of the Canada Firearms Program – sacked after defending the gun registryMunir Sheikh – head of Stats Can – resigned after the feds ignored his battle to keep the long-form censusSteve Sullivan – Ombudsman for Victims of Crime – tenure not renewed by government in 2010Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax offices of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (which together receive 70% of all signed complaints) closedPeter Tinsley – chair of Military Police Complaints Commission – had his tenure ended over Afghan detainee controversyPaul Kennedy – Chair of RCMP Public Complaints Commission – contract not renewed because of his defense of independent oversight of government and its agenciesRobert Marleau – Information Commissioner –  eventually resigned because of government blockage of relevant documents regarding the public interestLuc Pomerleau – public employee and whistleblower – fired for leaking a government memo showing threat to Food Inspection AgencyDr. Arthur Carty – Canada’s National Science Adviser to the PM – dismissed after advocating for evidentiary science policyAdrian Measner – President of the Canadian Wheat Board – fired because he stood in the way of the Conservative corporate-friendly agriculture agendaJustice Dennis O’Connor – had his report on Mahar Arar largely censored to avoid public scrutinyAlan Leadbeater – Second in Command at the Canadian Information Commissioner’s Office – dismissed after he criticized Harper government for reneging on promises to strengthen Access to Information lawsJean-Pieree Kingsely – head of Elections Canada – resigns after his charge that Harper government likely broke the law with its handling of donations to its 2005 national convention is stonewalled by the fedsLinda Keen – President of Nuclear Safety Commission – fired after her agency orders the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor over public safety concerns.How do you feel about this list? There are plenty of other instances, such as the government treatment of Richard Colvin regarding Afghanistan and Remy Beauregard, former head of Rights and Democracy, but you get the picture. When the Conservatives talk about the “Decade of Darkness,” it is ironic that their own phrase has come back to haunt them. It’s a crime worthy of a Conservative “super prison.”The next few weeks will be pivotal for the very health of Parliament. The Speaker will soon rule on whether the CIDA minister is guilty of contempt of Parliament for misleading Parliament. He will also have to rule, likely this week, on contempt charges that the government is refusing to provide costing documents to the appropriate committee of the projected corporate profits from 2010 – 2015, and Conservative costs for parts of its crime agenda. The federal government has proclaimed it doesn’t have to cough up the documents, leading to the contempt request. How can Parliament possibly judge the validity of Conservative initiatives if the true costs aren’t revealed? And now with the court ruling defending Elections Canada charge regarding the “In and Out” scandal and the government’s improper use of funds in an earlier election campaign, a swirling storm of scandal could well erupt over the government’s penchant for secrecy at all costs.This is your government and they are not only denying the information you require to make your own assessments, they are also getting rid of those advocates who champion your cause at the highest levels. One or two of these firings, resignations, or failure to extend contracts might be somewhat normal, but the extended list above should inform you that the one institution meant to protect and defend your right to knowledge and protection – the Parliament of Canada – is being refused the oxygen it requires to function. As in QP, government members smile smugly, knowing that their polling numbers seem good. They’ve taken democracy to the back alley and beaten the usefulness out of it.