Posted by Ian Bron
News Summary and Comment:
In the news today, I lead again with the “revolt” that has taken place in the RCMP against the Commissioner, Bill Elliot. Elliot, a civilian appointee to the RCMP’s top spot, has been accused of being abusive and, between the lines, not very competent. His defenders are saying that it’s all office politics and that the RCMP doesn’t like a civilian as boss (but can you imagine a civilian as Chief of Defence Staff?).
A former senior bureaucrat is being hired to do a “workplace assessment”, which is a typical strategy used to defeat complaints in the federal public service. The assessor, past boss of CSIS, is sure to be discreet and support the status quo. The results are not likely to made fully public, and it’s also unlikely that the Conservatives will replace their own appointee. At least not right away.
For the record, nothing that I have heard about Elliot is good. Insiders at the RCMP and in Transport Canada (a former workplace for him) have made it clear to me that the complaints are well founded.
In other news, the group Rights and Democracy is back in the news. Some of you make recall that the organization was the focus of much attention after its former head died of a heart attack brought on by the stress of ruthless infighting. After his death, members of the staff also revolted. This prompted firings, and the board also hired private investigators to look into its employees. Not the actions of a good management team, clearly, or consistent with the organization’s mandate. It was also expensive, at $92,000 – the figure that came out this week. It’s offensive, given that the organization is funded by taxpayers. Personally, I think the organization should be shut down.
Finally, Wikileaks remains in the news as its release of U.S. military documents continues to stimulate debate.
The Media Update will be back next Monday, as I am off camping for the rest of the week.
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Investigation into RCMP Commissioner Following Complaints
Rights and Democracy Board Spent $92 K on Private Investigators
Wikileaks Release of U.S. Military Documents Stirs Debate
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Investigation into RCMP Commissioner Following Complaints
Ex-CSIS chief to probe Mountie mutiny
Globe and Mail, July 29, 2010
Summary: The Harper government is calling on a former top spy to probe the workplace atmosphere at the RCMP. Reid Morden, former head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, has been called in to look into complaints from senior Mounties over the leadership style of Commissioner William Elliott.
Next top cop needs to be RCMP-bred: Liberal senator
Ottawa Citizen, July 29, 2010
Summary: The federal government must replace embattled RCMP Commissioner William Elliott with an experienced RCMP officer and immediately set up a board of directors for the embattled force, Liberal Senator Colin Kenny said Thursday.
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Rights and Democracy Board Spent $92 K on Private Investigators
Droits et démocratie: 92 000$ pour des détectives privés
La Presse, July 29, 2010
Summary: Pendant deux mois, au moins 92 000$ de fonds publics ont servi à payer des détectives privés chargés d’enquêter à Droits et Démocratie. Cet organisme en pleine crise relève du ministère des Affaires étrangères, et la majorité des membres de son conseil d’administration est nommée par Ottawa.
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Wikileaks Release of U.S. Military Documents Stirs Debate
WikiLeaks founder brings sexy back to whistle-blowing
Globe and Mail, July 30, 2010
Summary: You may not believe this, but Julian Assange is strangely sexy in person. Not sexy in a silkily charming sort of way, but prickly evil-genius sexy. An openly neurotic geek with all the weird charisma of a Bond villain or a demented superhero, he’s an uber-nerd with the universe-altering credentials to match. (Column)
Thank God for the Whistle-Blowers
The Nation, July 28, 2010
Summary: What WikiLeaks did was brilliant journalism, and the bleating critics from the president on down are revealing just how low a regard they have for the truth. As with Richard Nixon’s rage against the publication of the Pentagon Papers, our leaders are troubled not by the prospect of these revelations endangering troops but rather of endangering their own political careers. It is our president who unnecessarily sacrifices the lives of our soldiers and not those in the press who let the public in on the folly of the mission itself.
