Tag: Access to Information

Media Update for August 30, 2010

Posted by Ian Bron

News Summary and Comment:

This week may mean back to school for kids and parents, but things in Ottawa and the provincial capitals remain mostly quiet – except for Quebec, that is.

All that’s happening in Ottawa is a brewing battle over access to the e-mails of political staffers. This little fight started with a revelation about a Tory staffer interfering in an Access to Information Act request for no good reason, which in turn further raised concerns about political interference in a process that is supposed to be independent. It isn’t, of course, and never will be until the function is entirely independent of departments and headed by an agency which doesn’t depend on the government of the day for its budget or executive appointments.

In Quebec, meanwhile, the revelations of former Justice Minister Marc Bellemare about a corrupt provincial judicial appointments process continue to heavy seas. I expect to see a lot more about this over the next few months. I also believe that it’s going to cost Jean Charest his government.

In Alberta, a new study has found toxic chemicals in river water near the oilsands. This contradicts the provincial government’s and oil companies’ line that the oilsands production is not very polluting. I follow this story because a physician and whistleblower, Dr. John O’Connor, alleged high cancer rates in the area and was put through the reprisal process. Now more evidence seems to be accumulating to suggest he was right.

Finally, there are two excellent pieces from the Montreal Gazette on the future of whistleblowing and the sad state of affairs for whistleblowers in Canada. FAIR’s David Hutton is quoted extensively.

See you Thursday.

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Fight Brewing over Access to E-mails of Political Staffers

Former Quebec Minister Gives Explosive Testimony on Judicial Appointments

On Wikileaks and Whistleblowing in Canada

Another Study Finds Toxic Chemicals near Oilsands

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Fight Brewing Over Access to E-mails of Political Staffers

Opposition undeterred by Tory refusal to hand over emails
Globe and Mail, August 29, 2010
Summary: The federal government’s refusal to give a Commons committee the e-mail records of a Conservative staff member has not deterred opposition members who say they will fight to get the documents into their hands.

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Former Quebec Minister Gives Explosive Testimony on Judicial Appointments

Le témoignage de Marc Bellemare mis à mal
La presse, August 30, 2010
Summary: Après quatre jours de pause, le procureur de la commission Bastarache, Giuseppe Battista, s’est affairé ce matin à relever les contradictions dans le témoignage dévastateur de Marc Bellemare. Il en a notamment relevé une, et de taille: alors qu’il affirme avoir reçu l’ordre dès le 2 septembre 2003 de nommer Marc Bisson juge à la Chambre criminelle de Longueuil, Marc Bellemare et son chef de cabinet oeuvraient toujours deux mois plus tard à la sélection des candidats.

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On Wikileaks and Whistleblowing in Canada

Who dares to speak…
The Gazette (Montreal), August 28, 2010
Summary: An in-depth article on whistleblowing in Canada and the uncertain and unpromising outlook for Canadian whistleblowers.

Wikileaks: Hitting ‘send’ to expose a dirty secret
The Gazette (Montreal), August 28, 2010
Summary: Faced with mounting secrecy and the failure of official channels of complaint, whistle-blowers seem to be turning increasingly to the Internet and websites pledged to expose government and corporate secrets, in the public interest.

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Another Study Finds Toxic Chemicals Near Oilsands

Oilsands increase toxic metals downstream: study
National Post, August 30, 2010
Summary: A study released on Monday shows that the oilsands industry increases the concentrations of dangerous metals, such as mercury, in locations downstream of development.

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Media Update for May 10, 2010

News Summary and Comment:

I start today with a great blog posting by a U.S. sister organization to Canadian for Accountability, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). It tells how the U.S. Inspector General for the Department of the Interior tried to warn Congress that the department wasn’t doing its job regulating the oil industry – or doing much of anything right, in fact. One memorable quote:

“I have watched a number of high-level Interior officials leave the Department under the cloud of OIG investigations into bad judgment and misconduct. Absent criminal charges, however, they are sent off in usual fashion, with a party paying tribute to their good service; wishing them well, to spend more time with their family or seek new opportunities in the private sector. This charade does not go unnoticed by the career public servants, many of whom have been witnesses in our investigations. What are these civil servants to think? If those at the top are not held accountable, why should those at lower levels not feel empowered to challenge the call for accountability?”

Take out “OIG” and you could be talking about Transport Canada… or any number of other government agencies at the federal and provincial levels in Canada, I’d wager.

Back in Ottawa, the Interim Information Commissioner is under fire in two stories. In one, she is criticized for defending the government’s right to withhold documents pertaining to Tommy Douglas – documents that are 25+ years old. In another, she is taken to task for failing to come down on Public Works and Government Services Canada, which lied to a requester seeking information about lead contamination at an old Canadian Forces rifle range. Some say she is moving cases faster – I would agree, from personal experience – but I don’t like her defence of Robert Marleau, her predecessor, or the fact that so many investigations let bureaucrats off the hook. In the “lapdog” or “watchdog” debate, I’m starting to tip to the lapdog side. Can’t be all carrots and no sticks, Ms. Legault.

See you Thursday.

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U.S. Inspector General Tried to Warn About Problems in Oil Industry Regulator

Federal Information Commissioner Criticized

Afghan Detainee Controversy

Supreme Court Declines to Offer Blanket Protection of Media Sources

Tory MP Shory to Stay on Despite Allegations of Fraud

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U.S. Inspector General Tried to Warn About Problems in Oil Industry Regulator

IG Warned Congress About Failures of MMS, Interior
Project on Government Oversight (blog), May 10, 2010
Summary: An excellent piece on the POGO blog that describes the U.S. Inspector General’s efforts to have problems at the Minerals Management Service – which is the oversight agency of the offshore oil industry down south – addressed.

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Federal Information Commissioner Criticized

Critics wonder if information commissioner more lapdog than watchdog
Calgary Herald, May 9, 2010
Summary: Those who have dealt with secrecy in the federal government aren’t surprised that federal lawyers would fight tooth-and-nail to prevent the disclosure of decades-old records requested under the Access to Information law. What has surprised is that the secrecy is being supported by the Office of the Information Commissioner, the independent watchdog of the access law.

Public Works slow to release lead reports
Ottawa Citizen, May
Summary: Public Works bureaucrats withheld records about lead contamination at the military’s Dwyer Hill training centre in the west end of Ottawa, at first claiming to the Citizen that such documents didn’t exist.

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Afghan Detainee Controversy

Afghan police beatings commonplace, military inquiry finds
Winnipeg Free Press, May 7, 2010
Summary: Afghan authorities routinely beat people “in the street and elsewhere” and most Canadian soldiers knew about it, a military board of inquiry has found. The results of a five-week investigation, released Friday, found troops in Kandahar had lingering concerns about the local police force.

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Supreme Court Declines to Offer Blanket Protection of Media Sources

Media can’t shield sources all the time, top court rules
Ottawa Citizen, May 8, 2010
Summary: By an 8-1 margin, the Supreme Court of Canada Supreme Court of Canada concluded that the press — in a world of tweeters and bloggers — is an ill-defined group and to grant wholesale constitutional immunity ‘would blow a giant hole in law enforcement.’ The legal battle was ignited in 2001, after reporter Andrew McIntosh of the National Post received a plain brown envelope from a source. Information in that envelope led to stories that would become known as the Shawinigate affair.

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Tory MP Shory to Stay on Despite Allegations of Fraud

Harper won’t boot besieged MP Shory from caucus, says case is not like Guergis’
Winnipeg Free Press, May 6, 2010
Summary: What kind of allegation or RCMP scrutiny will get a Conservative booted from caucus? According to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, allegations of a civil or “private” nature don’t cross the line, and that’s why Alberta MP Devinder Shory is still sitting with his Tory colleagues. Shory is one of dozens of people named in a Calgary lawsuit alleging a $70-million mortgage fraud — one of the largest in Canadian history — against the Bank of Montreal.

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Media Update for May 3, 2010

News Summary and Comment:

The accountability news is thin today as negotiations for the release of Afghan detainee documents continues and no big new stories have hit the airwaves. One story of interest: apparently, the government slipped a clause into its 2007 omnibus budget which gave it the power to borrow money without asking Parliament. Now, if you know anything about Parliamentary democracy, you know that’s a huge, huge part of the raison d’être of the House of Commons. I mean, Parliament’s control of finance is something won hundreds of years ago in the English Civil War. It just goes to show what a sleepy bunch of dimwits run this country. Do they not read the bills that cross their desks? Is this not what we pay them to do?

In other news, a journalists’ advocacy group gave the federal government federal government a failing grade on openness, due mainly to the handling of the detainee documents. The Information Commissioner also chimed in, albeit more diplomatically, by observing that the government has a long way to go if it wants to match President Obama’s “Open Government Initiative”. What an understatement that is: Obama gave an executive order shortly after assuming office, instructing department heads to make more information available on the internet in usable formats, as well as to improve the public’s access to government information in general. Can anyone imaging such an order coming in Canadian government? Anybody? Anyone?

In B.C., former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed was cleared of election wrongdoing involving some fraudulent Chinese-language pamphlets. Two of his campaign workers were charged, however. I’m not sure I can buy the story that they did it without his knowledge, though. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, isn’t he still responsible, as the boss? And how could he expect to go back as solicitor general after that? I’d argue he’s lost his moral authority.

Finally, it appears that BP has been playing fast and loose with safety for years now. A whistleblower revealed that the Deepwater Horizon rig was just one among a number of others not following safety rules properly. And, of course, one has to wonder where the regulator was in all this. Oh, wait. They’re in bed with BP. And if you think it’s any different here in Canada, you’re hopelessly naïve.

See you Thursday.

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Parliament Gave Up Oversight of Government Borrowing in 2007, Wants it Back

Federal Government Given a Failing Grade on Information Access

Former B.C. Solicitor General Cleared of Election Wrongdoing

Whistleblower Warned of Potential BP Disaster

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Parliament Gave Up Oversight of Government Borrowing in 2007, Wants it Back

Parliament gave away oversight of borrowing by mistake: Senators
Calgary Herald, May 3, 2010
Summary: Parliament unwittingly gave away its right to oversee billions of dollars in government borrowing, say a handful of senator who are fighting to undo a change they say was slipped by them. The legislative change for Parliament to surrender its borrowing authority passed unnoticed by MPs and Senators in the massive 2007 budget bill.

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Federal Government Given a Failing Grade on Information Access

Harper gov’t gets an F on access, overall free expression grade in Canada mixed
Winnipeg Free Press, May 2, 2010
Summary: The epic battle surrounding the release of uncensored Afghanistan detainee documents is the latest example of why the Harper government deserves an F when it comes to access to information, says a new report. While Canada traditionally ranks among the top 20 countries in the world on free expression rights, when it comes to access to information and the federal government “the only assessment can be a failing grade,” states the report from the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.

Harper slow to implement open-gov’t plan: Information Commissioner
Ottawa Citizen, April 29, 2010
Summary: The federal information commissioner says it will require leadership from Prime Minister Stephen Harper if Canada is to follow the “open government” approach to electronic records championed by U.S. President Barack Obama.

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Former B.C. Solicitor General Cleared of Election Wrongdoing

Former B.C. solicitor general’s campaign manager, two others facing charges
Winnipeg Free Press, May 3, 2010
Summary: Former solicitor general Kash Heed took a giant step towards returning to the B.C. cabinet Monday after being cleared of wrongdoing in an investigation that resulted in numerous Criminal Code charges and Election Act violations against three of his former campaign workers.

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Whistleblower Warned of Potential BP Disaster

Whistleblower: BP Risks More Massive Catastrophes in Gulf
Truthout, April 30, 2010
Summary: A former contractor who worked for British Petroleum (BP) claims the oil conglomerate broke federal laws and violated its own internal procedures by failing to maintain crucial safety and engineering documents related to one of the firms other deepwater production projects in the Gulf of Mexico, according to internal emails and other documents obtained by Truthout.

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Media Update for April 15, 2010

News Summary and Comment:

There are a lot of accountability stories today. The most sensational might be the Helena Guergis story, and the most durable the Afghan detainee issue. But I think that the allegations against Quebec Premier Jean Charest are the most important.

This week, a former Liberal Minister of Justice turned whistleblower, Marc Bellemare, told the media that the Quebec Liberal Party took donations in cash to get around election finance laws and allowed leading party fundraisers to put forward names for judicial appointments – and that Charest knew about it. This is huge news.

Of course Charest denies knowing anything, and has threatened to sue Bellemare. He has also launched a judicial inquiry into the allegations. But it’s hard to imagine that Bellemare would gain anything by making the allegations, and the construction industry in Quebec is at the centre of other accusations of corruption. It’s worth noting, too, that Charest refused to call an inquiry into that mess. Still, nothing has been proven, and one might ask why Bellemare didn’t do something about it when he was in office. Ultimately, I think little will stick to Charest.

In Ottawa, the Information Commissioner of Canada roundly criticized the government in her latest report on information access in the federal government. In short, she says that people are being denied their right to access government documents. I’m sure a lot of senior bureaucrats are pumping their fists in victory about this.

Meanwhile, Joanna Gualtieri’s case continues to get attention. I am pleased an surprised that people drew the right conclusion – that whistleblower protection is worse than it ever was.

Also in Ottawa, new documents show that the federal government knew about the abuse of workers in Indonesia well before these were recently exposed by whistleblower Virgil Grandfield. These workers were hired by the Canadian Red Cross, using much public money. But once they arrived to do work, problems arose: many workers were not paid and some were children. The Red Cross denies the problem was widespread, and the government is keeping its mouth shut. There’s leadership and integrity for you.

Have a great weekend.

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Jean Charest Implicated in Judge Selection Scandal

Federal Access to Information Regime Criticized

More Comment on Gualtieri Case and Ineffectiveness of Whistleblower Protection

Documents Show Government Knew of Problems in Red Cross Tsunami Projects

Details and Speculation Abound Regarding Former Minister Guergis

More Testimony in Afghan Detainee Inquiry

Former AG Calls for Audit of MP Expenses

Transport Canada Criticized for Poor Aviation Safety Oversight

Board of Rights and Democracy Agency Faces New Allegations

Alberta Auditor General Calls for Less Government Spending Secrecy

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Jean Charest Implicated in Judge Selection Scandal

Charest knew party was dodging fundraising laws, former minister says
Globe and Mail, April 12, 2010
Summary: Quebec’s governing Liberal Party took donations in cash to get around election finance laws and allowed leading party fundraisers to put forward names for judicial appointments, according to explosive allegations made Monday by a former Liberal justice minister.

Charest names Michel Bastarache to preside over judge inquiry
The Gazette (Montreal), April 14, 2010
Summary: Premier Jean Charest said Wednesday he will testify at a public inquiry he has ordered to look into allegations of influence peddling in the naming of Quebec Court judges.

Charest to sue over judge selection claims
CBC News, April 15, 2010
Summary: Quebec Premier Jean Charest is suing former justice minister Marc Bellemare over his claims that Charest was aware that Liberal Party donors were influencing the selection of judges in the province.

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Federal Access to Information Regime Criticized

PM’s chief of staff, top staffers called to testify on alleged political interference into Access Act
The Hill Times (Ottawa), April 12, 2010
Summary: Key Conservative staffers, including the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, will be called to testify before the House Ethics Committee, following a wave of media reports alleging political interference into the Access to Information Act process. (Note: this article is available by subscription only)

Access denied: Federal delays stymie information requesters, watchdog says
The Telegram (St.John’s), April 13, 2010
Summary: Federal delays in answering queries from the public are getting worse and threaten to scuttle the right to know, says Canada’s information watchdog. Interim information commissioner Suzanne Legault urged government agencies to take “immediate steps” to curb the persistent foot-dragging she detailed Tuesday in a special report to Parliament.

Tories get low grades on openness
The Star (Toronto), April 13, 2010
Summary: The Prime Minister’s Office has declared this week that freedom of information is “the oxygen of democracy.” Canada’s information commissioner, however, finds that the capital is somewhat oxygen-deprived under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government.

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More Comment on Gualtieri Case and Ineffectiveness of Whistleblower Protection

Whistleblower rules prove completely useless
Barrie Examiner, April 12, 2010
Summary: It’s the kind of story that leads taxpayers to believe there’s no hope. Joanna Gaultieri tried to blow the whistle on billions of dollars of excessive luxury living at Canadian diplomatic outposts around the globe. You’d think she’d be on the career path to the top in no time. But, instead, her superiors in the department of Foreign Affairs worked long and hard to bury her and protect their fat-cat lifestyle.

Gualtieri’s fight strikes a nerve
Owen Sound Sun Times, April 14, 2010
Summary: Our story of Joanna Gualtieri’s valiant battle to expose government squander, and the resulting 12 years of federal lawyers trying to crush her, triggered a firestorm of outrage among readers across the country. Most found it hard to believe the government of a country not officially a banana republic would be allowed to drag a public service whistleblower through hell for doing the job Canadians expect.

Experts see link between Gualtieri, Colvin cases
Embassy (Ottawa), April 14, 2010
Summary: Experts and a former whistleblower are drawing a link between the heavy criticism the government received over its treatment of diplomat Richard Colvin and its recent decision to end a tumultuous 12-year legal battle with a former Foreign Affairs employee.

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Documents Show Government Knew of Problems in Red Cross Tsunami Projects

Feds knew about underage workers in Canada-sponsored projects: Documents
Canada.com, April 13, 2010
Summary: The Harper government was told last year about underage workers at a controversial post-tsunami reconstruction project in Indonesia that was sponsored by taxpayers and the Canadian Red Cross from 2006 to 2009, according to an internal federal document obtained by Canwest News Service.

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Details and Speculation Abound Regarding Former Minister Guergis

Ethics Commissioner refuses to investigate Helena Guergis
Globe and Mail, April 13, 2010
Summary: The federal Ethics Commissioner has declined to investigate Helena Guergis, who was removed from cabinet and expelled from the Conservative caucus after allegations against her had been received by the Prime Minister.

New details emerge of Guergis, Jaffer affair
Ottawa Citizen, April 14, 2010
Summary: As new information leaked out surrounding the scandal that forced her out of the Conservative caucus, Helena Guergis is rejecting allegations, made by the Liberals in the House of Commons, that her husband, former MP Rahim Jaffer, used her government car and chauffeur and was allowed to use her parliamentary office to conduct his private business.

Harper, Guergis on different pages over ejection
Ottawa Citizen, April 14, 2010
Summary: Helena Guergis has no idea what she may have done that prompted Prime Minister Stephen Harper to kick her out of cabinet, suspend her from the Conservative caucus and call in the police, her lawyer said Wednesday.

Guergis denies private investigator’s ‘bizarre’ cocaine allegations
Globe and Mail, April 15, 2010
Summary: Helena Guergis’s lawyer is denying the “bizarre” allegations that were forwarded to Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week and led to her resignation as minister of state for the status of women.

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More Testimony in Afghan Detainee Inquiry

Ottawa blocked efforts to monitor detainees’ treatment, diplomat testifies
Globe and Mail, April 13, 2010
Summary: When diplomat Richard Colvin warned a March, 2007, gathering of Canadian officials to stop handing prisoners to Afghanistan’s notorious intelligence service, a government note-taker laid down her pen and stopped recording the meeting, the foreign service officer says.

Canadians ‘subcontracted torture’ in Afghanistan: testimony
National Post, April 14, 2010
Summary: The Canadian military “subcontracted torture” to the Afghan security service and shot an unarmed 17-year-old man in the back of the head, alleges an Afghan-Canadian who worked as an interpreter for the Canadian armed forces in Afghanistan.

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Former AG Calls for Audit of MP Expenses

Let AG Fraser audit Parliament: former auditor general Dye
The Hill Times (Ottawa), April 12, 2010
Summary: Former auditor general Ken Dye says Canada’s Auditor General Sheila Fraser should be allowed to audit MPs’ expenses and she should also take over from the private firm that audits Parliament’s annual financial statements.

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Transport Canada Criticized for Poor Aviation Safety Oversight

Canada slow to act on aviation weaknesses, hearing told
Vancouver Sun, April 13, 2010
Summary: The federal government moves far too slowly to close serious safety gaps in Canada’s aviation system, the head of the independent body charged with investigating crashes warned Tuesday.

‘Blind eye’ turned to airline safety, pilot union tells MPs
Ottawa Citizen, April 15, 2010
Summary: Transport Canada has turned a “blind eye” to safety concerns at airlines by bungling the rollout of its new aviation oversight system, the head of the government’s pilot union told parliamentarians Thursday.

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Board of Rights and Democracy Agency Faces New Allegations

New allegations rock troubled rights agency, widow demands inquiry
Winnipeg Free Press, April 13, 2010
Summary: The sad downward spiral of an internationally respected Canadian rights agency continued Tuesday as new allegations of financial irregularities surfaced concerning the board of directors.

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Alberta Auditor General Calls for Less Government Spending Secrecy

Alberta Auditor General’s report calls for less government spending secrecy
Calgary Herald, April 14, 2010
Summary: Alberta’s auditor general released a semi-annual report Wednesday that highlighted myriad problems in provincial government departments and agencies, including poor accounting of corporate credit card use, shoddy compliance of occupational health and safety orders and need to better document value from controversial public-private partnerships.

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Media Update for April 12, 2010

News Summary and Comment:

I had been avoiding the stories about Helena Guergis until now, as I had felt that it was a story more about political hijinks and ineptitude than one of accountability. Boy, was I wrong. One minute, she’s a trusted junior Minister, the next she’s resigning and under investigation for what looks like influence peddling – based on the reports I’ve read.

To give the Prime Minister credit, every party and government has its black sheep, and he has acted firmly. But, on the other hand, he kept her in place despite the fact that her actions have reflected badly on the government for a while now. I have to say that this is an example of the hazards of trying to hide mismanagement and corruption – sooner or later, the truth will out. When it does, the story becomes the cover-up, not the initial issue. And that is toxic, because it turns individual misconduct into group misconduct.

But Ottawa isn’t the only place senior politicians are in hot water. B.C.’s Solicitor General, Kash Heed, has been forced to resign due to allegations that his campaign office violated advertising and finance rules. I liked Heed because of his hard line dealing with the RCMP after the killing of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver Airport (he threatened to start an independent provincial police force if they didn’t deal with the problem firmly and promptly). But we’ll have to see how this turns out.

In P.E.I., the government rejected a whistleblower protection law proposed by the opposition and championed by our sister organization, FAIR. Aside from my concern that no whistleblower law can be truly effective (especially without reward systems, as in the U.S. False Claims Act), the government’s arguments appear to me to be jejune and disingenuous. Frankly, the only reasons I can see that anyone would reject whistleblower protection so flatly is that they are a) a control freak and/or b) trying to hide something.

There’s also an interesting little story about the CBC. Sylvain Lafrance, a senior executive, was nailed by an Access to Information Act request, which showed that he had billed thousands for hour-long meetings and failed to disclose almost $2600 on the CBC’s “proactive disclosure” web page. One would think that an executive at the CBC might have heard of video conferencing, but I guess it isn’t as fun or profitable. The CBC has been fighting tooth and nail to keep these kinds of record from public eyes for over a year now – and, seeing this, is it any wonder? I can hardly wait to see what else gets dug up.

See you Thursday.

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Federal Minister Helena Guergis Quits Cabinet; Under Investigation

B.C. Solicitor General Quits Following Election Financing Allegations

P.E.I. Government Rejects Whistleblower Protection

CBC Executive Expenses

More Testimony on Afghan Detainee Controversy

Improving Access to Information

Financial Regulation in Canada

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Federal Minister Helena Guergis Quits Cabinet; Under Investigation

Guergis calls allegations ‘baseless, unfounded’ as PM drops axe
Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 2010
Summary: Prime Minister Stephen Harper called in the RCMP Friday on one of his own cabinet ministers, Helena Guergis, kicking her out of cabinet and the Conservative caucus. Guergis said she’s the victim of “baseless allegations and unfounded assertions.”

Helena Guergis claims shoes, clothing, jogging outfits as campaign expenses
Calgary Herald, April 9, 2010
Summary: Embattled Status of Women Minister Helena Guergis submitted receipts for shoes, clothing and jogging gear to back up claims for personal campaign expenses from the 2008 election.

Opposition: make Guergis’ criminal allegations public
CNews, April 11, 2010
Summary: This week promises to be a tumultuous one on Parliament Hill with the opposition parties poised to strike out at the government over secret but “serious” allegations that got former Minister Helena Guergis booted from cabinet and the party Friday.

Guergis dined with financier at centre of Jaffer affair
Globe and Mail, April 12, 2010
Summary: Nazim Gillani, the Toronto investment financier who boasted that ex-MP Rahim Jaffer had opened the Prime Minister’s Office to his business, also dined last fall with then-minister Helena Guergis, a spokesman for Mr. Gillani says.

PM bounced Guergis after allegations emerged from ‘third party’
Calgary Herald, April 12, 2010
Summary: Prime Minister Stephen Harper was prompted to dump Helena Guergis from cabinet, kick her out of caucus and call in the police after a “third party” came forward with allegations about her Thursday night.

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B.C. Solicitor General Quits Following Election Financing Allegations

Election financing allegations force B.C.’s top cop to quit cabinet
Winnipeg Free Press, April 6, 2010
Summary: British Columbia’s top cop has found himself on the other side of the criminal justice system, facing an RCMP investigation that has forced him to resign from his post as solicitor general. Kash Heed, a former police chief and star Liberal candidate in the May 2009 vote, announced his resignation Friday, citing allegations that his campaign office violated advertising and finance rules in the Elections Act.

Kash Heed denies knowledge of controversial election pamphlet
Globe and Mail, April 12, 2010
Summary: Former B.C. solicitor-general Kash Heed says he didn’t know about a controversial election pamphlet at the centre of an RCMP investigation that has forced him to step down from his cabinet post.

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P.E.I. Government Rejects Whistleblower Protection

Government votes down proposed whistleblower law
Charlottetown Guardian, April 9, 2010
Summary: Opposition Leader Olive Crane spent hours Thursday trying to convince government to pass her proposed whistleblower law, but the premier and other ministers dismissed it is a ‘flawed document’ and voted it down.

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CBC Executive Expenses

Taxpayers pony up for CBC exec’s wine, trips
CNews, April 11, 2010
Summary: Taxpayers footed the bill for bottles of wine over lingering lunches and business-class trips to Paris by a top CBC executive, documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show.

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More Testimony on Afghan Detainee Controversy

Troops knew of Afghan abuse, inquiry told
Globe and Mail, April 8, 2010
Summary: A former military policeman who guarded Afghan detainees in Kandahar said Canadian soldiers accepted that Afghanistan’s jailers had sometimes abused prisoners in their care.

Canadian Forces chief investigator unaware of detainee ruling
Globe and Mail, April 12, 2010
Summary: The Canadian military’s top investigator says he was unaware of a Federal Court ruling that found there were “real and serious concerns” about the protection of Afghan detainees transferred to possible torture.

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Improving Access to Information

Fixing the access to information system in government
eaves.ca, April 8, 2010
Summary: ATIP is broken, but there are ways to make it much, much better using technology. (Blog post)

PS must embrace Web 2.0 tools: report
Ottawa Citizen, April 11, 2010
Summary: Canada’s top bureaucrat wants to retool the federal workplace and change how public servants work, where they work and even what they do. Privy Council Clerk Wayne Wouters sketched his plan for public servants facing “extraordinary times” in his first report to Prime Minister Stephen Harper since he took over the top job last summer from Kevin Lynch. It was Lynch who kicked off “public service renewal” initiative and made it a priority.

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Financial Regulation in Canada

Olive: We need better, not more, regulators
The Star (Toronto), April 11, 2010
Summary: For at least a decade, a community of well-meaning business executives and public-policy experts in Canada have been promoting an SEC for Canada. Their argument’s most compelling point, at least in their view, is that alone among major industrial nations Canada does not have a national securities watchdog. Yet no one has shown that a new national regulator would have been any more effective than the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) – the leader among the 13 provincial agencies.

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by Ian Bron on April 12, 2010
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Media Update for March 29, 2010

News Summary and Comment:

Today I lead with a story broken by Canadians for Accountability. It seems that some of our board members spotted some suspicious sole source contracts involving the Public Service Commission of Canada. An Access to Information Act request was made, which yielded documents demonstrating that not only were these contracts very juicy ($21,000 for the first year, but extensible for three more years) but also that contractors had been consulted in preparing the specs for the Advance Contract Award Notices used to hire them. This, of course, made it impossible for them to lose. The PSC is arguing that this is normal, but we’re not buying it. And even if it were, it would still be unethical.

In another key bit of news, the Manitoba Hydro whistleblower has been denied intervenor status in the Public Utilities Board hearing in September. The whistleblower was hired by Manitoba Hydro in 2004 to help them with risk management. At the time, they were hemorrhaging cash and were using risk management decision management software from the 1980s.

During her work, she determined that mismanagement had caused the unnecessary loss of about a half billion dollars. These losses, of course, were being passed on to Manitobans by way of rate increases. In addition, she determined that there was a serious risk of blackouts in the province.

When she reported this, the CEO fired her 24 hours after notifying him. Nothing happened at first – until the media got hold of it in late 2008. This caused a furor and sent the government into defensive mode. Well it should, too: Premier Selinger had been the minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro a few years earlier.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for things to get nasty. Manitoba Hydro has been using the usual tricks played on whistleblowers: a bogus and flawed investigation into her findings, smears on her character in a gratuitous, over-the-top and disingenuous (if not outright dishonest) affidavit posted on the Internet, and violations of publication bans that seem to me to be intended to hurt her reputation and future contract opportunities. And, since they can’t use the old disloyalty chestnut, they’re using another oldie-but-goodie: it wasn’t her role to do risk management, they are saying. Not only is that irrelevant, it’s ludicrous when one considers what she was hired for.

To make matters worse, it seems that oversight agencies are joining in. First off, the Manitoba Ombudsman has failed to act on the violation of the publication ban and seems to have no interest in investigating what look like violations of the Manitoba Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. They also refuse to indemnify her for her legal expenses, making this a real David and Goliath battle.

And now the Public Utilities Board, which is holding rate hearings in September, has not only refused to grant the whistleblower intervenor status, it is insisting that she redact a 400 100 page report in less than three weeks – after Manitoba Hydro was given unlimited time to file its reports, make presentations to defend their position. Hydro has missed deadline after deadline, but the whistleblower, who isn’t even under contract, is supposed to file all her findings in one week. This is apparently an attempt to make it impossible for her to debunk the position being put forward by Manitoba Hydro management.

Ever wonder why there are so few Canadian whistleblowers? Well, this is why. If I were a Manitoban, I’d be pretty angry.

Just one more thing worthy of comment today – I’ve put together a list of articles that have been printed on Chander Grover’s case in the South Asia Mail. It’s worth you while to see how far a government agency will go to win, even when it’s wrong, and even when ordered to make restitution.

See you Thursday.

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Canadians for Accountability Reports Suspicious Contracts to Treasury Board

Manitoba Hydro Whistleblower Denied Status at Key Inquiry

Federal Ministerial Staffers Interfering with Information Requests Again

New Afghan Detainee Documents Cause More Controversy

Protest Held Outside Rights and Democracy

N.S. MLA Expenses Scandal Claims another Politician

Transport Canada Accused of Hiding Documents Related to Port Stanley

A Four-part Series on the Racial Discrimination of Dr. Grover by the NRC

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Canadians for Accountability Reports Suspicious Contracts to Treasury Board

Federal agency accused of sole-sourcing contracts
CTV News, March 28, 2010
Summary: A federal agency that’s supposed to ensure government hiring is fair and transparent is being accused of cooking four employment contracts. The Public Service Commission of Canada issued four sole-source contracts last fall after allowing the favoured candidates to vet their own job descriptions beforehand, says a public watchdog group. And that amounts to stacking the deck so that any other potential candidates don’t stand a chance, charges Canadians for Accountability.

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Manitoba Hydro Whistleblower Denied Status at Key Inquiry

Whistleblower denied status at PUB hearing
Winnipeg Free Press, March 14, 2010
Summary: A New York consultant who blew the whistle on possible financial risks facing Manitoba Hydro won’t be at the table when the Public Utilities Board (PUB) starts its mega hearing into power rates later this year. The regulator ruled Friday that the whistleblower — whose identity cannot be revealed because of a court order — will not be given intervener status at the hearing, as she requested earlier this month.

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Federal Ministerial Staffers Interfering with Requests for Information Again

Tory aide tried to suppress $5-million Olympic ad bill
Globe and Mail, March 29, 2010
Summary: A senior Conservative official repeatedly intervened last month to try and suppress the revelation that Ottawa spent $5-million on a TV advertising blitz surrounding the Vancouver Olympics, new records show.

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New Afghan Detainee Documents Cause More Controversy

Afghans routinely executed detainees: soldier
CBC News, March 26, 2010
Summary: A Canadian soldier has alleged that Afghan authorities routinely executed detainees his unit handed over to them, newly released documents show.

Détenus afghans: de nouvelles allégations inquiétantes, selon l’opposition
La Presse, March 26, 2010
Summary: De nouvelles allégations contenues dans les documents déposés jeudi à la Chambre des communes renforcent la nécessité de tenir une enquête publique sur le dossier des détenus afghans, estime l’opposition à Ottawa.

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Protest Held Outside Rights and Democracy

Groups demand Rights & Democracy inquiry
CBC News, March 26, 2010
Summary: Human rights groups staged a protest outside the Montreal offices of Rights & Democracy on Friday, demanding a public inquiry into inner turmoil at the taxpayer-funded organization that promotes human rights and democratic values. The protesters claim a public inquiry is the only way to shed light on allegations of government interference in the organization, which was created under Brian Mulroney’s Conservative government.

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N.S. MLA Expenses Scandal Claims another Politician

NDP suspends MLA
Chronicle-Herald (Halifax), March 26, 2010
Summary: Saying they no longer trust a fellow MLA, the New Democrats have suspended backbencher Trevor Zinck from caucus be­cause of “persistent” problems with constituency bills.

Spending rules tightened for Nova Scotia MLAs
Chronicle-Herald (Halifax), March 27, 2010
Summary: The Nova Scotia government introduced legislation Friday that it says would tighten oversight and make spending by provincial politicians more open by posting their expenses online.

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Transport Canada Accused of Hiding Documents Related to Port Stanley

Transport Canada neglects Port Stanley
London Free Press, March 27, 2010
Summary: A future regional economic engine is at stake with Central Elgin’s negotiations with Transport Canada over Port Stanley’s harbour. That’s why this story should upset you. (Letter to the editor)

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A Four-part Series on the Racial Discrimination of Dr. Grover by the NRC

State-sponsored Racial Discrimination in Canada: Racial Discrimination of Dr. Grover by the NRC (Part 1)

Is racism in Canada a reality or a relic of the past? (Part 2)

A Culture of Abuse and Torture – Canadian Government Style (Part 3)

Is the Office of the Auditor General of Canada reliable? (Part 4)

Other related articles in the South Asia Mail:

March 20, 2010: http://www.southasiamail.com/mainnews.php?id=7955

March 22, 2010: http://www.southasiamail.com/mainnews.php?id=7983

March 26, 2010: http://www.southasiamail.com/mainnews.php?id=8032

March 28, 2010: http://www.southasiamail.com/mainnews.php?id=8058

March 29, 2010: http://www.southasiamail.com/blog/

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by Ian Bron on March 29, 2010
filed in Media Updates
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