So.. whatever happened to all that Federal Accountability Harper promised ?

Posted on by Laila

“We promised to stand up for accountability and to change the way government works,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  “Canadians elected this government to deliver on that commitment and today the Federal Accountability Act has received Royal Assent.  From this day on, accountability in government is the law and we can all be proud of that fact.”

– See more at: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2006/12/12/federal-accountability-act-becomes-law#sthash.ejKNo3MO.dpuf

I invite you to list examples of where the Conservative government have failed to provide accountability since this became law, in the comments below. Certainly, there are enough to choose from 😉

20 thoughts on “So.. whatever happened to all that Federal Accountability Harper promised ?”

  2. lol…hope you’ve got lots of bandwidth, Laila, for all the posts sure to come on this one..

    I’ll kick it off with Mr. McKay’s use of Sea King helicopters to go to/from vactions….. ;0)

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  3. Blocking/obstructing Access to Information requests
    Taking so many committee meetings in camera
    Not turning over financial documents to the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO had to take gov’t to court)
    Not having a public inquiry into Afghan detainees
    Misleading Parliament and Canadians about the cost of the F35s

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  4. The Cohen Report! $23 Million to report what scientists and data have been saying for years. What everyone has been saying for years. Did Bruce Cohen go diving? Did Bruce take up marine biology? No! He interviewed people who have been speaking out for years and examined data already long mined from DFO and industry. Even tho he did a ‘good report’ it was just another trough-feeding. What the H**l are DFO for that the govt. needs to pay a lawyer/justice to report on what everyone already knows? And DFO has known for decades? Worse – why even do that if you are not going to act on the recommendations? Lack of accountability? See: Royal Commissions, any topic!!

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  5. This one, of course is easy because it has been plastered on our eyelids for months. What happend to the accountability of the Prime Minister, his PMO staff, his PMO-appointed senators, his PMO-directed senate “leaders”, regarding the theft of public funds scandal?
    —-
    Then of course there was also his promise to hold an open, unbiased, all-encompassing, accountable public process on the proposed Northern Gateway project. All the while he had already gone to China to tell the leaders there that Canadian oil product WOULD be moving through west coast ports for shipment to China. Where the heck is the accountability in that?
    —
    Where is the accountability in the arbitrary signing of the FIPPA deal (with absolutely no debate in parliament) which allows the Chinese to sue us (with US having no recourse) in Canadian courts if we don’t follow through on handing them our resources?

    Not impossible to get caught up in providing a L-O-N-G list…….

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  8. How about the prorogation of parliament. If ever there is an example of a lack of accountability,the failure of our parliamentarians, or legislators in the case of BC, to sit to conduct the peoples’ business is, to me, the ultimate deception propogated within a (supposedly) democractic system.
    It also would seem to be a fraudulent acceptance of public funds while refusing to perform the ultimate task one is being paid for—–to sit as a collective gathering of the representaives of the people to conduct THEIR business..

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    1. This should be good Laila, I’m definitely bookmarking this page and will be checking back frequently as I know I’ve missed a lot as there’s just been so much anti-democratic behavior by this CONNING-YOU govt.
      And, good article link, thanks CGHZD.

      My contribution;

      => Accountability = NO OMNIBUS BILLS.

      http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/05/03/tim_harper_prime_minister_stephen_harper_is_the_king_of_the_omnibus_bill.html
      http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/14/budget-bill-c-45/
      http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/nefarious-impacts-harpers-omnibus-budget-bills

      Any idea on how many omnibus bills have been proposed by Herpes since his infamous speech against a LIEberal 20 page bill?
      http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/05/03/john-ivison-how-stephen-harper-learned-to-love-omnibus-bills/

      A quote from this link; http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2013/10/23/harpers_new_omnibus_budget_bill_a_stealth_blow_to_civil_servants_editorial.html
      “This isn’t the first time. Earlier this year, the Harper government tabled a 111-page omnibus bill. Last year it tabled bills running to 425 and 443 pages. These measures affected the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the Indian Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act, Old Age Security, charities, environmental hearings on pipelines, border security, employment insurance, fisheries and much, much more.”

      And, not only the Robo-Calls fiasco that should have seen a new election vote called (herpes wins with minority), but the stacking of Senate to block any official opposition, essentially ensuring complete and total control of government. Something I thought was “illegal”.
      Worth noting, Herpes aligns himself directly with the Republicans (although, far as I know he hasn’t said that) in his “undemocratic” behavior, such as the recent shutdown of govt in the USA.
      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/13/house-republicans-rules-change_n_4095129.html
      It’s so blatant now. Where’s the freaking outcry and opposition? Well, they’ve been de-clawed, muzzled, or out-right ridiculed, called an eco-terrorist and nut-job, and then effectively black-listed.

      Much more going on than a lot of people think. The plutocrats have organized behind their gated communities with armies to protect them, while they effectively destroy any “democratic” procedures, test GMO products on humanity, slowly degrade all long-term employment by out-sourcing and TFW’s, buy-outs and takeovers.
      They destroy viable farm land and our fresh water with tailing ponds, fracking and toxic chemical infusion into our environments. Dams that ruin necessary waterways, all to support the “energy” corps mad scrabble to suck as much profit while they can before the “bubble” pops, all the while using taxpayer funds to do it, and with Harper’s blessing.
      Tax breaks for the wealthiest people (this counts corporations too remember) as they are the ones directly influencing (lobbying) government for concessions and give-mes while tossing some hockey tickets and a few stays at a private resort at the politicians (plus some padded off-shore accounts) to get their way.

      The game has ended, they’ve won.
      Unless…..

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  11. I mentioned the Cohen Report on Salmon above as a waste of money regarding accountability but I forgot to mention the Brown Report into the RCMP. The Brown Report made 50 something recommendations in 2007 to help fix the ‘dysfunctional’ RCMP and none of the recommendations have been acted upon. The most important one is ‘accountability’ to a many-arms-length-from-government body NOT beholden in any way to politicians. But that never happened. In fact, the opposite did. Now they report directly to a Conservative. So, how can the RCMP do a job on the senate? They can’t. The Minister for Public Safety (Blaney) is their boss. He tells them what to do and he also tells Customs, RCMP Review board, CSIS and a dozen other so-called public safety organizations what to do. Is Blaney that smart? No. Not by half. Harper created the Public Safety Ministry as a quasi Homeland Security. So doesn’t that make the Brown Report just another waste of money? And the RCMP are just eunuchs now to Harpers Forbidden City…..how can they be accountable?

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  12. what jumps out at me is the promise “…to change the way the government works…”. Note there is no mention of changing it for the better so I would have to say they have lived up to this promise 100% or even more. Also there seems to have been some sort of typo, because I would say that instead of standing up “for” accountability the conservative government is standing up “to” it with things like proroguilng parliament instead of facing the music of being found in contempt….

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  13. He has arranged the most secretive gov’t Canada has seen. The gov’t websites have been altered, with little info of importance for people who want food labelling/air quality information/environmental regulatory info/stats canada unemployment truths, etc.etc.

    Harper has installed (via appointments at Pres/vice-presidents & contracting out) his own cheerleading minions in CBC, thus assuring his propaganda is repeated in myriad ways. Tax-payer monies for propaganda.

    Harper has decreased regulatory requirements for business in almost every area: health canada & big pharma; environmental protection in fisheries/oceans/land (gas&oil patches, mining, etc.)

    Harper does not work for the people.
    Harper works for business.
    Whenever he addresses “the people” it is with disdain. Whenever he addresses big business & party loyals, he sings and dances, assuring them he is “Taking Care of Business”.

    He prorogues parliament because he is hiding his agenda.

    He protects himself from reporters by not allowing them to come near. He is afraid of questions “off topic” (which is anything not ‘business economics’). His MBA thesis is a joke – so much for his ‘smart’ business sense. He takes orders from Big Business. He doesn’t have to think critically on anything – just follow orders.

    He has contempt of parliament and the Canadian people. We are but a pebble on his path.

    I am not alone in these thoughts about the most distrusted prime minister in Cdn history.

    Grandmother from Alberta who has seen much better times for democracy in Canada

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  15. Harper has kept one promise. He promised we would not recognize Canada when he was through. He is doing his best to change Canada to Republican, Teabagger North. The Conservative convention in Calgary took a direct run at Unions and workers. (American states have already passed their laws to take away union rights and substitute their race to the bottom wage policies).

    The Cons also passed a policy regarding women’s reproductive rights. American States have been doing this consistently. (stevie slime had said the abortion debate wouldn’t be opened again. However, his party is trying every back door they can. They also refused to provide funding for abortions for women in countries where rape is used as a weapon of war. They also refuse to provide funding for abortions for girls who are child brides.)

    He has promised his “war on crime” and he has delivered. The problem is it has become a war on people working in prisons. With the cons aim to de unionize federal workers and remove their rights to refuse dangerous work, it has become a war on prison guards.

    Harper promised jobs and an improved economy. Doesn’t look like it here in B.C. Wages are low, unemployment high and more jobs will be going overseas once he implements the E.U./Canada free trade agreement. The jobs will be further reduced when he signs the China/Canada free trade agreement. Then they can simply import the workers.

    Harper has kept the one promise, of we would not recognize our own country and it does not bode well for Canadians. The sooner he is gotten rid of the better.

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