He hasn't even taken office yet and already Stephen Harper is proving his much ballyhooed accountability and ethical government reform package to be a joke.
Buried in yesterday's release of a report by the federal Ethics Commissioner into the Grewal affair, a report that by the way that completely absolved Ujal Dosanjh of any wrong-doing and tore Gurmant Grewal to shreds, was the news that Stephen Harper couldn't be bothered to cooperate with the investigation.
The Globe reports this morning that "Mr. Harper's office told Mr. Shapiro he could not find time in his schedule to answer his questions between August and November of last year."
That's four months! Now, I know he's a busy guy, but could he not find some time in FOUR MONTHS to meet with the Federal Ethics Commissioner? It might be interesting to look at Harper's schedule over those four months to see what he felt was more important than cooperating fully with an investigation by this officer of Parliament.
As the Globe points out "it is an MP's duty to co-operate with an inquiry by the commissioner." Apparently Stephen Harper doesn't agree. One has to wonder is he just to lazy to back-up his tough talk on accountability, or did he not want to directly answer questions about his own role in the sorted taping affair. Did he have something to hide?
Harper sent his former communications director, lobbyist Geoff Norquay, to meet with Bernard Shapiro instead. Memo to Stephen Harper: you can't outsource accountability.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Harper dithers on ethics, accountability
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"Harper sent his former communications director, lobbyist Geoff Norquay, to meet with Bernard Shapiro instead. Memo to Stephen Harper: you can't outsource accountability."
While on the surface this is a true statement, in reality Norquay was a witness in his own right having played a major role in the release of the clandestine recordings.
Dr. Shapiro wanted to speak directly to Mr. Harper as a separate witness about his own role in the affair.
Grewal - Dosanjh Inquiry: Harper opted out - Why?
Ain't it swell. Oohhh, God, ain't it swell!!!!!!!!!
Live like a dirt bag, die like dirt bag.
I can hardly wait for the first question period.
What will be fun is watching ... oh, I don't know ... how 'bout the 'weenie', hold a 'news conference', the kind where he delivers in his El Duce style and runs away before the questions can fly.
I bet they're phoning their
friends in Washington for direction on this one.
Post a Comment