The Daily Telegraph reports that Britain’s next budget will include a provision that, as of 2014, each taxpayer will be sent a detailed statement of how much tax they paid and what was done with the money. It is one more reminder that, while government operations are often necessarily complex, the general tendency to withhold or obscure information here in Canada is in large measure the result of bad habits and arrogance rather than necessity.
Archive for the ‘Government Secrecy’ Category
House Leader Peter Van Loan on committees
The New Democrats and the Liberals have raised concerns this past week over what appears to be a concerted push to move Commons committees – as much as possible - behind closed doors.
This is what NDP Opposition House Leader Joe Comartin told reporters after Question Period on Wednesday.
The Harper campaign bubble: Students, vets tossed or barred from rallies
On Sunday, in London, Ont., people who were signed up to attend a Conservative rally with Stephen Harper were forcibly removed, apparently because of a perceived association with another party:
About 30 minutes after arriving and signing in, the two girls were asked by a man to follow him out of the rally, Aslam said. Though confused, they complied.
In a back room, Aslam said he ripped off their name tags, tore them up and ordered them out.
“We were confused. He said, ‘We know you guys have ties to the Liberal party through Facebook’. He said … ‘You are no longer welcome here.’”
Another attendee, Ali Aref Hamadi, said he was asked by an organizer to leave the same rally because of an NDP bumper sticker on his vehicle.
Dimitri Soudas, the prime minister’s chief spokesman, apologized, telling the London Free Press, “”I will personally apologize to them,” he said. “We should be encouraging young people to get involved in politics.” But the next day in Guelph, Ont., it happened again. Conservative campaign organizers prevented students from entering the Harper rally even though they had pre-registered. Their offence this time? They had participated in a “Get Out the Vote” demonstration to encourage young people to pay attention to politics and vote.
Several of the peaceful mob participants had registered to attend the Harper event, but they were turned away by RCMP officers. Cara Dawson and Izzy Hirji were among those asked to leave the venue.
A Conservative Party of Canada official approached them and indicated they were not welcome because of their involvement in an action that was perceived as a protest by party insiders. Dawson and Hirji tried to explain that it was not a protest and that they had registered to attend the campaign event, but the official could not be persuaded.
RCMP Cpl. Tony Fowler of the “O” Division/VIP Security Section told the students the event was by invitation only and they would have to leave. Outside the venue, Hirji said because he and Dawson had exercised their democratic right to express themselves in a peaceful fashion, they were barred from entry. That was unfair and disheartening, they said.
“All I want to do is hear all of the political platforms of the various parties,” said Hirji. “So, why am I not allowed to attend.”
Last week in Halifax, the Harper campaign prevented a man who is an advocate for homeless veterans from attending a Harper rally.
A new political party to be born — over a double-double
The advocacy group Democracy Watch is calling on Canadians to get behind a new grassroots federal political movement which it has dubbed the Coffee Party. It’s name, I assume, brings inevitable comparisons to the Tea Party movement in the United States though, knowing Democracy Watch’s general policy objectives over the year, the Coffee Party may be focused less on the fiscal issues that drive the Tea Party and more on some of the transparency and accountability issues that tend to be the focus of Democracy Watch.
UPDATE: Reader writes to say that there actually is a U.S. Coffee Party already
Indeed, the Coffee Party web site makes that explicit:
Unlike the Tea Party movement in the U.S., the Canadian Coffee Party movement is pushing only for well-researched and broadly supported changes that will make Canadian governments and big businesses operate more honestly, ethically, openly, representatively, efficiently and effectively.
In any event, here is the release/call-to-arms from Democracy Watch:
Canadian Coffee Party movement launching tomorrow morning across Canada
OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch announced the launch of the Coffee Party movement for good government and corporate responsibility in Canada — tomorrow morning, Friday, January 28, 2011.
All Canadians, and media, are invited to attend the launch which is being held in coffee shops across Canada on Friday morning.
Democracy Watch suggests that media go to any coffee shop in the country tomorrow morning and ask people there whether they support changes to make Canadian governments and businesses serve them better in every way, to see just how much support the CoffeeParty.ca movement has.
With Parliament opening again next Monday, and a federal election likely soon, and with provincial elections scheduled this fall in Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan, the window of opportunity is open for many Canadians to elect governments committed to making themselves, and big businesses, more accountable and responsible.
Details at: http://www.CoffeeParty.ca
Joint Interparliamentary Council fails to agree on making meetings public
Wednesday afternoon, a handful of MP sand senators, members of the Joint Interparliamentary Council (JIC), met in centre block where they discussed opening up their meetings to the public but failed to come up with a consensus.
The JIC’s co-chairs deputy speaker Andrew Scheer and Sen. David Tkachuk say they believe more transparency is needed because the little-known committee which meets in secret is responsible for dishing out $4 million in spending. Although it has never spent all its $3-million travel budget ($1 million is set aside for mandatory membership fees to parliamentary associations), MPs and Senators still managed to spend $1.6 million on interparliamentary travel last year. (See my story from Tuesday).
The NDP said it wouldn’t discuss what was said at the in-camera meeting and as a new member, Chris Charlton said she also wanted to take her time to familiarize herself with the issue.
The Liberals told QMI Agency Wednesday they would support the motion. Liberal Sen. George Furey, who is represented on the committee by Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer, said he strongly favours more transparency.
Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, who is also the spokesperson for the Board of Internal Economy, another committee that meets in secret, said he would support holding meetings in public although some issues might need to be discussed behind closed doors.
The Bloc Quebecois said they would also vote in favour of holding meetings in public.
So what happened?
