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Arguments against setting up government ethics commissioner for Quebec like NHL getting rid of all referees because a few have made bad calls in the past Set out below is a letter to the editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher which was published April 30, 2009 in the Montreal Gazette and addresses an article by Henry Aubin published on April 24, 2009 Dear Editor, Henry Aubin perversely argues that an ethics commissioner should not be created for Quebec's provincial and municipal governments because past federal ethics commissioners and the current provincial government's lobbying commissioner have been ineffective in some ways ("Ethics Dilemma" column (Montreal Gazette - April 24)). That's like the NHL saying "We won't have referees in the future because some past and current referees have been ineffective sometimes." Instead, Aubin (and anyone interested in ethical, accountable government) should be pushing for a Quebec ethics commission that does not have the flaws and weaknesses of the other commissioners, and should be pushing for changes to make the current lobbying commissioner effective. If he thinks the ethics code he proposes will be followed by politicians and public officials without an effective enforcement agency that ensures compliance, Aubin is only fooling himself. There is currently an inquiry into alleged violations 16 years ago of the federal ethics code by former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.  Why were these allegations not investigated and ruled on 16 years ago?  In no small part because Mulroney enforced his own code (and, as a result, had little incentive to enforce it for himself or anyone else in his government). Every ethics code and ethics enforcement agency across Canada have flaws, but that does not mean they should all be scrapped, it means the flaws should be corrected to make the codes and their enforcement effective. And it also means that provinces and municipalities without codes or enforcement agencies should establish them without loopholes and flaws as soon as possible -- Quebec included. Sincerely, Duff Conacher, Coordinator Democracy Watch For more details, go to Democracy Watch's Government Ethics Campaign