![[Democracy Watch Logo]](dw.gif) |
![[Op-ed]](oped.gif) |
| |
|
             |
Set out below is a letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher which was published in slightly different, edited form in the February 19, 2011 issue of the Ottawa Citizen, and the Charlottetown Guardian The scandal involving Conservative Cabinet minister Bev Oda is yet another example showing the clear need for an honesty-in-federal-politics law that applies to everyone and allows for complaints by anyone to an independent, non-partisan watchdog agency such as the federal Ethics Commissioner. If the Conservatives had a majority of seats in the House of Commons, they would have stopped the current parliamentary process aimed at penalizing Minister Oda for her misleading statements. And the process is tainted by partisanship because a Liberal Speaker of the House will decide if Oda is guilty, and opposition MPs will decide whether she will be penalized. If Minister Oda made her false statements outside of Parliament, for example during an election campaign and including some false election promises, the current process would also not be happening because MPs can only penalize misleading statements made before committees or in the House. In fact, many ministers and MPs from all political parties, as well as their staff and government officials and lobbyists, have in the past escaped being penalized for false statements because of majority governments, or because of where they made their statements. Given that dishonesty in politics is the main thing turning off voters, and a main reason for the drop in voter turnout, we clearly need a strong, comprehensive, independently enforced honesty law people involved in federal politics will no longer get away with misleading Canadians. |