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Media Release

PARTIES DON'T CARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY
REPORT CARD ON PLATFORMS REVEALS

Wednesday, November 22, 2000

OTTAWA - Today, Democracy Watch released its Report Card on the Democratic Government Platforms of federal political parties. The Report Card is based upon Democracy Watch's Agenda for a Democratic Government, which is supported by a coalition of citizen groups from across Canada, including the Sierra Club, Canadian Auto Workers, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Citizens for Public Justice, representing in total over two million Canadians.

The parties were graded based on whether their platforms contain promises to implement 20 measures that would democratize the federal government in five key areas, ensuring that the government is representative, ethical, open, accountable and citizen-driven. Several national surveys over the past few years have shown that a large majority of Canadians support the range of democratic reforms set out in the Report Card.

Despite broad support for democratic reform in Canada, none of the seven parties graded have a comprehensive plan to democratize the government, and most of the parties received poor or failing grades in almost all of the five areas of the Report Card.

"No matter which party Canadians vote for next Monday, the federal government will continue to be unrepresentative, unethical, secretive, unaccountable and driven by wealthy interests and high-powered lobbyists," said Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch. "None of the parties have promised to change the rules of the game to ensure that the key barriers to democratic government are removed."

The Liberal Party is clearly the worst of all the parties, as its platform does not contain even one proposal to democratize the government. Even if the Liberals had made promises to democratize the federal government, it would be difficult to give them good grades because they have broken almost all the democratic reform promises they made in the 1993 "Red Book" and since, including the promises: to establish an independent ethics watchdog who reports directly and only to Parliament (instead they appointed an unethical, toothless lapdog who reports in private to the Prime Minister); to enact ethics rules for MPs and Senators; to strengthen the access-to-information law; and to enact a "whistle-blower" protection law.

The Bloc Québecois received the highest grade overall, C-. Although the Bloc has no proposals to implement a democratic voting system or to track and restrict the influence of lobbyists, it received high grades in other areas for its promises to implement a democratic political finance system, and to ensure strong, effectively enforced ethics rules.

"He who pays the piper calls the tune," said Aaron Freeman, a Board member of Democracy Watch, "and until all political donations are disclosed and limited, as in Québec, the federal government will continue to be corrupted by wealthy interests."

The New Democrats received the highest grade in the area of democratizing the voting system because of their promises to implement proportional representation and to abolish the Senate. Along with the Bloc, the Tories scored well in the area of ethics because of their promises to appoint an independent ethics watchdog, and to protect civil servants who blow-the-whistle on government wrongdoing.

None of the party platforms contained strong, clear promises to strengthen access-to-information laws, to ensure that government acts honestly, or to ensure that the behind-closed-doors activities of lobbyists are publicly disclosed and their undue influence restricted.

"No matter how clearly Canadians have expressed their desire for democratic government over the past several years, the Liberals have continued their charade and done everything they can to thwart any attempt to check their power or ensure they act in the public interest," said Conacher, "Given the ongoing self-interested, secretive and corrupt activities of the Liberals and other political parties, no one should wonder why Canadians have little trust or faith in politicians or government."

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Duff Conacher, Coordinator
Tel: (613) 241-5179
dwatch@web.net

Report Card on the Democratic Government Platforms
of the Federal Political Parties

A - Platform makes clear promise to implement proposal
B - Platform makes clear promise to explore proposal
C - Platform makes unclear promise to explore proposal
D - Platform mentions proposal
E - Platform mentions theme of proposal
F - Platform does not mention proposal

OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois C-
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party E
New Democrat Party E
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party E

I. Democratic Voting System

SECTION I OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party C-
Canadian Alliance Party B-
Green Party C
New Democrat Party A
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party C

1. Change the current voting system to a proportional representation system to provide more accurate representation in Parliament of the actual support for each political party.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party D
Green Party A
New Democrat Party A
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

2. Abolish the Senate or reform the Senate to render it more directly accountable to the electorate.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party B
Canadian Alliance Party A
Green Party F
New Democrat Party A
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party A

II. Democratic Political Finance System

SECTION II OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois B-
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party D
New Democrat Party E
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

3. Establish public financing for political parties based upon the actual popular support parties have in terms of number of party members and votes in most recent election and other factors (as in Quebec).
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

4. Prohibit corporations, unions, and other organizations that do not vote from donating to political parties, candidates and riding associations (as in Quebec and Manitoba).
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party A
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

5. Allow donations from individuals to supplement public financing, but limit donations to a level that is affordable for the average Canadian (as in Quebec and Manitoba).
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party A
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

6. Require political parties to disclose donations quarterly, as in the U.S.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

7. Require constituency associations and MPs to register and disclose all their donors annually between elections, as in several provinces.
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

8. Limit spending and require disclosure of donors in political party leadership contests.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party A
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

III. Strong, Effectively Enforced Ethics Rules

SECTION III OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois B-
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party B-

9. Enact an ethics code for all MPs and Senators (as promised by the Liberals in 1993, and as exists for all legislators in very province and territory in Canada).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

10. Establish an independent and impartial ethics watchdog agency that: has the purpose of investigating all alleged violations of ethics rules that involve politicians, civil servants and lobbyists; has full investigative powers to do so; and reports directly and only to Parliament (as promised by the Liberals in 1993, and as exists in every province and territory in Canada).
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party A

11. Require all people covered by ethics rules to report any violations of the rules, and require the ethics watchdog to protect anyone who reports a violation of ethics rules (so-called "whistleblowers") from retaliation.
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party A

IV. Openness and Honesty in Politics

SECTION IV OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois D
Canadian Action Party D-
Canadian Alliance Party D
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

12. Amend the access to information law to strengthen the right to disclosure of information and to strengthen enforcement of the law (as in B.C. and Ontario).
Bloc Quebecois E
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party E
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

13. Require all government departments to use consultation processes that provide meaningful opportunities for citizen participation, especially concerning decisions that affect the lives of all Canadians.
Bloc Quebecois A
Canadian Action Party B
Canadian Alliance Party A
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party E
Progressive Conservative Party E

14. Restrict government advertising leading up to and during elections, except for emergency or administrative reasons (as in Manitoba and Saskatchewan).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

15. Enact a right to complain to Elections Canada about false advertising by a government, political party or candidate for public office, with fines and other sanctions as penalties (as in B.C.).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

V. Lobbyists Tracked and Restricted

SECTION V OVERALL GRADES
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

16. Require Ministers and senior public officials to disclose their contacts with all lobbyists.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

17. Require lobbyists to disclose all their government relations activities, whether paid or volunteer, involving gathering inside information or trying to influence policy-makers (as in the U.S.).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

18. Require lobbyists to disclose the amount spent on campaigns (as in 33 U.S. states).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

19. Prohibit lobbyists from working for government departments, and from having business connections with anyone who does.
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F

20. Prohibit lobbyists from serving in senior positions for political parties (as in New Mexico and Maryland).
Bloc Quebecois F
Canadian Action Party F
Canadian Alliance Party F
Green Party F
New Democrat Party F
Liberal Party F
Progressive Conservative Party F