Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, May 05, 2014

How the Conservative government has dealt with past critics

This past week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office got into a public argument with Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin over the government’s failed attempt to place Marc Nadon on the top court. It was the latest in a series of battles in which the government has criticized current and former independent public officials.

Some examples:

Marc Mayrand
In his defence of the Fair Elections Act, Democratic Reform Minister Pierre Poilievre said Mayrand, the Chief Electoral Officer, might be motivated by money and power.


Sheila Fraser
Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, made disparaging comments about former auditor general Sheila Fraser, saying she’s a “self-proclaimed expert” in her criticism of the Fair Elections Act.


Kevin Page
Conservatives lashed out at then-Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, accusing him of “overstepping his mandate,” after he criticized the government’s acquisition of F-35 fighter jets.


Linda Keen
The government said Canadian Nuclear Safety head Linda Keen’s “lack of leadership” was to blame for the Chalk River reactor shutdown and Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused her of political partisanship, labelling her a “Liberal appointee.”


Paul Kennedy
After saying the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, which he headed, can’t do its job because of RCMP officials, Kennedy was blasted by Conservative MP Blake Richards, who accused Kennedy of being a paper-pushing bureaucrat.


Peter Tinsley
After questioning the government’s handling of Afghan detainees, Tinsley, head of the Military Police Complaints Commission, was accused of political partisanship and lost his job.


Richard Colvin
Defence Minister Peter MacKay accused Colvin, a Foreign Service officer, of lacking credibility and being duped by the Taliban.


Pat Stogran
After battling over the government’s new veterans charter, saying it failed to accommodate wounded soldiers, Stogran, the Veteran’s Ombudsman, was shown the door.


Adrian Measner
After fighting the government’s attempts to topple the Canadian Wheat Board,  Measner, head of the Wheat Board, was slammed with a “gag order,” barring him from lobbying against the government, and his position was later terminated.


Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author:  JEFF LACROIX-WILSON

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