7 years after Federal Accountability Act became law, and 8 years after Conservatives were first elected, dishonesty, conflicts of interest, excessive secrecy, unlimited donations and patronage all still legal
Another, stronger Accountability Act needed to close 100 remaining loopholes and flaws
Wednesday February 5, 2014
OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch marked the seventh anniversary of the passage of the federal Conservatives’ so-called “Federal Accountability Act” (FAA), and the recent annual International Anti-Corruption Day, by issuing its Seventh Good Government Report Card on the FAA and the Conservatives’ overall accountability and democratic reform record.
The Report Card gives the Conservatives an overall “F” grade because they have only partially increased accountability in the federal government while taking many key steps backwards. If the Conservatives had kept all of their 2006 election promises, they would have received an overall “B-” grade (as their promises covered about two-thirds of the loopholes and undemocratic flaws in the government’s accountability and decision-making system).
“The many federal Conservative dishonesty, secret unethical lobbying, excessive secrecy, conflict of interest, and donations scandals in 2012, and the broken promises and inaction detailed in the Report Card, make it clear that another Accountability Act is needed to close dozens of loopholes and clean up the federal government,” said Duff Conacher, Board member of Democracy Watch.
“The corruption, ethics and spending scandals that have occurred in the federal government and almost every province and territory in the past year are likely the tip of a large iceberg of wrongdoing in government in Canada, and yet Canadian politicians continue to refuse to close loopholes in rules and to strengthen enforcement and penalties,” said Conacher.
“Overall, the federal government’s democracy and accountability enforcement system is the scandal because, among many other highly questionable activities, it is still effectively legal for a lobbyist to do what Karlheinz Schreiber did — to fundraise for and make secret donations to nomination race and party leadership candidates, to lobby in secret, to make secret, fixed deals with Cabinet ministers, their staff, handpicked Cabinet patronage appointees and government employees, and for everyone involved to be dishonest about their secret, unethical relationships,” said Conacher. (To see details about how lobbyists are effectively allowed to work for, and to fundraise for, federal politicians and parties, click here)
“Incredibly, it is much more likely Canadians will be caught and punished for parking illegally than a politician will be caught and punished taking money from a lobbyist,” said Conacher. “Hopefully, all federal political parties will soon make the changes needed to closing dozens of the loopholes that allow for unethical, secretive and undemocratic federal political activities.”
http://democracywatch.ca/20140205-federal-conservatives-get-f-in-democratic-reform/
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