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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Dummies on the Hill

A bit of background - yesterday, Bruce Anderson and Erin O'Toole were debating on Twitter on "partisan appointments". Jason Kenney chimed in and made a fool out of himself. 
Michael Harris wrote this today.
Conservative picks not partisan?
It is to laugh, Jason Kenney
"When the Harper government was first elected, it started serving up lardoons to its buddies. Remember the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat, which was supposed to take the patronage out of the appointment process? It was a vital part of the CPC’s much-vaunted commitment to “accountability.” It was supposed to ensure that all federal appointments would be merit-based, instead of the old nose-to-bum conga line of patronage payback. A great idea.

There was only one problem. The first commissioner of the new department of government was chosen by Stephen Harper, his personal friend and prominent Conservative Gwyn Morgan. It was a head in toilet bowl moment for anyone who had actually trusted Harper.
Morgan’s appointment was blocked by opposition parties and Harper had a hissy fit. He scrapped the Public Appointments Commission but kept the Secretariat he had created to support it. As Greg Weston reported at the time, the bureaucracy burned through millions of taxpayer dollars — with nothing to do and no one to report to.

Patronage not in the CPC DNA? The Liberals petty and vindictive? Jason, you’re about to discover opposition is a lot harder when you have a dubious record of your own to defend."

Conservative picks not partisan?
It is to laugh, Jason


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