HARPER'S CANADA: CANADIANS HAD BETTER WAKE UP

First, we have the Guergis-Jaffer catastrophe in all of its many splendours. Helena Guergis while an MP and Harperite minister of the Crown tells everyone within earshot at the Charlottetown airport that the city is a hellhole (or, as has also been reported, a “shithole”). Her husband Rahim Jaffer, mercifully a defeated Conservative MP, thinks it’s alright to use her office from which to lobby for money from government coffers for his clients. Jaffer also does not believe laws that apply to ordinary Canadians, should apply to him - and so he goes about his lobbying without bothering to register. The same Jaffer, still flaunting the law, gives testimony before a parliamentary committee that can only be charitably described as a crock. Guergis finds nothing wrong with writing a letter to a Simcoe county pooh-bah – namely her cousin – promoting her husband’s company. Conservative ministers, upon being requested by Jaffer to consider handing out gazillions to his clients, fall all over themselves to give him a hearing . . . . yada, yada, yada.

Then we have another Harperite minister, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, who berates security employees at the Ottawa airport for not allowing him to take a large bottle of tequila on the plane with him.

We also have the Prime Minister himself using every possible obstruction (including spending a million dollars of taxpayers’ money and using the services of 16 staffers to vet defence and foreign affairs department documents) to ensure that the Canadian public be kept in the dark about whether Canadian officials (including himself and his ministers) have been guilty of war crimes in allowing detainees to fall into the hands of Afghan security personnel by whom they were sure to be tortured. See: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/spent+vetting+detainee+documents/2982904/story.html

And yesterday, we heard from Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth (who received her appointment to the red chamber courtesy of Liberal PM Paul Martin, in one of his many bone-headed moves). Ruth, who carries the distinguished pedigree of the Ontario Jackman clan, while addressing a group of women who were critical of the Harper government’s decision not to fund abortion as part of the G8 initiative to reduce deaths of mothers and young children, told them to, “Shut the fuck up – on this issue.” See: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/feminist-senator-nancy-ruth-tells-aid-groups-to-drop-abortion-fight/article1555609/

Quite apart from leading Canada incrementally down the road to perdition through legislative and regulatory changes, policy changes, and Order-in-Council and judicial appointments, all of which reflects a hard right change of direction, the government increasingly shows contempt for parliament and the Canadian people.

Canadians had better start paying attention to what is going on so that we soon salvage a country that still remains recognizable. If this is allowed to continue for much longer, when they do finally get around to turfing this gang, the task of turning it around may not be easy.

KEVIN LYNCH RESIGNS AFTER A BELLY FULL OF CLOSEAU AND MAN SERVANT KATO

Kevin Lynch

Top Aide Guy Giorno (on the left) with boss Prime Minister Harper (on the right)

Our most recent Clerk of the Privy Council, deputy minister to the Prime Minister, secretary to the Cabinet and head of the public service, Kevin Lynch, has joined the ranks of the genteel unemployed.

Not to worry for him of course. As with all former Clerks of the Privy Council a decent life awaits him – cushy board appointments to august and respected corporations, doting professors and students hanging onto every dull word he enunciates at snore session lectures at great universities, a comfortable pension, etc. And given that one of the retirement gold watches gifted to him by his employer - the government of Canada headed by our very own Inspector Closeau - was an appointment to the Privy Council, Lynch will be able to register in expensive hotels on his future generous expense accounts as the Honourable Kevin Lynch. Life will be good for Lynch. The kid from Cape Breton has done well.

Prime Minister Closeau once again showing the tact and class for which he has become famous was predictably not around to wish Lynch well on his public departure. Instead, he was visiting Afghanistan for a photo-op in the process of taking the scenic route back home from Europe. The story is that Closeau’s fractious relations with the public service caused by the petulance and bully-boy tactics of both the Prime Minister himself and his obnoxious chief of staff Guy Giorno - we shall call him Kato – resulted in such frigid relations with Lynch and other highly placed members of the public service that Lynch could stomach it no longer.

It has been noted in the press - and this is a Harperism if ever I saw one – that the last paragraph of the speaking notes sent out to the Conservative lackeys for regurgitation to all and sundry who may ask questions about Lynch’s departure, reads:

“Upon his retirement, Mr. Lynch will have served as Clerk for three years, four months. Since 1979, the average length of service for a Clerk has been three years, four months.”

Although I am a self-confessed cynic about whatever words are uttered by Closeau I believe that many would agree with my following interpretation of that paragraph:

“Look, we kept him around only for as long as we had to so that it doesn’t look so bad. Now, happily, he’s done.”

The speaking note paragraph is tactless, classless and petty - entirely consistent with the other utterings of Closeau when others got in his way.

Rumors persist that Lynch’s vast knowledge of the workings of government and policy – derived from more than 30 years in the public service - frequently angered Closeau and some of the Neanderthals in the cabinet. That sounds reasonable. I can see both Closeau and his government having trouble abiding intelligent people. It is further reported that the behavior of Closeau and his man servant Kato have pissed off the upper echelons of several important ministries, not to mention the whole Conservative party – including its MPs.

It is also widely rumored that Kato (Giorno, in case you are confused) was the brain behind the Closeau’s fiscal update and the attempted suffocation of opposition parties late last year. Apparently Kato's proposals were met with strenuous objections from Lynch. This too likely hastened Lynch’s departure. In addition, the recruitment by the Ignatieff Liberals of Kevin Chan who had worked closely with Lynch over the years also likely spooked both Kato and Closeau.

But even more troubling than the departure of such a qualified and experienced public servant from the most important public service job in the country is the question, where does that leave Canadians who are fighting their way through these economic troubled times? What happens to the stimulus? We all know that the Closeau Conservatives really don’t believe in stimulus spending, unless it is into the coffers of their pals.

Does Lynch’s departure mean that the likes of Closeau, Kato, the hapless creationist Stockwell Day, the portly motor-mouth Jason Kenney and their ilk are going to be less constrained from enacting their neocon ideology? It is reported that Lynch bent over backwards to make the Prime Minister look good – at times even sacrificing his own reputation in the process. But apparently it wasn’t enough to keep his bosses happy. Does Lynch’s resignation mean that all Closeau and Kato want at the top of the public service are kowtowing yes men that do their ideological bidding come hell or high water (as Paul Martin likes to say)?

As Sarah Palin would say, "You betcha!"

See Also: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/05/07/kevin-lynch-retires050709.html
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/05/07/lynchwouters-your-talking-points-and-how-lynch-announced-his-retirement/http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/94626

THE PASSING OF JEAN PELLETIER: A MORAL TALE

PELLETIER : VINDICATED

BEDARD: CONVICTED




MARTIN: DEFEATED

Canada lost a great public servant last week with the passing of Jean Pelletier at the age of 73. Pelletier was a highly successful and longtime Quebec City Mayor before becoming Prime Minister Chretien’s chief of staff. Later he served as Chairman of Via Rail. In whatever post he occupied, Pelletier served with honor, dignity and effectiveness. He made a tremendous contribution to both his city and his country.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Pelletier

Sadly, near the end of his career he became embroiled in the Adscam scandal and in the eyes of many fell from grace. The chief instrument of his downfall was former Canadian Olympic medalist Myriam Bedard.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriam_B%C3%A9dard

Bedard was an Olympic medalist who had worked at Via Rail’s marketing department in the early 2000’s. On February 27, 2004 she made public allegations that she had been forced to leave her marketing job at Via Rail in 2002 after raising concerns about the company’s corrupt dealings with one of the Adscam scandal’s central players, Groupaction.

In response to Bedard’s allegations, Pelletier was quoted by La Presse as saying,

“I don’t want to be mean but this is a poor girl who deserves pity, who doesn’t have a spouse, as far as I know.”

He remarked further,

“She is struggling as a single mother with economic responsibilities. Deep down, I think she is pitiful.”

A public furor arose from Pelletier’s remarks coming from opposition politicians and women’s and sports organizations, all of which branded his words as sexist. On March 1, 2004, only two days after his statement about Bedard, the Martin government fired Pelletier for his remarks.

By late March 2004 it became clear that Pelletier’s remarks were not so much off the mark. Bedard, in testimony before the Public Accounts Committee alleged that Groupaction was involved in drug trafficking, that her companion had been the person who convinced Jean Chretien to keep out of the Iraq War, and that Quebec car racing icon Jacques Villeneuve had been paid 12 million dollars to wear a Canadian flag on his uniform. All of these allegations were hotly denied and widely regarded as ridiculous. Certainly none of them were ever proven. Later on, an Arbitrator concluded that Bedard had left Via Rail voluntarily.

In December 2006, Bedard was charged in Canada with abduction of her daughter. She was arrested in the U.S. and detained while awaiting extradition. During that time her daughter was placed in the care of the U.S. government. In January 2007 the child was returned to the father and Bedard returned to Canada to face her charges. In October 2007 she was found guilty of child abduction and violating a child custody agreement. She was sentenced to two years probation.

By March of 2004, Pelletier believed that not only was he wrongfully dismissed but that his reputation had been severely damaged as a result of his treatment by the Martin government. He sued Via Rail and the government for defamation and wrongful dismissal. The Federal Court ordered him reinstated to his job in November 2005. The government appealed, kept Pelletier off the payroll, and fired him again. In March of 2007 the second firing was ruled improper and once again set aside by the Federal Court.

In November 2007 The Quebec Superior Court ruled that in firing Pelletier the Martin government had acted in a “cavalier and precipitous” fashion and showed “a total lack of consideration” which did not “meet the standard of diligence expected from a contractor when a contractual relationship is ended.” It awarded him $335,000 in damages. And in June of 2008 a federal judge cleared both Pelletier and Chretien of any responsibility for the sponsorship scandal.

A few months ago and knowing that he was about to meet his Maker, Pelletier gave an interview to Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil. It was to be released only upon his death. A report of the interview appeared today in the Toronto Star. See: Chretien Ally fires Last Shot at Martin, http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/570603

The piece is worth reading.

A remarkable speech given by Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974 to his White House Staff upon his resignation and departure from public office is also worth reading in the context of the Pelletier tale.
See: http://www.shabbir.com/nonmatchbox/whithous.html

It is a remarkable speech in many respects. But the words which will undoubtedly withstand all of the ravages of time and be remembered through the ages are:

"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”