Stephen Harper Scandals

I am shocked that somewhere, someone is still thinking of voting for Stephen Harper's Conservative party. Over the past few weeks I 've been examining reasons why this man and his neo-con party if not worth a vote.  Already we've looked at some reasons why Stephen Harper is not deserving of your vote, we have examined some of his telling quotes, and we have reviewed the disdain he has for the arts (a position he reversed on the campaign trail when it proved to be problematic for him in Quebec). On Tuesday we examined Harper's relationship with Canada's most populous province and the economic engine that has driven the country for years. . . . Ontario. Yesterday 30 other reasons why Stephen Harper's Conservative party is NOT worthy of your vote, or the time of day for that matter.

Let's look at scandals today.  When they were elected in 2006 it was largely as a result of the scandal that engulfed the Liberal party rather than the merits of Stephen Harper. Harper declared that "everyday Canadians – the hardworking people who pay their taxes and play by the rules – want and deserve a new government that will put the people’s interest ahead of self-interest." Harper wouldn't know an everyday Canadian if he ran one down with his limo.

The In and Out Scam

The "In and Out" Scam refers to a practice used by the Conservative Party during the 2006 election campaign.  The national party transfered money to local candidates who were then provided with pre-signed bank transfers to send the money immediately back to the national party. Elections Canada has ruled that these transfers were illegal.

The national office of the party was searched by Elections Canada armed with a search warrant. I do believe that this is a first for a Canadian political party. The warrant alleges that not only did the party exceed the maximum amount allowed for election expenses but the Conservative Fund may also have filed financial returns "that it knew or ought reasonably to have known contained a materially false or misleading statements."

Since August 2007, Conservative MPs have roadblocked all attempts by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to investigate the alleged "In and Out" activities. On July 15, 2008, after almost a year of filibustering, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics began studying the advertising scheme.

In subsequent Committee hearings, Doug Finley, the Conservative campaign chair, was escorted out by security for appearing at a time in which he was not scheduled and after refusing to leave. Other Conservative witnesses, despite receiving summonses to appear, refused to  show. Some witnesses claimed the Conservatives had contacted  them and informed them they didn’t “have to come” or discouraged them from appearing. Critics slammed the Conservatives for their actions in Committee, calling them an attack on democracy. One former Conservative candidate testified: “When I joined that party, I believed its vision at the time. I came to the realization they don't have as much integrity as they claim."

Of course, Harper called an election just when the heat of the scandal was about to get challenging.

'Fuzzy' Accounting

Two thousand-nine hundred delegates attended the Conservative Party of Canada's 2005 convention, each paying a fee of $600.

In the Conservative's disclosure to Elections Canada, Treasury Board President John Baird, the Harper government's point man on ethics at the time, acknowledged the party did not include these convention fees as political donations. The Elections Act says that they are.

In September, 2006, Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley criticized the Conservatives failure to disclose up to $1.7 million in donations in connection to the convention . Despite Kingley's requests for documentation concerning the disputed funds, Elections Canada confirmed, that Conservatives had for months not disclosed the information.

After months of heated denials, in December of 2006 the Conservative Party of Canada quietly admitted it had failed to publicly disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations, and filed a revised financial report for 2005 with Elections Canada.

So much for integrity!

Food Inspection Cover-Up

On August 1, 2008 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a food recall, the first of what was to become be the biggest food recall in recent Canadian history.

The recalls predominately affected deli meats linked to an outbreak of listeriosis.  On August 13, 2008, Maple Leaf Foods notified their distributors that they were under investigation for possible contamination.  On August 16, 2008, CFIA officials met with Health Canada and recommended a recall.  The next day, both CFIA and Maple Leaf Foods issued recalls for two specific ready-to-eat products produced at a Toronto plant. As more products tested positive over the next few days, Maple Leaf expanded their recalls.

The listeria outbreak has turned the attention of most Canadians to the state of Canada’s food safety system. Amid the outbreak, it was revealed that in November 2007 the Conservative government approved a plan to cut food safety programs at the CFIA.  The plan, which was suppressed because of what officials called a “significant communications risk,” was later leaked.  It has not yet been officially released, but has been revealed by the Globe and Mail. 

The plan included:

• $25 million cut to avian influenza preparedness;
• $25 million cut to BSE testing;
• proposals to reduce inspection of feed, meat processors, and deferring responsibility of inspections to industry; and,
• the elimination of pre-market label approval system- effectively eliminating the requirement of companies to verify the nutrition and product claims on labels for meat, fruit and vegetable products.

In response to the crisis, the Conservative government issued several contradictory, misleading, or outright inaccurate statements with regards to the secret cuts to food safety. The cuts in fact are reminiscent of similar cuts made by the Mike Harris Conservative government in Ontario and the human health and safety incidents at Walkerton, ON and the Aylmer Meat Plant in 2001.

There you have but three of the scandals that this government has caused in their short two years in office. Illegal campaign financing, 'fuzzy' accounting, and putting Canadians at risk. This is more characteristic of a government that will do anything to win rather than actually serving the public interest.

More tomorrow.

Comments

[Nigel Thomas]

Good article. We need to keep pandemic preparedness at the forefront of every business manager's mind. It won't go away so better start preparing.

Nigel Thomas
For free references and resources go to Bird Flu Manual Online ( http://www.birdflu-manual.com ) or, if you need more comprehensive tutorials, tools and templates, consider Bird Flu D-I-Y eManual for your pandemic preparedness ( http://www.birdflu-manual.com/pandemic-preparedness.htm ).

[sandrac]

Jerry, I would also argue that this week's report from the parliamentary budget office on the mounting costs of the Afghanistan war -- already over $18 billion -- will likely prove another Conservative coverup. The Tories had said the costs would be about half that amount.

Not only did they try to delay the release of the report but it seems that the Conservatives deliberately misled Canadians about the mounting costs.

[Jerry]

Good point Nigel - I can't believe that the government wanted to cut costs there. ARGH

Sandra - I have been so crazy here that I haven't taken the time to examine that in more detail. I guess I need to do some homework tomorrow while the turkey is cooking!