Say one thing, do another

While I do project work I’m listening to Questions and Comments as members of the House of Commons discuss Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act. While I like the idea of improved government accountability, I don’t like the current proposed implementation. It goes too far in some areas, leaves obvious loopholes in others, and completely skips over important aspects of political and government accountability.

Its also difficult to be solidly behind current efforts to improve accountability when Prime Minister Harper has appointed his former leadership campaign co-chair, Michael Fortier, to the Senate, against party policy, in order to get Fortier into cabinet. As Minister of Public Works Fortier has spending control over billions of dollars, but won’t have to answer a single question in the House of Commons. That’s not accountability in action.

Many Conservatives are more troubled by the Fortier appointment than the David Emerson affair, but I am equally troubled by both appointments, as I have extensively documented in these pages.

I’m also disappointed to see Conservatives follow one standard when out of power, and apply another when in power. Consider for a moment the comments on floor-crossing that prominent members of this cabinet have made in the past:

This is something that he was promised and he did this for his own benefit – not those of his constituents. It’s the most cynical and selfish thing we’ve seen in this country’s politics in a long-time. Peter MacKay, now Minister of Foreign Affairs, criticising Conservative floor-crosser now Liberal Scott Brison after he was named Martin’s parliamentary secretary on Canada-U.S. relations.

But in choosing opportunity over principle… Scott should be mindful of an old saying that, over time, applies to all political turncoats: Learn to love your enemies because you may not be able to trust your friends. Senator Marjory LeBreton, now leader of the government in the Senate, The Sunday Herald, Jan 11, 2004

Those with an interest in political history might remember that Mrs. LeBreton once worked with former Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell.

LeBreton also was a key supporter of Peter MacKay during his successful bid for the leadership of the now-defunct Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

That win – another classic example of promising one thing and doing another – was on the back of a now-infamous deal where MacKay signed an agreement with another leadership candidate, David Orchard, promising that he’d not allow the PC Party to merge with the Canadian Alliance (then led by one Stephen Harper).

Despite his campaign promises (”I am not the merger candidate”), and his specific promise, MacKay didn’t honour that agreement and probably never intended to. Very shortly after his election as leader he started negotiations with Stephen Harper to merge the two parties.

Moral of the story: before accepting what one says on issues of integrity, always look at the source.

While the Q&C session drones on I had to laugh when Helena Guergis, MP for Simcoe-Gray and Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of International Trade and Floor-Crossing (David Emerson), got up to speak on accountability. Guergis voted in favour of a floor-crossing prohibition (bill C-251) in the last parliament, but works for the floor-crossing poster boy, David Emerson.