The Anticipated Report

The Gomery Commission has had to review thousands of pages of testimony and now will come forward with a report tomorrow relating to wrongdoings within the Government of Canada. Of concern to many Canadian taxpayers is how justice will be served. Questions have been raised as to what criminal charges will be levied, if any. Any individual watching the proceedings from day to day might well have come to conclusions as to who the culprits were. In their minds there has been an association of guilt with individuals. Now, the desire is to see if their conclusions as to who are the true culprits might be the same as those that will be identified within the Commission’s report.
I have said in the past that the former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as the first minister is responsible for the actions of his ministers. A captain of a ship is responsible for his ship. If he passes responsibility on to another person on the ship, he still is fully responsible for what happens. Many captains in the past have gone down with their ships. Jean Chrétien should go down in infamy!

Trust and Politicians

A dictionary definition of trust might include a few of the following words: confidence in a person or thing because of the qualities one perceives or seems to perceive in the person or thing...acceptance of something as true or reliable without being able to verify it...a responsibility, charge or duty involving the confidence of others. While that might be considered a partial definition, it does serve to bring a measure of agreement to achieve an understanding of the trust that Canadians expect of politicians and the process of government.

The Gomery Commission will release its report in the near future.
What we will learn will in all likelihood diminish our respect for the political process, politicians and the public service. This is most unfortunate as many politicians are trustworthy and that holds very true for those members of the Canadian public service.

The prime minister in Canada has too much power. Power over his cabinet and power to make decisions that may not be in the best interest of the people of Canada. He often has a group surrounding him which provides advice but in addition he has many friends outside of the government who have great influence on him. As well, there are those who have provided him with assistance of many types and to them he owes what are called political favours. Many posts are filled with loyal members of his party and in politics sometimes reference is made to the pork barrel and feeding at the trough. We have heard of breaking the cycle of influence and we have heard of a new "ethics" entering into politics. Many words have been voiced but not sufficient action to bring a sense of credibility to the process.

Some former ministers of the crown have received political appointments to crown corporations and a few have become disappointments if not outright failures and liabilities as far as future elections are concerned.

Where does all of this leave us? Perhaps with a measure of lack of respect and a lack of trust. This may be most unfortunate but that is reality.

Ottawa, the centre of?

Yes, Ottawa is the centre of activities that bring the people of Canada face to face, at times, with the country's leaders. More often than not, it is through TV, where most Canadians spend much too much time. Yet, Canadians are more aware of what is happening around the world and are more sensitive to politics and geography than their friends south of the border.

Here in Ottawa we are close to what happens on Parliament Hill, in fact many Ottawans work directly for the federal government and those who don't, support all those activities on the Hill including all programs that require funding, using their federal tax dollars. Many public servants are too well aware of activities within government that are entirely inappropriate but have to put up with situations because it is know that whistle blowers can live difficult lives within the public service.

Today we hear that David Dingwall was on the hotseat for his spending habits while he was President of the Royal Canadian Mint. We also hear that former Cabinet Minister, Alphonso Gagliano, who was later ambassador to Norway, representing the people of Canada, brought some shame to Canada when he was recalled, in part for his share in activities that the Gomery Commission had been investigating for many months. That Commission's report will be released in the near future. He recently stated the present Prime Minister, Paul Martin and one of his Cabinet Ministers, Stéphane Dion, were fully aware of the $250-million advertising program, leading to speculation that there is something there to hide.

And now, we learn that one of the Prime Minister's friends, Richard Mahoney, failed to register as a lobbyist and perhaps did lobby after a "mix-up" within Industry Canada's Lobby Registration Branch. Let us presume that he is absolutely innocent of this "infraction" but the public must wonder about his activities as a lobbyist.

What should concern the people in Mahoney's riding, who voted for the much respected Ed Broadbent of the NDP to become their federal representative and who will be retiring from politics is the fact that Richard Mahoney will probably run again. If elected, he is a likely shoe-in for a cabinet appointment. He could win if the vote is split three-ways with the NDP and the Conservatives receiving well over 50% of the vote but the Liberals under Mahoney receiving the highest share of votes among the candidates, with the entitlement to a seat in Canada's Parliament. The NDP party has very little hope of leading the next government. It would be wonderful for the Conservatives if the NDP voters would support them, to bring about the downfall of the Liberals. Those voters could be the future "king-makers" of the Canadian Parliament.

Ottawa is the centre of scandals, intrigue, corruption of many sorts and no doubt the centre for the creation of national cynicism.

Time passes

Time passes and life moves on and though I have not written directly to my blog, I have been active on other literary fronts. As well, I have been involved in travel to the United States and reading many books, magazines and newspapers, following those activities with perhaps too much thinking.

I have written many words that have not been for publication or sharing with many but only with a few individuals.

I have found that so many activities and news events have taken up much of my otherwise "free" time. For example, the hurricanes in the U.S. have been a focus, in particular after receiving a first email from a friend who had left his home in New Orleans and was driving to his brother's home in Houston.

I have spent time in New Orleans and in other communities in Louisiana, Alabama and Texas visiting family, friends and former classmates. My thoughts have been with them and the many individuals who have been the victims of tragic events associated with the hurricanes.