Accountability, we hardly knew ye’
Well I think it’s about time to wrap up the poll and start a new one (look for that around lunch time,) so I guess I’m going to talk about the Tories. Now, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to write about, until I remembered reading an article from the Globe and Mail yesterday.
It’s been three weeks since I’ve had the ocassion to talk about Harper’s much ballyhooed and little implemented Accountability Act… and here I am, trying to figure out something to write about the Tories when I come across this article:
The Harper government has opened the door to a watering down of its vaunted strategy to crack down on lobbying, as it contemplates forcing lobbyists to only report their formal verbal communications with federal officials, documents show.
Under proposals that are circulating in the government-relations industry in Ottawa, lobbyists would not have to report “spontaneous” verbal communications with government officials, nor would they have to disclose e-mail or other written exchanges.
Now the Accountability Act was stillborn months ago, but Harper and his caucus have continued to play the role of Whirling Dervish, spinning it for all that it’s worth. Even though he has exempted his own members from its purview, cancelled provisions that would impede his ability to govern, and circumvented the act at every opportunity, Tory supporters continue to cling to it, perhaps to rationalize the ridiculous belief that he represents a beacon of integrity and ethics. Well, here’s yet another nail in the coffin of his Accountability Act. Ladies and gentlemen, start your spinning…
PS: I’m having a heck of a time trying to come up with Accountability Act post titles, so if you don’t mind sharing feel free to leave your suggestions.