FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Aug 2

Ethics Scandal Hits Prime Minister of Canada Once Again — So What!

by bcurry

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the headlines once again for a situation involving a potential conflict of interest. This time it has to do with a proposed contract to a supposedly non-profit organization called the WE Charity Foundation, run by two brothers: Craig and Marc Kielburger. The federal government initially awarded a sole-sourced contract for $19.5 million to WE Charity to administer a $912-million student grant program— meaning no requests for bids.  Post-secondary students could volunteer up to 500 hours to receive a grant up to $5,000 under the proposed new Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG). The problem is that the PM’s family has close ties to WE Charity with his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau hosting a podcast called WE Well-being.  Both Justin Trudeau and his wife have spoken at WE Days, as have the PM’s mother, Margaret Trudeau, and his brother, Alexandre Trudeau.  It was uncovered that Margaret Trudeau had been paid $250,000 for 28 appearances and Alexandre Trudeau had been paid $32,000 for eight appearances.  When the matter of awarding the contract for the CSSG came before Cabinet, neither Trudeau nor his Finance Minister Bill Morneau, whose family also had ties to the WE Charity, recused themselves from discussions about the contract.  A big mistake for which the PM has now often apologized even before Parliament, the House’s Finance Committee and Canadians in general.  Moreover, the CSSG contract to the WE Charity was withdrawn by the government as a result.

What makes matters worse is the fact that this is the third time that the PM’s actions have been investigated by the Ethics Commissioner. In the previous two cases, Trudeau was found to have broken federal ethics rules.  Neither decision was sufficient to force the PM to resign and install an acting PM.  Given that the opposition parties really don’t want to bring down the government at this time, in light of the pandemic and everything else, it is highly unlikely that Trudeau will resign and call an election.  This despite the fact that he has a minority government and requires opposition support to govern.  However, such scandals can eventually influence the electorate as people may not be ready to forgive the PM for his latest transgression.

Of course, the media loves such scandals and continue to uncover certain dirt with respect to the WE Charity itself, accusing Craig and Marc Kielburger of financially benefiting from the foundation, especially in its real estate holdings. As a result, the foundation is itself under close scrutiny for significant real estate holdings that received charitable status last year, the firing of half its workforce and the resignation of several Board of Directors members; including the former Chair, Michelle Douglas.  Indeed, it appears that new information about WE financial irregularities preceding the scandal had come to light of which the Prime Minister’s Office should have been aware.

What does all this mean? The PM’s popularity rating had risen due to the federal government’s fairly good handling and coordination of national policies and programs in response to the coronavirus pandemic.  However, recent polls show a slight decline in his popularity, but not enough to force Trudeau to resign or to dissolve Parliament.  No one, including the official opposition Conservatives, wants an election at this time or in the near future.  While any so-called scandal currently makes for good press and suggests incompetence, over time it usually dies out unless more serious revelations about political improprieties come to light.   There may be a shake-up in Cabinet such as moving the Finance Minister to another portfolio, but that’s about all.  In the meantime, the government must keep on governing in response to the pandemic, which in my view and that of most Canadians should be its priority.  The nation and the economy need a steady hand at the helm, even if it may be shaking right now.

Canada COVID-19 Justin Trudeau Political Scandals Uncategorized

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Jan 20

New Year and Crazy Politics to Look Forward To

by bcurry

Well. A new year has arrived and with it the certainty that politicians in the U.S. and Canada will provide us with plenty of entertainment — no matter how painful. Once again, one is starting off the year with new scandals, thanks largely to Republican Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and what is now being called “Bridgegate”. Apparently, four days of George Washington Bridge delays in September were allegedly caused on purpose by Governor Christie’s office in order to punish a local Democratic Party mayor. In addition, questions are being raised about how the good Governor had directed some of the federal recovery funds in aid of the victims and extensive damage resulting from Superstorm Sandy. New Jersey Lt.-Gov. Kim Guadagno strongly denied that Christie’s administration had tied Superstorm Sandy recovery funds to support for a prime real estate project in Hoboken. However, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer ratcheted up her allegation about the funding link and apparently has turned over documents to a federal prosecutor investigating his staff. Remember, Governor Christie was expected to be a strong contender for the Republican presidential nomination for 2015. Maybe not so much anymore?

Here in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is still going to have to deal with a number of Senate spending scandals — some of which are currently under investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). With federal elections coming up in October 2015, it will be very interesting to see just how long it will take for the RCMP to proceed with any potential criminal charges? In the meantime, the current government’s standing in the polls is going down. It appears that Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has been making headway with average Canadian voters, despite his apparent inexperience and having misspoken a number of times. Given the Liberal Party’s position in support of the legalization of marijuana (alias pot, Weed, reaper, Mary Jane, food, ganja, kush), I’d certainly vote for his party! Think of all the revenue one could raise. It may even help some people cope better with what’s going on!

Then we have President Obama telling us how we all need “Big Brother” to oversee your interests, whatever those may be. If the American spy agency is reading this, please note that I love spy movies. As your neighbour, I love Americans and would never walk on your manicured lawns without your permission and for fear of being shot. Carry on Mr. President and please let us know how it all works out in the name of national security.

I can’t wait to see what the coming year has in store for us. More of the same I trust. Meanwhile, keep smiling and enjoy the rollercoaster ride. Happy New Year!!!!!

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Dec 8

Why Rob Ford Can’t Handle the News Media as a Reflection of Today’s Politics.

by bcurry

Toronto Councillor Doug Ford, the brother of the city’s controversial Mayor Rob Ford, has accused the media as practising [Soviet] Stalin-era Pravda journalism and has blamed a left-wing “media conspiracy” for the Mayor’s continuing problems. What does this say about the relationship between the media and today’s politicians? It’s no surprise that certain political leaders, such as Prime Minister Stephen Harper, try to stay clear of media scrums. In Harper’s case, any regular media events are strictly controlled and orchestrated to publicize the ruling party’s objectives. Let’s face it, the media can make or break political careers. Like his career, Rob Ford’s recent handling of the media has been a mess.

One must remember that reporters or journalists are put in place to represent the public. They’re trained and obligated to ask the questions that people would ask if they could speak to the leaders directly. After all, when the Fords and Harpers refuse to answer reporters’ questions, they’re refusing to answer the people’s questions. Some politicians even attempt to bypass the media either through their own talk shows as in the case of the Fords or through the practice of holding press conferences without taking questions. Such efforts to bypass the media speak to an alarming trend of addressing voters without the checks and balances that journalists are meant to provide. One important reason why we have freedom of the press is because we want politicians’ statements to be subjected to intense scrutiny. So what is lost (when politicians speak directly) is that needed scrutiny of those statements. Good journalists do their homework, and are usually better prepared to ask those tough questions.

In Canada and the U.S., there is little doubt that many people have become suspicious of the press in recent years, labelling some media representatives as either too “leftist” or “right wing”. For this reason, the “blame the media” strategy has worked to an extent. In some cases, such as in the Rob Ford situation, supporters of a particular viewpoint can easily lump the media in with the so-called “elites” — who supposedly don’t care about the average person. What people fail to realize is that the media is simply reporting the news, normally with as many facts and careful objective scrutiny as is required.

Of course, the media itself can be manipulated by politicians themselves. Indeed, Rob Ford has offered photo availabilities with his family in the past for his own political reasons. When things began to turn bad in the media (claiming an expectation of privacy) he immediately lambasted the press for approaching or indirectly referring to his family. Sorry Mayor Ford, you can’t have it both ways! If he were, at any point, to ask the media to refrain from taking photos of his children or his wife, the media would very likely have respected that and stopped. However, he never did.

Then there are those crazy off-the-cuff scrums before the media. Mayor Ford could have and should have made himself available for more real press conferences, with one question and follow up at a time. You see President Obama doing these all the time. Or he could have done more longer sit down interviews with one reputable media outlet which could ask follow up questions and broadcast or show the entire video of the interview. Either way, the public would have been able to see and judge his answers to every question still unanswered. From this example, one can only conclude that he and numerous other politicians should relearn all about media relations and stop blaming the messenger for each of their faux pas. After all, the free press thankfully isn’t going away any time soon.

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Nov 14

Is there a shortage of strong political leaders in Canada?

by bcurry

In the past year, we have seen a Canadian population that has become more and more cynical about their political leaders and governing parties. This has been particularly true at the municipal level. For example, as many as four Quebec mayors and interim mayors have been forced to step down amid a province-wide corruption investigation, two other big-city mayors have faced court challenges on their mandates, and another faced criminal charges. Of course, Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford stands out from the crowd.

At the federal level, there have been the expense scandals in the Senate, resulting in the suspension of three implicated senators. Payoffs to one senator were made through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), resulting in the resignation of the PM’s Chief of Staff. While it is obvious that numerous officials in the PMO were aware of the illicit financial arrangements, Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to deny any knowledge of such activities. What makes matters worst is that it was Harper who had appointed the three suspended senators in the first place.

There is a difference between a “strong” leader and one who is “strong-willed”. A strong leader builds support among elected and appointed officials and facilitates a “team” approach in dealing with policies and political interests. A strong-willed leader simply believes in his or her ultimate entitlement to do whatever they see fit, while loosing the confidence of supporters and potentially the electorate. Strong leaders delegate responsibilities to members of their executive, all the while maintaining transparency and accountability within the administration. Strong leaders lead by example, both personal and public.

The adage that the “buck stops here” becomes an even more important one. Strong leaders will accept their ultimate accountability for their behaviour and that of their administration. Failure to do so will result in reduced public confidence in the abilities of political leaders. A recent Leger survey of Canadians showed that only 14 percent of respondents said they were significantly confident in the provincial governments they elected. A matching 14 percent expressed significant confidence in the federal government. Only 21 per cent of Canadians said they were confident in the work of their local officials.

Have we set the bar too low? Are we discouraging potential strong candidates from entering politics? Is the Canadian electorate tuning out, fed up with the shenanigans of federal, provincial and municipal leaders? Public life is hard enough without having to carry the baggage of past scandals, political corruption and discreditable conduct. For once, I’d like to see more reports of incidents of strong leadership in Canada. Unfortunately, it seems that this doesn’t make the news! I wonder why?

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Jun 20

Justin Trudeau’s Speaking Engagements and the Prime Minister’s Office

by bcurry

Well, here we go again. It appears that the taxpayer-funded Prime Minister’s Office (aka PMO) has nothing better to do but to lead a campaign to disparage a Member of Parliament (MP) from one of the opposition parties. Now, one must remember that the powerful PMO is responsible for almost everything to do with the PM, in this case Stephen Harper. In fact, the PMO calls the shots for much of what the Conservative government is doing or saying in the legislature and in public. It is the exclusive operational arm of the executive. Indeed, it appears to have so much influence that even a number of Conservative back benchers have complained about the PMO’s obsession with control.

Among the PMO’s latest activities is the apparent spearheading of partisan attacks against the Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau. Remember that recent polls have shown that Trudeau represents a real potential threat to the ruling Conservatives in the next election, his popularity being even greater than that of the PM. Due to his popularity and charismatic attributes, the younger Trudeau is often invited by various groups to speak at events, including those promoting a charitable cause. As an MP, Trudeau is in his right to be paid for such speaking engagements, as long as they are reported the federal ethics watchdog Mary Dawson. However, the Conservatives have tried to depict his acceptance of speaking fees as being unethical, particularly where charitable organizations are involved. I have no problem with such partisan political meanderings, but please do it on your own dime and not mine.

It appears that the PM and his staff are treating the PMO as an extension of the Conservative Party’s machinery. Recognizing that the PMO is staffed with party cronies, it is however paid for out of the public purse. The PMO’s chief administrative responsibility is to coordinate the ruling party’s agenda in Cabinet and in Parliament and to liaise with the federal bureaucracy. However, the PMO today has become much more as a result of exercising an inordinate amount of control over the Conservative caucus, Cabinet ministers and the party’s members of parliament. This obsession of Stephen Harper with absolute control has exasperated even members of his own party, to the point where one member recently left the caucus to sit as an independent. Under threat of excommunication, MPs are not allowed to speak their own minds or to speak out of turn either in the legislature or in public. Big brother is watching.

Using the PMO to spearhead political attacks on opposition leaders and to deflect recent negative publicity surrounding the Conservative government’s inappropriate behaviour and abuse of powers is unacceptable and dangerous. It’s about time that Canadians wake up to the bastardization of parliamentary institutions by this government. Elected on the promise of greater transparency and accountability, control-freak Harper has demonstrated even more secrecy and lack of openness in his administration. What’s worse is that the other parties may be becoming just as control conscious!!! So much for independence of thought.

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May 22

Leadership: It’s Not Only About What You Know, It’s Also About What You Don’t Know

by bcurry

“The buck stops here” is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office. Well, in the last few weeks, we’ve learned from President Obama and Prime Minister Harper that the buck appears to stop elsewhere. Sorry, but among the principal attributes of good leadership is setting the tone and establishing the culture for an organization, be it public, private or non-profit. This means that it isn’t always what a leader is aware of but what he or she is not aware of that is important.

In the case of President Barack Obama, it was his apparent lack of awareness of the pending release of the IRS Inspector General’s scathing report criticizing the IRS handling of claims by conservative groups for tax exemption as non-profit “social welfare” organizations. In the case of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it’s his claims to a lack of knowledge about recent substantial monies gifted to Senator Mike Duffy by his own trusted Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright. Senator Duffy, a Conservative appointee, is involved in the Senate scandal about living and travel expenses, and now sits as an independent in the Senate. The PM apparently denies having any knowledge of what may very well have been a criminal act, and one resulting in the subsequent resignation by Mr. Wright. Now this is a PM who in 2005 vowed to run an accountable and totally transparent government if elected.

In both cases, these national leaders pledged to run ethical and transparent administrations. Thus, like any good leaders, their respective values should be reflected under their administration. In turn, they are accountable to their parties and to the electorate for any and all activities undertaken during their administration. It is not enough to simply deny knowledge of illicit activities and irregularities. Leaders should own up to their general responsibilities for good governance and ensure that those responsible are dealt with under the full force of the law if warranted. Simply making excuses does not cut the mustard!!! Ultimately denying responsibility is not an option, for as President Truman professed: the buck stops at the top.

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