Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissioner

[Jersay]

OTTAWA (CP) - The prime minister's refusal to co-operate with an ethics investigation into the David Emerson floor-crossing violates the law and sets a dangerous precedent, a Liberal MP charged Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wayne Easter, a former Liberal cabinet minister, said Harper's fight with ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro cuts at the heart of government accountability. "It's become a much bigger issue," Easter told a news conference.

"If he was ever to get away with dumping Mr. Shapiro and appointing another ethics commissioner, it sets an extremely dangerous precedent for future parliaments and future prime ministers in terms of all officers of the House of Commons."

Moreover, Harper is directly contravening the federal conflict-of-interest act by refusing to co-operate with Shapiro.

"Hopefully, we can convince the prime minister to basically follow the laws of the land," said Easter, a former solicitor general.

Shapiro agreed last week to investigate an opposition complaint about Emerson's decision to switch to the Conservative party and join Harper's cabinet within days of the January federal election.

Harper has said he has the last word on who gets invited into cabinet and he won't allow an unelected "Liberal appointed" official to get involved.

Shapiro, whose 2004 appointment was approved by all parties in the Commons, came in for criticism from a variety of fronts during the last Parliament.

But Harper's heavy-handed approach to this latest investigation has spurred Liberals and New Democrats to dig in their heels to protect the integrity of the commissioner's office.

Easter said Harper's recent, self-admitted approach to former NDP MP Ed Broadbent to replace Shapiro clearly oversteps the prime minister's authority.

"The fact of the matter is that Prime Minister Harper cannot fire Shapiro unless he can engineer some act through the Parliament of Canada," said Easter.

"This is the very reason why the ethics commissioner and Bill C-4 was passed: to take away the authority of the Prime Minister's Office to have influence over the ethics commissioner."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/2006...jhvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Kind of funny when he says that a Liberal appointed guy is tainted basically, but if he appoints someone, it is all good.

He is a bunch of crap, and is trying to create a authortative state of parliment around him. I am glad he didn't get a majority or even a good sizable minority.

 

[cortez]

RE: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

agreed, pure hypocrisy
it didnt take long for these hodads to crap themselves
he obviously has something to hide or he would at least be pretending to co-operate
how much money was exchanged or drugs or favours of an intimate nature .......
i hope someone has it on video somewhere
there must be a deep throat sitting quietly ...waiting
lets let the boys at W5 and the 5th estate look into it

im voting for the greens next time---even though we dont have a candidate in our riding

 

[Sassylassie]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Harper is starting to look like a thug and a bully. He hides from the public and when something unpleasant is uncovered he hides and doesn't answer the questions. Yep, he fits the Profile of the average PM. Richman, liar, autocratic, there are to many qualities to list.

 

[FiveParadox]

Harper's Conduct Inappropriate

The conduct of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper in recent days has been inexcusable, for the Prime Minister of Canada. The recent showdown in Ottawa over the investigation to be conducted by Bernard Shapiro, the Ethics Commissioner of Canada, is only the latest stunt of a Government of Canada that is making good progress in burying itself in scandals, not much unlike the previous Government of Canada.

Federal accountability, indeed.

 

[Sassylassie]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

I don't like Steven harper, good god look at the size of his head --a head that size isn't normal. It's a great big ol pumkin sitten on no neck, can't trusk no-necks no you can't

 

[Jo Canadian]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

 

[Finder]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Well can Harper let me down further? I think he will in the end. The one thing Canadians ask of him is to run a clean government and he can't even do that with in weeks of getting elected.

 

[darkbeaver]

RE: Harper violates law f

Mr Harper is in fact a triple R threat to the nation, a Rightwing Religious Republican in conservative clothing. He talked like an American politician now he walks like one.

 

[FiveParadox]

Harper's Tenuous Term

Notwithstanding whether or not the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, M.P., P.C., thinks that he has a mandate to do whatever he would like, he must keep in mind that he has the weakest government in the history of Canada; if he continues to attempt to govern with such an arrogant attitude, refusing to co-operate with Independent Officers and the House of Commons, then we are going to be watching the dissolution of the House in less than a year, in my opinion.

 

[Sassylassie]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Nope that is my opinion also Five. How did this Autocrat get elected, I'm still stunned that people believe a word that comes out of his morally rightious mouth. I lament Why, Why. He has been in hiding since the election, it will be interesting to see how he is going to deal with the media.

 

[FiveParadox]

RE: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

I have seen him deal with the media; did anyone else see the media question period after his meeting with the Honourable Jean Charest? The Prime Minister refused to answer certain questions, and when asked why, he would respond with the political equality of just because!

 

[Sassylassie]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

He fired his political advisor, he has gone through three I believe. The arogance of this Pumpkin Headed Man is amazing and scary. Howard Dill (he grows giant pumpkins) must look at Harper and wonder were me seeds used for that head.

 

[sanch]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

In my most cynical moods I tended to see Canadian elections mainly as a form of amusement for the moneyed class and secondarily as a mock exercise they held periodically to make Canadians feel involved in the political process. Now I think like this all the time.

Harper was not elected to run a clean government. That is like asking Al Capone to run a bank. Harper’s platform was based on introducing accountability legislation so that there would be rigorous oversight for politicians and the civil service. Hopefully some effort will be made to introduce this bill.

Other than that all Harper has affirmed is that politicians lie and are crooks and that he in particular is too stupid to be Prime Minister.

 

[Jersay]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Harper is starting to look like a thug and a bully. He hides from the public and when something unpleasant is uncovered he hides and doesn't answer the questions. Yep, he fits the Profile of the average PM. Richman, liar, autocratic, there are to many qualities to list.

Good point about Mr Harper. He wants to be even worst than Bush, he wants to be an authoritative dictator from the West, the lackey to King Klein.

 

[Finder]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Oh well we can only hope he gets worse now, so all Canadians see how bad this guy is. So perhaps next election they won't get a seat east of Manitoba. :twisted:

 

[Jersay]

Re: Harper violates law for not working with Ethics commissi

Exactly, and the NDP come to power. :twisted: