Ontario NDP deputy leader used constituency resources to promote Mulcair rally: Integrity Commissioner
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Ashley CsanadyFriday, Jun. 26, 2015
Jagmeet Singh, Ontario MPP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, has been cautioned by the Ontario Integrity Commissioner about his staff's use of constituency resources for partisan purposes. George Pimentel for Postmedia
Ontario New Democrat Jagmeet Singh’s staff mistakenly used constituency office resources to promote a rally with federal party leader Thomas Mulcair, the provincial integrity commissioner has ruled.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is pictured with with MPP Jagmeet Singh as she prepares to appear on the radio during the 2014 election. Chris Young/ Canadian Press
Singh faces no penalties for the oversight, as Commissioner Lynn Morrison wrote in a report released Friday.
“I did not recommend that a penalty be imposed as I was of the view that the issues arose as a result of errors, poor oversight, and lack of training,” Morrison wrote.
She added the case serves as another cautionary tale for MPPs about how their online presence, even when monitored by staff, can land them in hot water.
And that’s precisely what happened to Singh after he agreed to help his federal cousins with a March 15 rally in Toronto. Singh’s party account sent out an email inviting supporters to meet outside his constituency office for buses to pick them up. It also included his partisan, party email and the phone number to his constituency office.
While Morrison concluded the pick-up point outside’s Singh’s office may have been a poor choice, because it was closed she said it wasn’t a violation of the rules. She did note the use of the constituency office phone number was a breach but also that it was “not… intentional.”
Through the investigation, Morrison also found out that one of Singh’s Queen’s Park staff used a legislative email to discuss plans for the rally, which is technically a violation of the lines between partisan activity and parliamentary work.
But the central point of the complaint, filed by Liberal Etobicoke Centre MPP Yvonne Baker, was about Singh’s website: jagmeetsingh.ca. Baker alleged Singh was using what amounted to a constituency website to do partisan work and raise money. Singh said the website was his personal site, and Morrison found that to be true but also noted citizens might “mistake it for his virtual constituency office.”
The Ontario legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto. Aaron Lynett / National Post file
Since the issue was raised, Singh has worked with the Integrity Commissioner to address the issues with his website. The changes allow him to use it for party purposes and to raise money.
“I’m glad I and my office have been able to address her concerns proactively, cooperatively, quickly and thoroughly. While, as the Commissioner has noted in her report, there were no intentional breaches of policy, I look forward to working with the Commissioner’s office in addressing their concerns around training going forward,” Singh wrote in a statement.
MPPs of all stripes have struggled with conducting business online. The commissioner cites past cases where former Tory MPP Ted Chudleigh and current PC member Laurie Scott’s websites were questioned in the past and then amended.
This error occurred because constituency office staff did not properly understand the requirement to keep partisan matters out of the constituency office,” she wrote
Legislative staff also do both political and non-political work, which can make it difficult to know when to switch between personal and work emails. Her issues with the rally focus on the use of both legislative and constituency emails to plan a partisan event, and she points to her March 2015 report and guidelines for ministerial staff as evidence the issue isn’t unique. Morrison also notes it can be understandably difficult for staffer to know when work ends and party business begins.
Morrison also encouraged Singh, and all MPPs, to ensure their staff is properly trained in the sometimes blurry lines between politics and their jobs and offered up her office for training.
“This error occurred because constituency office staff did not properly understand the requirement to keep partisan matters out of the constituency office,” she wrote. “It is imperative that the member ensures staff have received appropriate training so they understand that legislative and constituency office resources must not be used for partisan activities. I understand that members’ schedules can make it difficult for them to provide direct supervision to all their staff. However, I provide members with the following caution: errors made by your staff are your errors.”
Posted in: News Tags: Canadian Politics, Jagmeet Singh, Ontario NDP, Thomas Mulcair
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Ontario NDP deputy leader used constituency resources to promote Mulcair rally: Integrity Commissioner
Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Email
Ashley CsanadyFriday, Jun. 26, 2015
Jagmeet Singh, Ontario MPP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, has been cautioned by the Ontario Integrity Commissioner about his staff's use of constituency resources for partisan purposes. George Pimentel for Postmedia
Ontario New Democrat Jagmeet Singh’s staff mistakenly used constituency office resources to promote a rally with federal party leader Thomas Mulcair, the provincial integrity commissioner has ruled.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is pictured with with MPP Jagmeet Singh as she prepares to appear on the radio during the 2014 election. Chris Young/ Canadian Press
Singh faces no penalties for the oversight, as Commissioner Lynn Morrison wrote in a report released Friday.
“I did not recommend that a penalty be imposed as I was of the view that the issues arose as a result of errors, poor oversight, and lack of training,” Morrison wrote.
She added the case serves as another cautionary tale for MPPs about how their online presence, even when monitored by staff, can land them in hot water.
And that’s precisely what happened to Singh after he agreed to help his federal cousins with a March 15 rally in Toronto. Singh’s party account sent out an email inviting supporters to meet outside his constituency office for buses to pick them up. It also included his partisan, party email and the phone number to his constituency office.
While Morrison concluded the pick-up point outside’s Singh’s office may have been a poor choice, because it was closed she said it wasn’t a violation of the rules. She did note the use of the constituency office phone number was a breach but also that it was “not… intentional.”
Through the investigation, Morrison also found out that one of Singh’s Queen’s Park staff used a legislative email to discuss plans for the rally, which is technically a violation of the lines between partisan activity and parliamentary work.
But the central point of the complaint, filed by Liberal Etobicoke Centre MPP Yvonne Baker, was about Singh’s website: jagmeetsingh.ca. Baker alleged Singh was using what amounted to a constituency website to do partisan work and raise money. Singh said the website was his personal site, and Morrison found that to be true but also noted citizens might “mistake it for his virtual constituency office.”
The Ontario legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto. Aaron Lynett / National Post file
Since the issue was raised, Singh has worked with the Integrity Commissioner to address the issues with his website. The changes allow him to use it for party purposes and to raise money.
“I’m glad I and my office have been able to address her concerns proactively, cooperatively, quickly and thoroughly. While, as the Commissioner has noted in her report, there were no intentional breaches of policy, I look forward to working with the Commissioner’s office in addressing their concerns around training going forward,” Singh wrote in a statement.
MPPs of all stripes have struggled with conducting business online. The commissioner cites past cases where former Tory MPP Ted Chudleigh and current PC member Laurie Scott’s websites were questioned in the past and then amended.
This error occurred because constituency office staff did not properly understand the requirement to keep partisan matters out of the constituency office,” she wrote
Legislative staff also do both political and non-political work, which can make it difficult to know when to switch between personal and work emails. Her issues with the rally focus on the use of both legislative and constituency emails to plan a partisan event, and she points to her March 2015 report and guidelines for ministerial staff as evidence the issue isn’t unique. Morrison also notes it can be understandably difficult for staffer to know when work ends and party business begins.
Morrison also encouraged Singh, and all MPPs, to ensure their staff is properly trained in the sometimes blurry lines between politics and their jobs and offered up her office for training.
“This error occurred because constituency office staff did not properly understand the requirement to keep partisan matters out of the constituency office,” she wrote. “It is imperative that the member ensures staff have received appropriate training so they understand that legislative and constituency office resources must not be used for partisan activities. I understand that members’ schedules can make it difficult for them to provide direct supervision to all their staff. However, I provide members with the following caution: errors made by your staff are your errors.”
Posted in: News Tags: Canadian Politics, Jagmeet Singh, Ontario NDP, Thomas Mulcair
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Ontario NDP deputy leader used constituency resources to promote Mulcair rally: Integrity Commissioner
