Democracy Watch

[jdobbin]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/071212/cana...tatbiliy_report

Loopholes in the Federal Accountability Act have actually weakened government accountability, a citizen advocacy group said Wednesday.

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Slamming the Conservatives on the one-year anniversary of the act, the non-profit, non-partisan organization Democracy Watch gave Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government an overall "D" grade for accountability.

Democracy Watch co-ordinator Duff Conacher told CBC News on Wednesday the most severe misstep in the 2006 Federal Accountability Act was the deletion of a key rule requiring staff and senior officials to "act with honesty."

"They deleted that ethics rule and that's not a small step backwards; that's a huge step backwards," Conacher said.

He noted that in the lead-up to the 2006 federal election, Democracy Watch actually ranked the Conservatives No. 1 in terms of accountability, beating out the NDP, Bloc Québécois, the Green party and the Liberals in last place.

The government has so far implemented or attempted to implement 26 measures to increase accountability in the federal government, Democracy Watch said in a statement released Wednesday.

"The problem is [the Conservatives] promised to make 54 changes," Conacher explained. "If they'd done all 54, they would have closed about two-thirds of the loopholes and flaws in the accountability system and that would have merited a B minus."

So much for accountability. Another broken Harper election promise.

[capricorn]

In January 2006, Democracy Watch measured the election platforms of the major parties on the question of accountability. The Conservatives' plans scored a "B" and the Liberals' plans scored an "F". You would think that a party that had been in power for 13 years would have had time to develop a better plan to improve accountability under its leadership. Perhaps that's one reason there was a change in government.

http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsJan1806.html

The Conservatives have been in office for 2 years. Granted things are not perfect. Yet, IMO the Liberals' accountability record after 13 years is way worse. I read the reader comments contained in your linked article and they all agree that so far, the Conservatives' efforts on accountability surpass anything the Liberals had done previously.

[jdobbin]

In January 2006, Democracy Watch measured the election platforms of the major parties on the question of accountability. The Conservatives' plans scored a "B" and the Liberals' plans scored an "F". You would think that a party that had been in power for 13 years would have had time to develop a better plan to improve accountability under its leadership. Perhaps that's one reason there was a change in government.

The Conservatives have been in office for 2 years. Granted things are not perfect. Yet, IMO the Liberals' accountability record after 13 years is way worse. I read the reader comments contained in your linked article and they all agree that so far, the Conservatives' efforts on accountability surpass anything the Liberals had done previously.

Yup. Accountability was a failing under the Liberals. The Tories made a big deal about it and more than two years after being elected, they themselves score a D.

[Topaz]

So with the Cons and the Libs in the dog house so to speak, do you think its time to vote the NDP in as a minority and give them a chance to prove how bad or good they are?? Lets not be like the US and vote every other time the Cons or the Libs in. Canada does have another party and I'm curious just to see wha they can do. This could help Canada have a better government by letting the Cons and the Libs know the voters will throw you out if you do wrong.

[Michael Bluth]

So with the Cons and the Libs in the dog house so to speak, do you think its time to vote the NDP in as a minority and give them a chance to prove how bad or good they are??

Heck no.

Who would be Minister of Finance? Minister of Foreign Affairs? Minister of Defence?

Don't trust any of those nutbars with our Government. Liberals, meh, but NDP. No frickin' way.

[capricorn]

In addition, we all saw what Bob Rae and his NDP did to Ontario. No, but no thanks.

[Canadian Blue]

So with the Cons and the Libs in the dog house so to speak, do you think its time to vote the NDP in as a minority and give them a chance to prove how bad or good they are?? Lets not be like the US and vote every other time the Cons or the Libs in. Canada does have another party and I'm curious just to see wha they can do. This could help Canada have a better government by letting the Cons and the Libs know the voters will throw you out if you do wrong.

No thanks, I am currently a member of the NDP however I will be voting Conservative federally and NDP provincially. The reason more or less is because at the federal level they are completely innept when it comes to the war on terrorism, criminal justice, and cultural issues.

[Wild Bill]

So with the Cons and the Libs in the dog house so to speak, do you think its time to vote the NDP in as a minority and give them a chance to prove how bad or good they are?? Lets not be like the US and vote every other time the Cons or the Libs in. Canada does have another party and I'm curious just to see wha they can do. This could help Canada have a better government by letting the Cons and the Libs know the voters will throw you out if you do wrong.

Why on earth would I vote for a socialist party if I'm not a socialist?

What's more, I too lived through Bob Rae's NDP government here in Ontario. I'm just too old to bear that kind of pain again.