Whistleblower Legislation

[maplesyrup]

Health Canada honours fired whistleblower

Chopra says the gifts are either a very bad joke, or some kind of harassment.

"You fired somebody," said Chopra, "and he's sitting at home now wondering how to pay the mortgage, how to take care of health-care bills, how to pay any of the bills, and then you receive a gold watch and a plaque!?

Among other criticisms, the scientists went public over bovine growth hormone a number of years ago, saying they were being pressured to approve the drug despite concerns they had about potential human safety problems.

What the ---- is going on here?

Why are at least the ethical cattle ranchers not rallying behind these whistleblowers? Or maybe they are, but our media is not sharing that part of the story with us.

Where is Canada's private media on this ? One would have thought they would be jumping up and down all over this. Or are they in cahoots with the bovine drug industry and the government?

I guess the Paul Martin Liberals are absolutely terrified to bring in effective whistleblower legislation because it will open the floodgates, eh?

Is there any government in Canada that has some good whistleblower legislation on the books?

[idealisttotheend]

I think that this case shows the privatization of Canada's civil service is well into the terminal state. It's the same as the US. Civil servants are now under more pressure to please the 'clients' i.e. the big companies hocing the products than the public.

A more proffessional and independant civil service might solve many of the problems afflicting the management of government today. That and getting rid of the practice of letting private companies hire former civil servants at very high pay rates after the servants in question make decisions positively affecting them.

It used to be that it was a matter of pride that a civil servant would not go to the private sector after there career but those days are done.

[maplesyrup]

Maybe, just maybe, Canada has lost its moral compass, and we are way more corrupt than we are willing to admit, eh!

[Big Blue Machine]

I think it will be one of those "I will promise it but never keep it" things. Every governemtn is corrupt, that's how governemtn works.

[maplesyrup]

Ottawa strengthens bill covering whistle-blowers

The bill's re-introduction comes on the heels of the firing in July of former Health Canada scientists Shiv Chopra, Margaret Haydon and Gerard Lambert, noted NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre), who co-chaired a sub-committee on whistle-blowing earlier this year.

"It's never been more important that those who have information of wrongdoing do feel free to come forward," said Martin, who had wanted the auditor-general's office to investigate claims of reprisal.

This is quite a switch, so Jack Layton really is bending Paul Martin's ear. Interestin'

[Argus]

"It's never been more important that those who have information of wrongdoing do feel free to come forward," said Martin, who had wanted the auditor-general's office to investigate claims of reprisal.

This is quite a switch, so Jack Layton really is bending Paul Martin's ear. Interestin'

I'll wait to hear what the public service unions and others have to say before believing this is the legislation we want. Let's not forget the Liberals under Martin brought forward legislation in the last parliament which was touted as protecting whistelblowers but which even their own privacy commisioner said was worse than what was already in existence.

If this new legislation really is protection for whistle blowers you can attribute it to the fact Martin is now in a minority position and knew that all three opposition parties would demand real protection. To say it is Layton's fault is sheer partisan nonsense. All three opposition parties have been extremely supportive of whistle-blower legislation, and the government would not have been able to pass a piece a bill like the last one without it being succesfully amended by them.

[maplesyrup]

Reality bites. and the reality is the Conservatives have gone to bed with the Bloc, and the New Democrats have chosen the Liberals as the lessor of three evils.

In the scoring on keeping the Liberals propped up, after the first period:

Liberals & NDP: One

Cons & Bloc: Zero

The second period is about to begin!

[Argus]

Reality bites. and the reality is the Conservatives have gone to bed with the Bloc, and the New Democrats have chosen the Liberals as the lessor of three evils.

In the scoring on keeping the Liberals propped up, after the first period:

Liberals & NDP: One

Cons & Bloc: Zero

The second period is about to begin!

Are you really this naive? Do you really believe the NDP, Tories and BQ hadn't discussed this amongst themselves and set out what they intended to do together? Remember that without a real threat to the Liberals they might as well have a majority government. So the opposition will make sure threats come up from time to time, with one or another bringing up an amendment and the Liberals having to woo one of the others into voting against it. This time it was the NDP, who might or might not have gotten something out of it. Later it will be the Tories (for example, in supporting the government in back to work legislation if there is a civil service strike) and they will want something for it. Then it will be the BQ. Horsetrading back and forth is what minorities are all about.