Tory Staffers Allegedly Interfering with Access to Information

[cybercoma]

Article Posted Here.

Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault was rebuffed by the Tories when she recently requested information from the Department of Public Works for an investigation. Similarly, Ralph Goodale faced a similar problem when looking for staffer emails pertaining to Senate expenses. Essentially, minister's offices are becoming information "black holes" despite a Supreme Court ruling that was meant to ensure this doesn't happen. If the Information Commissioner and a sitting MP have this much difficulty getting information that the government is legally obligated to provide, then what hope do we have to know what's going on? Where is the open and accountable government that Stephen Harper promised almost 10 years ago?

[Shady]

I like how it's "alleged." Some nice butt covering. Classy.

[eyeball]

If the Information Commissioner and a sitting MP have this much difficulty getting information that the government is legally obligated to provide, then what hope do we have to know what's going on?

None at all without cameras and microphones aimed at everyone in government from deputy ministers on up to the PMO. In fact we may only need cameras and microphones in the PMO to bring the entire structure below into an honest alignment. If honesty and integrity is concentrated at the top it should trickle down just like wealth is said too do - and who knows maybe it would once the honesty and integrity starts washing through.

Where is the open and accountable government that Stephen Harper promised almost 10 years ago?

Ha ha ha, you're joking right?

Edited April 18, 2014 by eyeball

[Bryan]

I like how it's "alleged." Some nice butt covering. Classy.

My favourite parts are how she actually DID receive the documents she requested, even though it was conclusively shown to her that she wasn't even requesting them from the place where were stored. That "interference" she alleges was the staffers actually doing their jobs -- looking for the documents she wanted, not finding them, and letting her know where she might go to actually find them. Then she sent in the proper request and got what she wanted.

The Toronto Star -- "Yeah, we're lying, but it fits the narrative we like to tell."

Edited April 18, 2014 by Bryan

[On Guard for Thee]

Article Posted Here.

Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault was rebuffed by the Tories when she recently requested information from the Department of Public Works for an investigation. Similarly, Ralph Goodale faced a similar problem when looking for staffer emails pertaining to Senate expenses. Essentially, minister's offices are becoming information "black holes" despite a Supreme Court ruling that was meant to ensure this doesn't happen. If the Information Commissioner and a sitting MP have this much difficulty getting information that the government is legally obligated to provide, then what hope do we have to know what's going on? Where is the open and accountable government that Stephen Harper promised almost 10 years ago?

Well just ask Mr. Harper himself and he'll tell you "I've been very clear about this....." What is very clear is that he was found in contempt of parliament for the actions you have just outlined. Let's just hope the RCMP have a bit better luck with their probing and we can find out some truths preferably before the next election.

[eyeball]

Legault raised this issue of preservation with the Treasury Board Secretariat last year, noting that instant messages between officials were not being properly stored, meaning the process behind government decisions was going undocumented.

This is the crux of the issue. The process IMO should borrow a page from Robert's Rules Of Order - if a meeting is not recorded then it quite rightly didn't happen, hence no decision or policy was or can be made. There needs to be a step by step procedure that can be audited so that every decision leading up to a public policy within the public's domain can be traced directly back to a recorded meeting.

And by records I mean cameras and microphones.

[Wilber]

We've had incidents here in BC with government members and officials doing government business on personal email accounts so they aren't part of the official record and can't be obtained through access to information.

Let's face it, governments are naturally secretive no matter what they might say to get elected. They will try to game the system if they can and all you can do is try to keep them honest.

[eyeball]

We can also do a lot more to try a lot harder.

[Shady]

My favourite parts are how she actually DID receive the documents she requested, even though it was conclusively shown to her that she wasn't even requesting them from the place where were stored. That "interference" she alleges was the staffers actually doing their jobs -- looking for the documents she wanted, not finding them, and letting her know where she might go to actually find them. Then she sent in the proper request and got what she wanted.

The Toronto Star -- "Yeah, we're lying, but it fits the narrative we like to tell."

Well said, and documented. It's another hit and run piece by The Star and cybercoma.

[cybercoma]

Well said, and documented. It's another hit and run piece by The Star and cybercoma.

The Tories have nothing but integrity.

[WWWTT]

Ok then. I clicked on the link to the TS article about this topic.

I had to read it a couple of times to figure it out to see what this person was getting at.

I don't think this is really going to go anywhere.

I could be wrong. Maybe the voters next election will spend an hour to read this article over several times to figure it out, then get all steamed up! But I doubt it.

WWWTT