Mendacious Illusions
Was it not ever so? A clean sweep with a "new" political party succeeding at the ballot box and assuming the mantle of governance. Pledging to restore the confidence of the public in government and the politicians who we are to assume represent the best and the brightest, the most astute and honest candidates this society can offer up.
Integrity and honesty are the order of the day. No longer will ethics in government be seen as an empty ploy to be skirted around to the benefit of those who seek to transform their experience in the inner circles of government and government bureaucracy into private gain. The Conservative government hobbled into a minority government after ushering the Liberals out with among other promises, to restore trust.
And so it was that Conservative Minister John Baird was tasked with ushering in a package of ethics reforms soon after coming to office as head of Treasury Board. His right-hand man at the time, privy to the inner sanctums of the new government's determination to appear to honour its commitment, a key figure in the work performed on the government's ethics law, has now seen fit to feather his nest.
In a way that completely confounds the original intent of the ethics legislation. Which had included required provisions to ensure that the revolving door of opportunity then existing which saw bureaucrats in cabinet ministers' offices launch themselves into private enterprise to lobby the government they had left, and make full use of their impressive contacts in powerful inner circles would be decently shut.
One such individual now seeking to reap returns on his investment as a government bureaucrat, Mike Van Soelen, removed himself from the government payroll in August, then promptly launched a public relations firm promising to "score big" on behalf of well-heeled clients. The literature tempting future clients sets out this man's stellar connections to the Conservative Cabinet Minister then at Treasury Board.
He self-lauds his work on the ethics law: "In this role, I supported the launch of the new government's first priority in coming to office, the Federal Accountability Act". "I also provided strategic counsel in the Environment portfolio, one of the hottest communications files in the country today." Making a total mockery of the exercise, and marking himself as a self-serving hypocrite of the first order.
Odd, under the Tory-introduced provisions not yet brought into effect, former ministerial employees such as Mr. Van Soelen would be forced to wait a full five years before setting out on their lobbying assaults for private-sector clients. But isn't there always a way with a will to acquire? It is not Mr. Van Soelen's intent to personally lobby government; he would contract-out, and provide the communications expertise.
Surprise, surprise, looks as though not much has changed despite the government's assurance that trust in its intent and determination to clean up less-than-ethical practises is not misplaced. Despite which, post the January 2006 election, a number of senior Conservative strategists have set up as high-powered lobbyists in advance of the introduction of the accountability act.
This is one very tired act.
Integrity and honesty are the order of the day. No longer will ethics in government be seen as an empty ploy to be skirted around to the benefit of those who seek to transform their experience in the inner circles of government and government bureaucracy into private gain. The Conservative government hobbled into a minority government after ushering the Liberals out with among other promises, to restore trust.
And so it was that Conservative Minister John Baird was tasked with ushering in a package of ethics reforms soon after coming to office as head of Treasury Board. His right-hand man at the time, privy to the inner sanctums of the new government's determination to appear to honour its commitment, a key figure in the work performed on the government's ethics law, has now seen fit to feather his nest.
In a way that completely confounds the original intent of the ethics legislation. Which had included required provisions to ensure that the revolving door of opportunity then existing which saw bureaucrats in cabinet ministers' offices launch themselves into private enterprise to lobby the government they had left, and make full use of their impressive contacts in powerful inner circles would be decently shut.
One such individual now seeking to reap returns on his investment as a government bureaucrat, Mike Van Soelen, removed himself from the government payroll in August, then promptly launched a public relations firm promising to "score big" on behalf of well-heeled clients. The literature tempting future clients sets out this man's stellar connections to the Conservative Cabinet Minister then at Treasury Board.
He self-lauds his work on the ethics law: "In this role, I supported the launch of the new government's first priority in coming to office, the Federal Accountability Act". "I also provided strategic counsel in the Environment portfolio, one of the hottest communications files in the country today." Making a total mockery of the exercise, and marking himself as a self-serving hypocrite of the first order.
Odd, under the Tory-introduced provisions not yet brought into effect, former ministerial employees such as Mr. Van Soelen would be forced to wait a full five years before setting out on their lobbying assaults for private-sector clients. But isn't there always a way with a will to acquire? It is not Mr. Van Soelen's intent to personally lobby government; he would contract-out, and provide the communications expertise.
Surprise, surprise, looks as though not much has changed despite the government's assurance that trust in its intent and determination to clean up less-than-ethical practises is not misplaced. Despite which, post the January 2006 election, a number of senior Conservative strategists have set up as high-powered lobbyists in advance of the introduction of the accountability act.
This is one very tired act.
posted by Pieface | 2:25 PM
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