Monday, July 09, 2007
Commissioner William Elliot
Not for one moment did I think Prime Minister Harper and Minister Day would ever consider an outsider for the Commissioner's job in the RCMP, let alone one who has no police experience. Nonetheless, a gutsy "outside the box" move. Probably among the few good decisions this government has made during its short controversial existence. Hopefully, history will agree.
However, Commissioner Elliot (the very utterance of the words must make RCMP management seethe with white foam) will, to a large degree, require the cooperation of management. So far, high ranking officers have expressed their approval in guarded politically correct phrases, while rank and file members seem to be accepting Commissioner Elliot's appointment.
Prime Minister Harper has delivered the RCMP a hard pill large enough to choke a horse. Let's see if the RCMP has the spurs to swallow it.
However, Commissioner Elliot (the very utterance of the words must make RCMP management seethe with white foam) will, to a large degree, require the cooperation of management. So far, high ranking officers have expressed their approval in guarded politically correct phrases, while rank and file members seem to be accepting Commissioner Elliot's appointment.
Prime Minister Harper has delivered the RCMP a hard pill large enough to choke a horse. Let's see if the RCMP has the spurs to swallow it.
Labels: accountability, Conservatives, Harper, RCMP, Stockwell Day
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Stockwell Day To The Rescue?
In face of all the past evidence of incompetence, lack of leadership, unethical behaviour, and wrongdoing within the RCMP and now David Brown's scathing report, how can Stockwell Day continue to maintain that the RCMP is the best police force in the world? If Stockwell Day believes the RCMP is representative of the "best", what does that say in his mind about the rest of Canada's police forces?
Labels: ethics, RCMP, Stockwell Day
Thursday, April 12, 2007
RCMP Pension Fraud
Not surprisingly, Conservative MP's including the Minister of Public Safety, have placed the blame for the RCMP pension scandal on the previous Liberal government. For the Conservatives to blame the previous Liberal government is symptomatic of incurable political diarrhea.
RCMP ineptness and corruption has transcended numerous governments including the "New Government", Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, and beyond. The pension fiasco is but one of a myriad of scandals plaguing this organization over the past few decades.
Despite being aware of the pension file in September 2006, Minister Day chose to remain silent and inactive. Why should he do otherwise? After all, the RCMP handed the Conservatives their election victory nine months earlier.
The RCMP has never been accountable to the public. Politicians don't have the backbone to hold them accountable. And, the only reason Minister Day has taken any action at all is because several RCMP officers had the courage to testify before the Public Accounts Committee. Had it not been for them, Minister Day would have sat on his hands like his predecessors.
Now, we wait to see who the Minister appoints to investigate this mess and whether or not the results of that investigation will ever see the light of day.
RCMP ineptness and corruption has transcended numerous governments including the "New Government", Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, and beyond. The pension fiasco is but one of a myriad of scandals plaguing this organization over the past few decades.
Despite being aware of the pension file in September 2006, Minister Day chose to remain silent and inactive. Why should he do otherwise? After all, the RCMP handed the Conservatives their election victory nine months earlier.
The RCMP has never been accountable to the public. Politicians don't have the backbone to hold them accountable. And, the only reason Minister Day has taken any action at all is because several RCMP officers had the courage to testify before the Public Accounts Committee. Had it not been for them, Minister Day would have sat on his hands like his predecessors.
Now, we wait to see who the Minister appoints to investigate this mess and whether or not the results of that investigation will ever see the light of day.
Labels: accountability, RCMP, Stockwell Day
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Visual and Auditory Pollution
The motivation behind our social conservative government's ostentatious transformation from blue to green is purely a vote getting ploy. Now that the health of our environment seems to be at the top of the heap in voter minds - poof! - the Conservatives grab their crayons and color themselves green.
They scrambled to action, throwing money in every direction faster than a Liberal before election day. So far, these announcements, much of which are resurrected Liberal programs or borrowed Liberal ideas, amount to intense visual and auditory pollution.
Let's not be fooled by the Conservatives' new adopted color. To Conservatives, the overwhelming body of evidence proving that global warming actually exists and a disaster is about to unravel is just a bunch of hocus-pocus. Stockwell Day's recent ridicule of Al Gore's documentary "The Inconvenient Truth" is a case in point. Mr. Day has proven he has little knowledge or understanding of environmental issues, yet he seems comfortable and willing to criticize others who do.
The Conservatives have not yet provided details about their programs. If they are serious about the environment we should see, for starters, hard core immediate and short term targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions followed by longer term targets, rather than their current long term (2020 - 2050) targets focusing only on emission intensity.
Time will tell if the Conservatives are serious or just playing with their crayons.
They scrambled to action, throwing money in every direction faster than a Liberal before election day. So far, these announcements, much of which are resurrected Liberal programs or borrowed Liberal ideas, amount to intense visual and auditory pollution.
Let's not be fooled by the Conservatives' new adopted color. To Conservatives, the overwhelming body of evidence proving that global warming actually exists and a disaster is about to unravel is just a bunch of hocus-pocus. Stockwell Day's recent ridicule of Al Gore's documentary "The Inconvenient Truth" is a case in point. Mr. Day has proven he has little knowledge or understanding of environmental issues, yet he seems comfortable and willing to criticize others who do.
The Conservatives have not yet provided details about their programs. If they are serious about the environment we should see, for starters, hard core immediate and short term targets reducing greenhouse gas emissions followed by longer term targets, rather than their current long term (2020 - 2050) targets focusing only on emission intensity.
Time will tell if the Conservatives are serious or just playing with their crayons.
Labels: Al Gore, Conservatives, environment, greenhouse gases, Stockwell Day
Friday, December 08, 2006
Stockwell Day's Lapel Pin
Following RCMP Commissioner's Zaccardelli's ignominious appearence before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security this past Wedesday, his boss, Stockwell Day appeared yesterday to give his testimony about the Zaccardelli affair. He also appeared in a couple of media interviews later in the day.
In each of the appearances Stockwell Day was sporting a massive RCMP lapel pin on his suit. At first, I thought it was an RCMP hat badge. How tacky and inappropriate! Who's the boss of who?
Stockwell Day is soliciting suggestions from MP's of all parties on how to best de-politicize the RCMP. For starters, ditch the lapel pin.
In each of the appearances Stockwell Day was sporting a massive RCMP lapel pin on his suit. At first, I thought it was an RCMP hat badge. How tacky and inappropriate! Who's the boss of who?
Stockwell Day is soliciting suggestions from MP's of all parties on how to best de-politicize the RCMP. For starters, ditch the lapel pin.
Labels: RCMP, Stockwell Day
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Good Police Work = Cheap Political Points
Stockwell Day, our Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Minister, responded to the excellent work of the Sûreté du Québec, RCMP, and Montréal Police and other agencies by saying: “...We're sending a message that this government intends to have safe and secure communities. People should not test our resolve."
Mr. Day's comments are a transparent attempt to gain inexpensive political points on the coattails of excellent police work involving several police forces, particularly when this investigation likely began years before the Conservatives came to power. It's the police who deserve every bit of the credit, not Stockwell Day or the Conservative government.
Mr. Day's comments are a transparent attempt to gain inexpensive political points on the coattails of excellent police work involving several police forces, particularly when this investigation likely began years before the Conservatives came to power. It's the police who deserve every bit of the credit, not Stockwell Day or the Conservative government.
Labels: organized crime, police, Stockwell Day
