Harper promised to make government more open and accessible. Instead, he disregards facts and fires the people who reveal them.
| Over the coming months it is my intention to make clear what is really happening in Ottawa. In the first volume of Rudd’s Reality Check, I expose Mr. Harper’s failure to respect facts and the people who reveal them. As a small business owner for over 25 years I know that if I don’t base my decisions on facts and evidence, my business is doomed to failure. It’s the same for government. Harper’s biggest failure to respect the “facts” came when he abolished the long form census. Experts agree that without the long form census, Canadian governments, businesses and community organizations will no longer have accurate data to base their decisions on. That’s why business leaders, academics, and agency heads have repeatedly asked that the long form census be restored. But the Conservatives have refused to listen.Here are a few more examples of how Mr Harper ignores the truth in favour of ideology and politics. |
THE FACTS REVEALED:
VETERANS ARE BADLY TREATED
Col Pat Stogran was the Veterans Ombudsman appointed by Stephen Harper who dared to criticize the federal government’s shoddy treatment of injured veterans, saying that Veteran’s Affairs adopted a “penny-pinching insurance company mentality” towards veterans. THE RESULT:
? AXED!
The Harper Government didn’t like it when Stogran publicly called them “uncaring, heartless bureaucrats”. The result? As Stogran tells it: “They basically told me to pound salt.” Legions across Canada demanded Stogran continue as Veteran’s Ombudsman. But Harper refused to listen and axed Stogran. THE FACTS REVEALED:
NUCLEAR FACILITY UNSAFE
Linda Keen was president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission when, out of safety concerns, she shut down the Chalk River nuclear facility where medical isotopes were produced. “When it comes to nuclear facilities, ignoring safety requirements is simply not an option, not now, not ever”, Keen said. THE RESULT:
? AXED!
Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn attacked Keen’s decision, suggesting she had the reactor shut down in order to embarrass the Government. Keen was fired and the reactor was re-started. Then, just a few months later, the reactor had to be shut down again when a leak in the heavy water reservoir was detected. THE FACTS REVEALED:
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Mr. Harper said he would “strengthen the federal access-to-information laws and enhance public scrutiny of government operations.”
THE RESULT:
? INFORMATION HIDDEN!
UNLIKE MR HARPER, LIBERALS ARE COMMITTED TO OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE AND TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT
A Liberal government will make a clean break with the current Conservative government’s approach of limiting information to Canadians. We will:
- Immediately restore the long-form census;
- Put as much government information as possible online free of charge;
- Post all Access to Information requests, responses, and response times online, and
- Make information on government grants, contributions and contracts available online.
Help me bring open government to Northumberland—Quinte West.
Join me at www.kimrudd.ca
