Has the ethics watchdog decided not to bark?

[daleo]

OTTAWA — Federal ethics commissioner Mary Dawson appears to have invented a secret bureaucratic process to avoid posting public disclosure statements by ministers who are in conflicts of interest, say the Liberal and NDP ethics critics and a government watchdog group.

They say Dawson’s handling of a conflict of interest case involving Fisheries Minister Gail Shea raises questions about the Federal Accountability Act and about Dawson, the person charged with making sure that MPs, ministers and senior public servants follow the rules on ethics in conducting public business.

The Chronicle Herald reported Monday that Shea did not file a public recusal statement declaring her conflict of interest in dealing with a federal grant worth $10 million to $20 million for a wind farm to be built by the Wind Energy Institute of Canada — headed by her son-in-law, Scott Harper.
...
"Upon being elected in 2008, I did disclose my relationship to the ethics commissioner," she said. "I have followed the advice of the commissioner. The allegations in the media are baseless and they are unfounded."

But there is no record of a public recusal statement in the government registry. The Federal Accountability Act requires that a minister in a potential conflict "make a public declaration of the recusal that provides sufficient detail to identify the conflict of interest that was avoided."

In an email on Monday, a spokeswoman for Dawson said the commissioner regularly reaches arrangements with holders of public office to avoid public recusals.

"Doing so can preclude the need for recusal and thus the need to make a public declaration," Margaret Booth said.
...
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1177007.html
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The ethics commissioner regularly cuts deals to avoid public declarations? That doesn't seem right.

[shockedcanadian]

1. Standard M.O in Canada...

I have not seen or heard of a "watchdog" in this country that has any teeth. Canada is simply not a county who concerns itself with accountability or integrity; even alot of the educated and well informed.

How often have you heard of secret government and/or judicial backroom meetings or the term "national security" as a reason to not provide trransparency? Read up on our labour regulators, look at the Security Intelligence Review Commitee (SIR|C). I have read every annual report that the SIRC has posted on their website since 1985; this includes their investigations into the very public cases of the Heritage Front and The Arar case. They have neither the fortitude, constitution to do anything. They have absolutely no teeth. Everything they ever provide is to make "recommendations", non enforceable fluff, to give the appearance of some integrity and oversight in the system.

When was the last time you heard of a politican going to jail? An RCMP officer charged with a crime? A CSIS agent put on the stand?

Welcome to the once proud and ethical Canada.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

2. Oh? When was that?

Canada doesn't act any differently now than it ever did.