Monday, December 7, 2015

Ah, But Will They?

Were they truly public-spirited citizens, the dozens of people recently appointed by Stephen Harper to government agencies and crown corporations would step aside if so requested by Justin Trudeau.
The previous government under former prime minister Stephen Harper made the last-minute patronage appointments in the run-up to October’s federal election, which saw the Tories defeated by the Liberals.

On Monday, the Liberal government plans to send out letters to dozens of appointees who were assigned the posts or had prior contracts renewed in the twilight of Harper's government.

Many of the positions command six-figure salaries, and it could cost the government up to $18.5 million to buy them out should they refuse to step aside.

Liberals say that Harper's patronage appointments make it difficult for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to put his stamp on the country's crucial agencies.

Traditionally, governments have avoided awarding the positions before their mandate has been renewed.



My guess is that given the choice between doing the right thing and sacrificing handsome remuneration, the majority of these public 'servants' will choose the latter.

Perhaps some public shaming is in order?
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6 comments:

  1. RuralDecember 7, 2015 at 9:35 AM

    Perhaps some public shaming is in order?

    Any of these appointees whos term has not yet expired should voluntarily submit to a "review" of any future renewal, if they do not then let us "review" their performance anyway.....

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  2. LeDaroDecember 7, 2015 at 12:58 PM

    Lorne, public shaming will not work. Trudeau may have no choice but to fire these political appointees and pay the price. Ufortunate!

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    Replies
    1. LorneDecember 7, 2015 at 2:10 PM

      Sadly, you may be right, LD. Of course, there is always a remote possibility that some of them have at least a scrap of honour and will do the right thing.... Nah, on second thought, you are absolutely correct.

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  3. AnonymousDecember 7, 2015 at 1:00 PM

    The list of ALL appointments made during the Harper years should be made public, along with their contact information and salaries.
    Next, assign them to responsibilities or jobs that deny them ANY access to the decision-making process in the ranks of Canadian and Crown Corp organizations, side-stepping their authority at every opportunity.
    If they don't stand down, that's fine, but they shouldn't have a right to employment just because their buddy was a big fan of patronage.

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