Bloombergs is Reporting Corruption in the Canadian Government

We didn't really need Bloombergs to tell us that our government was corrupt, but I suppose they felt they were doing us a service, seeing as how our own media rarely does.

And when they do, their voices are drowned out by the right-wing echo chamber.

But yes, as difficult as it may be to believe, the Harper government is corrupt. According to Bloombergs: Canadian Ethics Roiled as Barrick Exploits Loophole in Lobby Law With Visa

Barrick Gold Corp. and Visa Canada Corp. are exploiting an exemption in ethics legislation to hire former Harper administration aides as lobbyists, triggering calls for increased regulation as Canadian lawmakers prepare to
review the rules.

Barrick, the world’s largest gold producer, and Visa Canada, the subsidiary of the world’s largest bank-card network, have hired former advisers to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Industry Minister Tony Clement as directors of government affairs. They have done so even though a 2006 law sought to ban politicians and ministerial staffers from lobbying for five years after leaving office.

The companies are taking advantage of a provision that exempts former policy makers who take jobs with corporations and spend less than 20 percent of their time lobbying. The exemption undermines the effectiveness of rules Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said were aimed at eliminating lobbying by insiders, and should be removed, said Pat Martin, a lawmaker for the opposition New Democratic Party.

“It violates the spirit if not the letter of the law to be lobbying on policy or legislation when you’ve just recently left the ranks of government, and I don’t care if it’s for 20 percent or 1 percent of your time,” Martin said in a telephone interview. “There are inherent loopholes in the lobbyist registration regime that you could drive a Mack truck through and make a mockery of the intent.”

‘Revolving Door’

Ah yes, Harper's revolving door. The one he was going to put a stick in and instead set the dial at 'moving as fast as you can'.