How the Coal Industry Stuck it to the Canadian Taxpayer

When George W. Bush first came to power in the United States, part of his election platform was the promise of aggressive action to fight Global Warming. Once in power however, he revealed that his loyalties would be to the energy industry and immediate action was taken to ensure that they became the only voice on environmental issues.

The first to fall victim to this new direction was Jane Hughes Turnbull.

Among the documents ultimately pried out of Vice President Cheney's National Energy Policy Task Force was the resignation letter of Jane Hughes Turnbull, a member of the National Coal Council (a governmental advisory group), which warned that Bush's reversal was "profoundly shortsighted [and] an obvious and expedient response to industry interests." The numerous e-mails and letters of gratitude from coal, oil, and gas industry groups also found among the task force documents hint at the hammerlock in which these businesses held Bush during those early months. It was surely no coincidence that the fossil fuel industry had lavished Governor Bush with almost $3 million in campaign contributions during the 2000 presidential campaign. (1)

Stephen Harper's Reformers were also heavily financed by the oil, gas and coal industries, and one of those to fall victim to his new change in direction was Dan Veniez. And the group who caused his dismissal, was the coal industry, much of it American based. Some of the same people behind the forced resignation of Jane Hughes Turnbull.

Dan Veniez and Ridley Terminals

When Paul Martin was prime minister, he had plans to sell British Columbia's Ridley Terminals, after cost analyses proved them to be too expensive to remain in the public domain. He had a buyer willing to pay 20 million dollars, with 3 million down, while we took back the first mortgage. The price tag may sound low but it was the misuse of tax dollars that concerned Mr. Martin more. Canadian taxpayers had already sunk 400 million dollars into the project.

This move should have fit into the neoconservative plans of privatization. However, the Americans were concerned that if the terminals went private they would have to start paying market prices for their use. So a group got together and sent a letter to Stephen Harper asking him to keep the terminals going with tax dollars from all Canadians, to benefit a few.

Stephen Harper then hired Dan Veniez to work his magic and make them profitable. This he did. But he also recommended that they be sold, since they were too much of a drain on the public purse. This put Mr. Veniez at odds with the Harper government, who had already sided with Big Business.

According to Terrance Corcoran of the Financial Post:

In the great scheme of Canada’s economy, Ridley Terminals Inc. is no big deal. With annual revenue of just under $25-million, the Crown corporation operates a bulk-commodity handling facility off Ridley Island in Prince Rupert, B.C., 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver. FP Comment’s editorial team has never been to Ridley Terminals, and wouldn’t know a bulk handling facility from the Coney Island Cyclone Ride. What we do know, when we see it, is big time corporate subsidy seeking, backroom politics, scheming lobbyists and cabinet ministers throwing their weight around to satisfy the big time corporate interests.

In this case, the corporate interests include the B.C. and Alberta coal industries, whose coal production flows through Ridley Terminals. The political players include two Conservative cabinet ministers, House Leader Jay Hill and Transport Minister Rob Merrifield. Being Conservatives of the bold free-market mold allegedly found in Alberta and parts West, one would expect Hill, Merrifield & Company to be staunch defenders of commercialized and privatized service delivery through Ridley at market rates.

Alas, Messrs. Hill and Merrifield have no such interests as far as Ridley Terminals is concerned .... (1)

AstroTurf Group to the Rescue

To help sell the public on keeping their tax dollars flowing to the corporate sector, a well organized AstroTurf campaign was started:

The focus of opposition activity is the Ridley Terminals Users Group, a cabal of major B.C. and Alberta coal mine operators, including such giants as Husky Energy, Suncor Energy, Tech Coal and Coal Valley Resources, headquartered in Mr. [Rob] Merrifield’s riding. The listed federal lobbyist for Ridley Terminal Users Group is Philip Cartwright, of Global Public Affairs in Ottwas. With Global Public Affairs leading the campaign, a sudden un-spontaneous groundswell of opposition is sweeping local governments in and around Prince Rupert. (2)

The National Post called them Harper's Ridley terminators.

And naturally they won and Dan Veniez was fired, prompting an immediate response:

The federal Conservatives couldn't wait to get rid of Dan Veniez. Literally. Veniez was, until Friday, chairman of Ridley Terminals in Prince Rupert. Then -- despite having twice offered to resign as of Aug. 30 -- Transport Minister Rob Merrifield fired him, effective immediately.

Merrifield, who, like Hill, represents a coal-mining region, has met several times with lobbyists from the big coal companies, and it has been obvious for months that an orchestrated assault on Veniez and his board has been underway. And these Conservative heavyweights have bought right in to the message -- that public ownership of Ridley must be preserved, despite the dismal history of losing money and allowing the facility to deteriorate and despite the Tory preference for privatizing almost everything else. (3)

Global Public Affairs

The lobbying group behind all of this "grassrooting" was Global Public Affairs, and something the Conservatives failed to mention:

In one of the letters where he offers to resign, Veniez documents the subsidization, the more recent lobbying efforts and how pressure mounted against the board and its management. Houston-based International Commodity Export Corporation and its lobbyists, Global Public Affairs, "have been at the forefront of lobbying you and Mr. Hill for the termination of RTI's Board and management, among other things. They sought the government's acceptance of an arrangement that was flagrantly at variance with the public interest. (3)

And Global Public Affairs also had an association with the Bush Administration. In fact one of their managing directors once worked on Bush's campaign.

Ken Mehlman, Managing Director and Head of Global Public Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) ... Prior to joining KKR, Mehlman served as a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Mehlman also served as campaign manager for President George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, and then as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007.

But so as not to give the appearance of funnelling money to an American PR firm, the Conservatives took unprecedented measures to make sure they still got our money.

Breaking the rules of his own accountability act, Harper removed Erin Wall, assistant to Brian Jean, Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities [John Baird] and sent her to work for Global Public Affairs.

Ms Wall was then registered as a lobbyist for the Houston based International Commodity Export Corporation, the largest beneficiary of government subsidies to the [Ridley] terminals. You will notice that her appointment took place on June 19, 2009; just before the firing of Dan Veniez, and on the same day that ICEC underwent a name change to give it the appearance of a Canadian company.

A real sleight of hand magic act.

And as Dan Veniez claimed: "the wool is being pulled over everyone's eyes" by a consortium of coal producers who want subsidized access to Asian markets." (4)

1. The Book on Bush: How George W. (mis) Leads America, By Eric Alterman and Mark Green, Penguin Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-670-03273-5, Pg. 13

2. Tories back coal giants at Ridley: Plan would subsidize Alberta and B.C. coal shipments, By Terrance Corcoran, Financial Post, June 04, 2009

3. Ridley Terminals chief fails to kowtow, is fired, By Don Cayo,Vancouver Sun, June 29, 2009

4. Veniez responds to opposition , By George T. Baker, The Daily News, June 4, 2009

Conservative Rob Merrifield Has Us Chokin' on the Cokin'

Along with Jay Hill, Transport Minister Rob Merrifield is working overtime to ensure that the coal companies can continue to use taxpayer money to boost their profits.

According to Terrance Corcoran of the National Post, the deal that the two Tory cabinet ministers are cooking up to keep the Ridley Terminal off Ridley Island in Prince Rupert, B.C., a crown corporation "...is big time corporate subsidy seeking, backroom politics, scheming lobbyists and cabinet ministers throwing their weight around to satisfy the big time corporate interests.

"Instead of privatizing Ridley, our Tory MPs — along with a phalanx of coal lobby-orchestrated local governments — have cooked up the idea of turning Ridley over to the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

"The effect of this would be to turn Ridley Terminals into a subsidized transport link for the coal industry.

It turns out, to no surprise, that Mr. Hill is the MP for Prince George, where some coal mines operate. And Mr. Merrifield’s Alberta riding, Yellowhead, is the home of a very fat coal industry..."

The residents of Yellowhead enjoy a very large median income and huge single dwellings dot the landscape, so I can understand why their MP is working so hard to keep them in the lifestyle they are accustomed to. However, it's all of us who have to shell out tax dollars for the benefit of only a few, and that is simply not acceptable.

The Chairman of Ridley terminals, Dan Veniez, has launched a media campaign to sell the merits of privatizing Ridley Terminals, while well organized groups have united to keep the facility in public hands.

Of concern to those wishing to sell Ridley, is that not only do the subsidies benefit Canadian coal, but they also prop up their U.S. counterparts, something that the Tories have always been keen on.

Mr. Merrifield himself helped to draft a report for the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, entitled: From Correct to Inspired: A Blueprint for Canada U.S. Engagement

The report calls for annexation of Canada, with regard to the economy, energy resources and the military; and recommends "an integrated, whole of government approach that recognizes shared interests and the reality of deep integration." (Jim Prentice recently announced the sharing of a Carbon Tax system with the U.S.)

So this Yellowhead MP and Transport minister, does not really care about the Canadian people, only the wealthy coal industry on both sides of the border, that help to keep him and his Party in power. So glad he has his priorities straight.

Now I know this blog entry will not change the way that the people in his riding vote, and that Mr. Merrifield will continue to get elected for as long as he decides to run. I'm simply hoping to open the eyes of Canadians, by showing them just how corrupt our current government is. They may think twice before putting their 'X' beside a Conservative candidate next time around.

Jay Hill Only Accountable to Military Contractors

When the Harper government's so-called accountability measures were introduced, they were carefully crafted to hinder the opposition, while allowing themselves free reign to hand out patronage appointments, engage in nepotism, and use every dirty trick in the book to keep their coffers full.

In fact, I can't remember a time when corruption was so well organized. And they have absolutely no remorse, but will simply deny any wrongdoing while blaming others.

There's a reason they try to keep the media at bay. The less they know, the less we'll know, and they can continue to try to appear squeaky clean, as they wallow in the mud.

One scheme that they use a lot, has to do with non-profit organizations that launder money and actively campaign for the Party, despite the fact that they are not registered with Elections Canada.

One example of this took place during Gary Lunn's last election campaign, and the way he managed to channel five, not for profit groups, through his own law firm. I never Said Gary Lunn was the brightest bulb on the tree, but he certainly took corruption to a new level; though the Conservatives are constantly raising the bar.

Which brings us to Jay Hill.

One of the class of '93 Reformers, former colleague Deb Grey referred to him as their strongest supporter for the Reform Movement. He assisted Preston Manning in his leadership bid, and was one of seven Canadian Alliance MPs who were thrown out of caucus for questioning Stockwell Day's leadership skills. I question whether Stockwell Day has any skills at all, but I'm getting off topic.

Hill has been described as dictatorial, and runs procedure with a secret handbook carefully designed to make sure sure that a minority Parliament doesn't work. He was also one of the Conservative MPs who tried to defraud taxpayers in the "In and Out" scheme.

But it's his ties to a group called the Canadians for Afghanistan, spearheaded by his former staffer Josh McJannett that causes me concern. CFA is supposed to be a youth group, much like Germany's Hitler Youth during that man's reign of terror, but they appear to be just cheerleaders for Mr. McJannett's efforts to keep the war going and thereby generating income for his employer, Summa Strategies.

Ex-Tory staffer behind pro-mission group

A self-described grassroots youth organization that wants Canada to continue its mission in Afghanistan was organized with help from a lobbyist who, until recently, worked for a prominent Conservative MP. The group, Canadians for Afghanistan, introduced itself to the national media on Parliament Hill yesterday by calling on Canada to remain committed to ongoing military and humanitarian support.

"The presence of the international community and, for that matter, the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, is essentially the only ray of hope to secure a prosperous future for Afghanistan," said Arash Wared, a member of the group. "Canada's work as an important player has just begun." The group says it is a non-partisan coalition of students and young people from different political and professional backgrounds.

The Canadians For Afghanistan website lists its main contact as Josh McJannett, a former Conservative staffer who worked for government whip Jay Hill until September. He had previously worked as an aide to Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. After leaving the Hill, Mr. McJannett became a lobbyist with Summa Strategies, an Ottawa government-relations firm that counts some defence contractors, including U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing, among its clients. Canadians for Afghanistan was formed a few months later.

Jay Hill Refuses to Address Unemployed Forestry Workers

Up to now Stephen Harper and his government have ignored the plight of the unemployed, downplaying the significance of massive jobs losses, but demonstrations by the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union, in Conservative ridings have made him start to take notice.

Most of these sit-ins were in rural areas, where Harper needs to hold onto seats.

However, Jay Hill was the only targeted MP to absolutely refuse to speak to demonstrators. I guess it's not in his secret handbook. Unfortunately, he can't just whip them into shape like he does the Tory caucus.

Canadian Ministry Sit-ins Awaken Stephen Harper to Jobs Crisis

June 04 2009

WorkerFreedom

Seven sit-ins at rural offices of three MPs and four Ministers – including Canada’s Finance, Treasury, and Inter-Governmental Affairs Ministries – got Stephen Harper’s attention and the question now is will his government listen.

Tomorrow, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union will stage another manifestation on the crisis facing the forest sector, this time a protest and march that will lead to direct face-to-face talks with the Harper team in Ottawa.

The sit-ins were carried out early last week in an escalating strategy by the CEP to spotlight the mass job and social loss that has overtaken forest-based communities across Canada. CEP is adamant that it is Harper’s responsibility to find the answers. And CEP is ready to work with government to ensure the correct measures are found.

March and Rally Tuesday, June 2

The sit-ins follow mid-May strategy meetings and a protest at AbitibiBowater’s headquarters in Montréal. That protest was directed more at the Harper government than at the bankrupt newsprint company. Last week’s sit-ins at the rural offices of key lawmakers mean this issue will stay focused on rural Canada’s very survival and way-of-life.

Tomorrow, 2 June, at 11:30 in Ottawa, the CEP will rally first at the offices of Natural Resources Minister Lisa Riatt and then march to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s building. They then will meet with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, whose Ontario offices in Whitby-Oshawa were the only CEP-occupied offices not in a rural area.

Six of the seven sit-ins across four of Canada’s provinces produced immediate results. Three sit-ins occurred in rural government offices in Québec, two in British Colombia, and one each in New Brunswick and Ontario. In British Colombia, an MP, Jay Hill, a lead Tory whip in Ottawa from Prince George/Peace River riding, was the only legislator refusing CEP’s invitation to discuss the crisis.

At the other occupation in British Colombia, inside the offices of John Duncan, Vancouver Island North riding, the CEP spokesman for the occupying team, promised, “We plan to keep on making noise and do whatever we have to do” to move this government to action.

The CEP is demanding financial support for the industry at the federal level. The union is also demanding iron-clad protections on pensions, something that will not be compromised. And CEP will insist tomorrow that the Harper government must enact industry tax relief for companies’ converting black-liquor from the wood-pulp process to energy. That set of tax breaks exists for pulp and paper firms in the US and the CEP insists on a level playing field.

The CEP is also demanding a national summit on the forestry crisis in which key stakeholders will decide on strict guidelines aimed at employment stabilisation and forest regeneration measures. The sit-ins made one targeted politician jump on that idea quickly. In Québec, the Minister for Inter-Governmental Affairs, said she will convene such a summit.

ICEM affiliate CEP calculates that 55,000 jobs in the forestry sector have been lost over the past two years alone. Far more were lost in earlier years. The impact of these good-paying jobs on others in rural communities – when those jobs disappear – is immense and the ripple effects must be multiplied to get the real economic picture.

Thousands of forestry workers protest in Ottawa
June 2, 2009

CBC News

Thousands of unionized forestry workers from across Canada demonstrated in Ottawa on Tuesday, demanding the government do more to support their industry.

They wanted to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss solutions to the forestry crisis, including protection of workers' pensions and a plan to keep viable mills operating with the help of federal government loan guarantees and other measures.

"The reason we're here is the forestry industry has taken an awful downfall in northern Ontario," Joseph Lefebvre, a pipe-fitter with AbitibiBowater in Iroquois Falls told CBC News. "We want the Harper government to get off their butts and do something about it."

In the past six years, the industry has lost about 130,000 jobs in Canada.

"Our main demand has always been for the federal government to backstop loans so that viable companies can keep operating, saving jobs and communities," Dave Coles, a spokesman with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, which represents most of the workers, said in a release. "We are not asking for a bailout."

The issue came up in question period, sparking a heated exchange between government ministers and opposition parties.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe accused the government of offering "crumbs" to the forestry industry in Quebec while throwing out billions for Ontario's auto industry. He said the government supported GM, because it would cause the loss of thousands of spinoff jobs and crush communities dependent on the automaker, which Duceppe said was exactly the same situation the forestry industry faces.

NDP Leader Jack Layton called on the government to create a strategy for the forestry sector. "What we need is some fair trade for a change. What we need is to stop raw logs from going across the border and creating jobs down there in the states," said Layton.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper replied that the forestry sector is struggling because of changes in the market and a dramatic decline in demand for lumber in the United States.

The government, he said, has taken action by offering assistance to help laid-off workers and communities, as well as increasing financing for the sector through the Business Development Bank of Canada. (Yes and I guess that's why they have to launch protests)

Workers from as far away as British Columbia and the east coast took part in the protest, which kicked off at Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt's office and wound through the city to the prime minister's office.

Harper's Secret Handbook of Dirty Tricks

When Stephen Harper called an illegal election in the fall of 2008, he defended the decision by saying that Parliament wasn't functioning and he could no longer work with the opposition.

However, it was common knowledge that the Tories did everything in their power to stall progress, while finding ways to blame it on the other guy.

In fact Don Martin uncovered proof of this some time before that, when he came into possession of Harper's little black book to create mayhem, and make sure that his minority government did not work.

This is sad because there is a wealth of talent across the parties that should be tapped into. Instead, the Conservatives have reduced the hallowed halls of Parliament to a frat house, where the boys run amok, while the girls act as cheerleaders for their immature behaviour.


Harper government whips Tories into line with secret handbook
Don Martin,
Calgary Herald
May 18, 2007

It's the secret guidebook for Conservative MPs on how to unleash chaos while chairing parliamentary committees.

Running some 200 pages, including background material, the document given only to Conservative chairmen tells them how to favour government agendas, select party-friendly witnesses, coach favourable testimony, set in motion debate-obstructing delays and, if necessary, storm out of meetings to grind business to a halt.

The binder fell into my hands on Thursday evening, two days after the government whip Jay Hill called the chairs to his office for a refresher course on advancing the government agenda over opposition objections.

A source at that meeting confided that Hill "lavished praise on the chairs who caused disruptions and admonished those who prefer to lead through consensus" -- an interpretation the whip strongly denies.

But the document does illustrate a government preference for manipulative tactics over collective, all-party compromise and proves that the chairs are under intense supervision.

Its tactics also fly in the face of Thursday's complaint by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that opposition parties are responsible for the committee paralysis now seizing Parliament Hill as the summer recess approaches.

It paints in vivid detail what Conservative chairs should say when confronted by challenges to their authority, how to rule opposition MPs out of order during procedural wrangling and how government MPs should debate at committee when a hostile motion is put to a vote. The manual even offers up speeches for a chair under attack and suggests they have been whipped into partisan instruments of policy control and agents of the Prime Minister's Office.

Among the more startling heavy-handed recommendations in the document:

- That the Conservative party helps pick committee witnesses. The chair "should ensure that witnesses suggested by the Conservative Party of Canada are favourable to the government and ministry," it says.

- The chairs should also seek to "include witnesses from Conservative ridings" and make sure the local MP replaces a member at the committee when a constituent appears.

- The chairs should "meet with witnesses so as to review testimony and assist in question preparation."

- Procedural notes tell the chairmen to always recognize a Conservative member just before a motion is put to a vote "and let them speak as long as they wish" -- a tactic used to kick-start a filibuster as a stall tactic.

- Chairmen are told to notify all affected ministries before a motion is voted on. "Communicate concerns with the Prime Minister's Office, House leader or whip," the document insists. "Try to anticipate the response of the press and how party could be portrayed."

- The guide says a "disruptive" committee should be adjourned by the chairman on short notice -- "no debate, no appeal possible."

The document uses the recent committee kerfuffle over Shane Doan's appointment as captain of Team Canada as a case study in how Conservative chairs should behave when confronted by controversial decisions.

It shows that the PMO was particularly nervous about the government's public perception in the aftermath and delivered MPs their marching orders on how to vote.

It reveals that Conservative MPs were briefed on the testimony of Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson in advance of the meeting. The chair was told to rule any motion out of order if it touched Doan's lawsuit against Liberal MP Denis Coderre and warned all Tory MPs to "vote against the matter or at least abstain from the vote. Alternatively Conservative members could consider refusing to deal with the matter and simply leave the room so as not be party to this charade."

Government whip Jay Hill makes no apologies for increased contact with committee chairs to keep tighter control on tactics, but blames a gang-up of opposition parties for the combative stance.

"They're increasingly behaving as though they're a coalition government cooking up deals behind closed doors. We're going to use the tools at our disposal to try and push back," he told me. "Canadians elected a Conservative minority government, not a coalition of opposition parties."

Hill believes next week's break will allow cooler heads to prevail when MPs return for the final legislative push before adjourning for the summer.

Ironically, the manual also advises committee chairs to act fairly and build trust with members of all parties, getting to know them personally.

It warns chairs not to "use negative body language" or "use humour inappropriately" and tells them not to "interrupt unnecessarily or argue with individual members" -- orders clearly ignored by some of the more partisan chairs.

Hill, who has a solid, long-standing reputation for fairness as the Conservative MP in charge of moving the government's agenda forward, admits all of Parliament is getting a black eye in public for its recent shenanigans.

"I hope we can come back and restore civility. The whole thing is getting absurd and ridiculous."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

So this is what government has been reduced to? Secret handbooks and childish behaviour. The Conservative MPs forget that they are sent to the House of Commons to work for their constituents, not the Conservative Party of Canada. They also need to remember that Stephen Harper is not their boss, we are. Stephen Harper does not pay their salaries, we do.

Vic Toews anti-Gay Muster Bluster and Filubuster

There is an old proverb that states: 'Where there is no vision, the people perish', and I believe that a lot of the problems with the Conservative Party today, is the result of a lack of vision. They allow ideology to cloud their judgement, and fight tooth and nail to halt natural progress.

Perhaps one of their hardest fought battles has been over same-sex or equal marriage. They claim it to be a moral issue, but given the militant reactions of the Religious Right, it's something much deeper.

Promise Keepers, one of the faith based groups that prop up the Tories, make it very clear about their views, on this issue and abortion.

Their founder Bill McCarthy, states: "Homosexuals are a group of people that don't reproduce. Yet they want to be compared to groups that do reproduce." This is homophobia based on demography, since it would appear that the white race is being bred out. Of course the fact that we have been killing each other for centuries, is probably the biggest factor, but you'd never get them to admit to that.

Many gay couples are raising children, and not just those they adopt. Through artificial insemination, a lesbian is able to become a mother and surrogates often provide gay male couples with paternal biological offspring.

Also a number of heterosexual couples are opting not to have children at all, so is their marriage less valid?

All members of the old Reform Party who currently sit in the Tory caucus, object to equal marriage, but in 2005, Vic Toews took it to a different level.

You might wonder why this is pertinent today, but after watching some of the attack ads against Michael Ignatieff, based on old lectures and books he has written, I think it's a good time to remind Canadians of the nefarious past of our current Prime Minster and his team.

When Stephen Harper's 1997 speech to a an American neo-conservative group surfaced, in which he regaled against Canadians; his spokesperson claimed that he said those things as a private citizen, and no longer feels that way. Obviously a double standard here, because when Michael Ignatieff wrote and lectured on a variety of subjects now being cherry picked by the Conservatives, he too was a private citizen.

But in not so distant history, and while members of the government, the Reform-Conservatives exploited their position to try to halt this important piece of legislation. It didn't work, but not for lack of trying.

FILIBUSTER BY VIC TOEWS AT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

Latest on Conservative Leadership’s OBSTRUCTION OF BILL C-38

The Conservative leadership has done everything in their power to delay passage of the government’s equal marriage bill, Bill C-38. Following their defeat on April 12 on the vote on Stephen Harper’s amendment, they shed any pretense of allowing Parliament to act.

Now at the Legislative Committee, Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews is openly filibustering in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to run out the clock.

Here is a history of the Conservative leadership’s obstruction:

SECOND READING DEBATE- When the second reading debate began on February 16, 2005, Stephen Harper moved an amendment to the Prime Minister’s motion, which called for the House to decline to read the Bill a second time. This procedural delay tactic is known as a “Hoist”.

- Conservative leadership advised the other parties they were content to follow the usual procedure and have the vote on second reading take place on the same day as the vote on Mr. Harper’s amendment. This was borne out by the fact that during debate Conservative MPs spoke to the Bill itself, not the amendment.

- On March 22, after 47 MPs had spoken, the Conservative leadership advised the other parties that the Conservative leadership was insisting on an additional debate after the vote on the amendment. They said that 10 – 12 Conservative MPs would speak in the additional debate.

- Conservative leadership agreed debate was to end on April 4 or 5. On April 4, Conservative MP Steven Fletcher moved a Motion for Concurrence which consumed 3 hours that had been allocated for debate on C-38.

- On April 5, Conservative MP Bob Mills moved another Motion for concurrence which consumed 3 hours that had been allocated for debate on Bill C-38. As a result, the C-38 debate did not end as had been agreed. It finally ended on April 6, after the government allocated more time for it.

- Also on April 5, the Conservative leadership told the other parties the Conservatives planned to have up to 20 MPs speak on the additional debate.- On April 11, the Hill Times reported “Tories poised to filibuster” Bill C-38.

- On April 12, following the vote that defeated Mr. Harper’s amendment, Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews told reporters that the Conservatives would insist on as full a debate as possible before the second reading vote, and would introduce further motions and take additional measures to delay the vote. Earlier in the day, Conservative leadership had made clear to the other parties their intention was to do everything in their power to obstruct and delay Bill C-38. The total number of MPs who spoke during the second debate was 98, including 49 Conservatives.

- Conservative MPs used motions for concurrence over and over again during the second round of debate on C-38. As a result, the second reading vote did not take place until May 4. Once again, the equal marriage bill easily passed this vote.- During the second debate, 45 Conservative MPs opposed to the Bill spoke, including 21 who had already spoken during the first debate. The total number of MPs who spoke during the second debate was 62.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

- The Legislative Committee on Bill C-38 met on May 5. Since second reading means approval in principle, the purpose of the Legislative Committee is to hear from technical witnesses on how best to implement equal marriage.

- A Subcommittee was created to decide such things are which witnesses the Committee will hear from. The Subcommittee includes a representative of each party. The Subcommittee agreed to a balanced list of 41 groups and individuals.

- Witness hearings began on May 11, and four hearings were scheduled for the week of May 16.

- On May 16, when the Committee was asked to formally approve this list, Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews objected. He demanded that 15 additional witnesses, all opposed, be added. He began his filibuster, which forced the Committee to cancel witness hearings on May 17 and 18.

- On May 17, Mr. Toews presented his list of additional witnesses, which had grown from 15 to 20. The Committee was willing to add these witnesses provided a timeframe could be established for the Committee’s work. Mr. Toews said he could not respond immediately as he needed direction from his House Leader.

- On May 18, Mr. Toews increased his demand to 22 additional witnesses and refused to establish a timeframe for the Committee’s work. He threatened to hold up the Committee’s work until he got his way. When the Committee did not accept his demands, his filibuster continued in earnest. He stopped it only long enough to hear from 4 groups opposed to equal marriage.

- The Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, May 30 at 3:30 pm in room 237C of Centre Block. No witnesses are scheduled. It is unclear whether Mr. Toews will continue his filibuster, now that the Conservatives say they are willing to let Parliament get back to work.

All for nothing.

Vic Toews Gets Lost in the Paper Shuffle

The Conservatives came to power in 2006 on the promise that they were going to make the government more transparent and accountable. So far they've done neither.

In fact their government is rarely accountable for anything and about as transparent as mud.

The backlog in the Access to information office is astronomical. Items that we could once obtain with the click of the mouse, now require written requests, and according to experts, the entire department lacks leadership, that is supposed to be supplied by Vic Toews.

Leadership lacking, report says
CHRISTINA SPENCER,
SUN MEDIA
June 5, 2009

The federal government is making almost no progress in improving public access to government records, says Canada's information commissioner.

Robert Marleau yesterday placed the blame squarely on the minister in charge, Treasury Board President Vic Toews.

"Leadership, leadership, leadership," Marleau said after releasing his 2008-09 annual report, which points to continuing problems Canadians face trying to extract information from federal departments.

"There is one minister who is responsible for the administration of Access to Information for the entire government of Canada, one minister who is accountable, one minister who can take leadership," said Marleau.

"Maybe he's not allowed to, maybe he doesn't want to, (but) there's only one minister who can dictate to the entire bureaucracy what the expectation of the government is."

The information commissioner's report shows that almost two-thirds of the complaints his office received last year from citizens trying to obtain government records had merit.

Among the departments in which a majority of complaints were at least partly upheld were National Defence, Canada Revenue Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada Post and Health Canada.

More than half of the complaints the information commissioner received last year centred on bureaucrats delaying the release of data, extending their own deadlines or charging high fees to prepare information.

The Access to Information Act, meant to help Canadian citizens obtain government records, is founded on the principle that openness helps make federal institutions more accountable.

Christine Csersko, spokesman for Toews, said the Conservative government has "fought for the right of Canadians to know how their government operates."

She pointed out that the government has brought 70 new institutions, including the Wheat Board and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, under the Access to Information Act.

These are tremendous steps forward for openness and transparency -- steps the previous government never took," she said in an e-mail.

But the information commissioner reported several cases where departments obstructed the flow of information.

For example, Industry Canada gave itself a 300-day extension on one request for information, stretching it further by not counting periods such as the Christmas holidays.