Liberals are working on Parliament Hill today by hosting a panel on governance, focussing on the independence of the government agencies that safeguard our public institutions.
Today’s session on governance comes the day after Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin’s lawyer complained of government reprisals for his subpoenaed testimony at Parliament’s Afghanistan Committee, and after it was revealed that a Conservative donor with no criminal or policing experience was appointed interim head of the RCMP public complaints commission.
“The Conservatives have dangerously undermined the independence of government agencies that safeguard our public institutions,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, who attended today’s panel. “The unacceptable treatment of Mr. Colvin and the appointment of a Conservative supporter with no experience to oversee the RCMP underlines the contempt the Harper government has for the rules that protect our democracy.”
“Today we heard from three former heads of government agencies who had to contend with interference from the Harper government whenever their work was critical of the government,” said Liberal Democratic Reform critic Marlene Jennings, who chaired the session. “I want to thank Linda Keen, Peter Tinsley, and Paul Kennedy for telling their stories, as well as professors France Houle and Ned Franks for sharing their expertise.”
Peter Tinsley was the Chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission, Paul Kennedy was the Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, and Linda Keen was the President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
“The Harper government has muzzled the heads of independent government agencies,” Ms. Jennings continued. “When they asked too many questions, or if their opinions differed from those of the government, they were sent packing.”
“Now that we’ve heard their side of the story, as well as their suggestions for improving the system, our next challenge is to strengthen the rules that protect our democracy,” Ms. Jennings concluded. “While a Liberal government may not always agree with every agency, we need to find new ways to keep them immune from political interference.”
Fact Sheet: Governance Forum
• Federal agencies, boards, commissions and quasi-judicial tribunals compose a constellation of administrative services in Canada that affect the daily lives of Canadians in numerous respects, ranging from immigration and refugee oversight to regulating competition in our economy.
• All such federal bodies are established to provide expertise on a particular topic to the government and/or Parliament, or to provide oversight of the internal functioning of related organizations. Their mandates are more narrowly defined than ministerial departments.
• Federal agencies generally operate at arm’s length from government – though the degree of autonomy varies considerably based on the organization’s function.
• Administrative tribunals operate independently from government.
• Appointments to federal agencies are done by Governor in Council appointments, made by the Governor General on the advice of Cabinet. Cabinet is supported in these efforts by the Privy Council Office.
• A process exists that is intended to set eligibility criteria to limit partisan influence or conflicts of interests relating to such appointments.
• Currently, more than 2,000 Canadians serve on over 200 agencies, commissions, tribunals and boards across the country.
