Dismantling Canada's Institutions #4
Among the fundamental underpinnings of democracy are freedom of speeech and access to public information, especially information about the actions of government. Dictatorships usually deny both of these to their citizens.
While there have been no attempts by the concervative government (of which I am aware) to limit the institution of free speech, there have been substantial efforts to restrict the institution of freedom of access to public information. We all know of course about Mr. H.'s refusal to meet with the press, except on his own terms, and his so-called gag order on all of his MP's and the centralization of information dissemination at the PMO; does this not constitute an attack on, or at the very least, an erosion of the underpinnings of Canadian democracy?
The second attack was through the Accountability Act, which in its first draft was reported to limit access to government information. Unfortunately the coverage of details of the amendments has been slight, and I am not sure if indeed these limitations remained in the version that was passed.
Then there was the incredible fiasco around the release to the PMO's office of names of people and institutions requesting information on the government through the access to information department: Mr. Day telling the world that the Liberals did this all the time and he was going to clean up this cancer!! only to find out that indeed only his government did this and was breaking the rules/law? when it received a list of names.
Access to information, one of the fundamental democratic rights accorded to Canadian citizens, appears to be unpopular with this government, whose absolutely favorite words include -up there with "family" - "democracy".
And finally, a pattern that seems deliberate: set the citizens off course by deliberately saying one thing, something general, like "cutting taxes" and doing another, something specific, like lowering some and raising others, with a net increase to most citizens - yet another way to limit access to real information.
While there have been no attempts by the concervative government (of which I am aware) to limit the institution of free speech, there have been substantial efforts to restrict the institution of freedom of access to public information. We all know of course about Mr. H.'s refusal to meet with the press, except on his own terms, and his so-called gag order on all of his MP's and the centralization of information dissemination at the PMO; does this not constitute an attack on, or at the very least, an erosion of the underpinnings of Canadian democracy?
The second attack was through the Accountability Act, which in its first draft was reported to limit access to government information. Unfortunately the coverage of details of the amendments has been slight, and I am not sure if indeed these limitations remained in the version that was passed.
Then there was the incredible fiasco around the release to the PMO's office of names of people and institutions requesting information on the government through the access to information department: Mr. Day telling the world that the Liberals did this all the time and he was going to clean up this cancer!! only to find out that indeed only his government did this and was breaking the rules/law? when it received a list of names.
Access to information, one of the fundamental democratic rights accorded to Canadian citizens, appears to be unpopular with this government, whose absolutely favorite words include -up there with "family" - "democracy".
And finally, a pattern that seems deliberate: set the citizens off course by deliberately saying one thing, something general, like "cutting taxes" and doing another, something specific, like lowering some and raising others, with a net increase to most citizens - yet another way to limit access to real information.
posted by Susan at 9:32 AM
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