PMO to Auditor General and officers of Parliament: your message passes through us

Does Prime Minister's Harper's disrespect for democracy and its institutions have no limits, no bounds, no end? New rules being proposed by the same government that fired our nuclear safety officer and voted non-confidence in Elections Canada would require all officers of Parliament to filter their public statements through, you guessed it, the Prime Minister's Office before being released to the public. Auditor General Sheila Fraser is fighting back. There really are no words to express my shock at this proposal.

It's got to make you wonder. The Conservative's finance minister is the same one that managed to hide a deficit over $5 billion in Ontario under Mike Harris. I've argued for months that we are already in deficit. Is the purpose of suppressing the Auditor General to ensure that his deficit is hidden yet again?

Posted at 11:13 on May 01, 2008

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zoop writes at Thu May 1 17:08:55 EDT 2008...

It was the Privy Council Office (NOT the Prime Ministers Office) that circulated a communications policy for discussion? The proposal applied to the civil service, NOT independent officers of Parliament like the Auditor General's Office and Elections Canada.

In fact, they couldn't do this if they wanted to, the PCO has no authority over independent officers of Parliament, and Ms. Fraser pointed that out. Here's a quote fromt he Toronto Star article you link to: "Fraser said yesterday that the independent officers have been inadvertently ensnarled in a policy aimed at government bureaucrats and was optimistic that a resolution would be found."

But don't let the facts get in the way of your fearmongering.

sheila writes at Thu May 1 17:33:35 EDT 2008...

Well Zoop, I suggest you go back and read the linked report again. Even your comment underlines that, the way the Prime Minister and Mr Toews have proposed to muzzle some people "ensnarle[s]" officers of Parliament like the Auditor General. This is hardly fearmongering, merely a wake-up to Canadians about the intentions and competence of our current government.