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Ethics and 'honour' |
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| Niagara Falls, Ontario, Thursday, March 9, 2006 by: Joe Hueglin |
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| Questions arise flowing from appointments recently made to the Privy Council by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The first relates to the current Harper-Shapiro imbroglio which is a direct result of the appointment of David Emerson to the Conservative Cabinet. Both as Opposition Leader during the Gurmat Grewal enquiry and presently as Prime Minister Mr. Harper chose not to be interviewed by the Ethics Commissioner. In order to strengthen the ability of conducting thorough enquiries ought not the capability of subpoenaing witnesses be added to the powers of the Commissioner? The second is why John Douglas Reynolds, the lynch pin in negotiating David Emerson's role in the current Cabinet appointed on February 6, 2006, was made a member of the Privy Council? |
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David Emerson, Dr. Bernard Shapiro, Stephen Harper, Gurmat Grewal and John Reynolds |
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Now "On the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General appoints new ministers to the Queen's Privy Council before they are sworn in as ministers. The Prime Minister of the day may choose to recommend the appointment of other persons of distinction as a special form of honour." (2) Reynolds was not being appointed as a new minister, this being so, what distinguished him such that the Prime Minister deemed him worthy of this "special form of honour" ? |
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| References: | ||||||||
Government of Canada web site, Members of the Privy Council for Canada, as seen on the web March 9, 2006 |
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Government of Canada web site, The Queen's Privy Council for Canada, as seen on the web March 9, 2006 |
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