Putin - Harper - Dunderdale - Same Thing?

So three young women protesting the Putin regime in Russia have been found guilty of hooliganism. They have been sentenced to two years in jail.

Harper must be envious - if only he could get this much control. Don't be surprised when he does exactly that - as this is proper order in society.

Time to wake up - really - governments afraid of students, scientists, peaceful protesters, and average citizens will make sure they are intimidated, prosecuted, sued and otherwise harassed to bring them in line.

Do you really believe we are that far behind Putin? Think again. While we are at it - how about attempted control of the media? Harper is great at that - comparable to his buddy Putin.

As for our own government - well they are out and out opposed to transparency - freedom of speech - and open debate. They must control anything and everything relative to information and policy. They now want to make sure that when you contact your MHA about a problem - personal and private - it must go through scanning at the partisan level.

Putin - Harper - Dunderdale three very bad peas in a pod clinging desperately to power - afraid of people - but legislating control. We are certainly regressing and that can only be to satisfy dictatorial politicians and the corporate masters they serve.

Sample of Nalcor Transparency - Be very Afraid!

The following is a copy of email correspondence between Nalcor and I over the past 2 weeks.

If this is a sample of transparency - we are in real trouble. I am a shareholder of Nalcor and so are you. It is our company - it does not belong solely to Ed Martin, Kathy Dunderdale, Jerome Kennedy, Danny Williams, or Dean MacDonald.

Please notice how basic the request is and how long the response is taking.

June 08-2012 Sent to info@nalcorenergy.com

Please advise where I may find a copy of the bylaws outlining the responsibilities of the Board of Directors.

Thank you,

Sue Kelland-Dyer


June 08-2012 Sent from NalcorAdministrator@nalcorenergy.com

Thank you for your enquiry to Nalcor Energy. Questions and general
enquiries will be responded to within five business days.

Job enquires and applications will be forwarded to the Human Resources
department.  Please visit nalcorenergy.com/careers, where you can find
current opportunities, submit a general application and sign up for job
notifications.

Visit HydroSafety.ca for tips and videos that will help keep you and your
families safe.

June 18 - 2012 Sent to info@nalcorenergy.com

Please advise what the status of this request is.
Thank you,

Sue Kelland-Dyer

Dunderdale NOT a Leader - Just Facilitating a Plan

Last week we seen the end of a record setting filibuster in the House of Assembly.

The debate was cut short by the PC's in the house through closure.

Bill 29 an Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act was and is a very controversial piece of House business. The crux of the concern is the reduction of access to information.

The Newfoundland and Labrador electorate is still suffering trust issues from the constituency allowance spending scandal - which ultimately sent 4 former MHA's to jail. One of the convicted was Ed Byrne - a PC MHA who became a Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier under the Danny Williams administration.

In large part - the entire criminal fiasco was caused by not allowing the Auditor General to review the expenditures of the MHA's. The concept of maximized transparency and access to information was touted by Danny Williams as a hallmark of his government - of which current Premier Kathy Dunderdale served in Cabinet and as the Deputy Premier.

Any changes to law which would diminish - in any way - transparency and access should concern Kathy Dunderdale a great deal. It - however - did not phase her - apparently it did not even interest her.

Instead of being a leader by explaining to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador why her government wants to change the access to information law - she ran away. Dunderdale was here:

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Memorial University Calgary Affinity Dinner tomorrow (Wednesday, June 13) at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in Calgary. The dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. MDT, with the Premier scheduled to speak at approximately 8:30 p.m.

The theme of the keynote address is Bold and Tenacious: Driving Growth and Prosperity in the New Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Oh I can hear the tapping of partisan twitter characters already. They will suggest that this event was planned for some time and it is an important piece of business for our province.

Let's say we accept this rationale completely.

No problem, the Bill did not have to be called until the Premier returned. Or in the alternate - the debate did not have to be shut down until the Premier returned.

When so many people and media in the province were calling foul on this Bill - Kathy had a choice - she chose to run away. Do you really think she will take any responsibility for soaring power rates and massive debt if the Emera deal proceeds?

Dunderdale is not a leader - she is simply facilitating a plan.

Bill 29 - Review by Chief Justice Green?

So the PC MHA's are going to shut down debate on Bill 29 - An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

First of all it's cowardly and very undemocratic. It demonstrates weakness and a complete disrespect for the people of the province.

The above is not exaggerated - it is appropriate considering the law we wish to change.

When such actions are taken by sitting government MHA's one can reasonably conclude that transparency is not atop their agenda and secondly that they are willing to risk a repeat of the criminal fiasco we had the last time a blockage of information occurred.

The history is too recent and the wound is too fresh - the parade of MHA's trotting off to jail.

It appears that Dunderdale and caucus are of the belief - that regardless of the position they take on any subject - they are above debate, above critique, above scrutiny, and essentially above the law.

I say this because the PC's in the House of Assembly will use the legislature to change any law they wish to accommodate their own protection. Further - they are willing to invoke closure when they are ready to silence the opposition members. All MHA's were elected and this is the people's House - not Jerome Kennedy's or Kevin O'Brien's or Tom Marshall's.

The Dunderdale Regime appears certain that if a democracy elects a dictatorship - tough! You elected us to do what we wish when we wish.

You see a mature democracy and intelligent and competent elected Members do not need to ram something down our throats or change the law to hide information on the decision making process. Mature politicians are able to promote their policies and ideas to the people without hiding information they used to make a decision.

You cannot claim democracy - when you only practice it 12 hours every 4 years (election).

Why not advise the multinational companies, multi-millionaires, and the stock market that if you wish to make a fortune on our resources - deals will be subject to public scrutiny. Corporations do not vote - they are not the electorate. We - the people - own the resources  and we deserve as all shareholders do - complete disclosure.

By the way - where is Danny on Bill 29? He will yammer on about the virtues of Muskrat and the "need" for power here and there - yet the purported superhero of accountability and transparency has not commented on this?

How about we let Chief Justice Green review the proposed amendments and publicly report on his findings. He is a man above reproach and somebody that Jerome Kennedy, Tom Marshall, and Felix Collins can trust.

The media, citizens, national and provincial bodies have trouble with Bill 29 - and once again the critique is coming from across the political spectrum.

What is happening in our House of Assembly now is very significant and very scary. What next? It appears that Kent - while sitting as Chair - is intolerant of the opposition and Kennedy is intolerant of the Chair. It appears the current Dunderdale posse is frustrated with the whole idea of the House of Assembly. First she did not really want to open it - and second - only did so it appears to achieve a budget and shut down information.

What other Bills are in our future? A change to funding for the Opposition? A change to Question Period rules? A change to our system? Sure why not - Dunderdale seems prepared to rule by decree and the men and women around her have decided they serve her and not the people.

This Bill should not see the light of day - let alone become law.

Considering the checkered past of MHA behavior and longstanding record of bad deals, corruption, and fleeing business gurus to Panama - please ask that Chief Justice Green officially review Bill 29 and report his findings and recommendations in full to the people.

Will Steve Kent ever Learn? Transparency Essential!

Watching Steve Kent as the Deputy Chair of Committees reminds me why some people should not be in a position of authority or power.

Frankly some of his comments today reminded me of a little boy hanging on to the jacket of a parent and saying I want to be a Tory too.

Steve has in the past suggested that he was not provided with all information. As a result he made statements regarding a matter that ended up being incomplete. Surely he can rationalize that the blocking of information is not a "good" thing or a "progressive" policy.

Below please read why Steve Kent should know that blocking or withholding information is not progressive or positive. It does not protect people and it prevents the truth from surfacing until further damage is done. Please notice that Steve says, "To our knowledge there has not been deviation from this policy by Scouts Canada.”  That's the problem Steve you did not have all the information.

From a CBC Story February 16th - 2012

 

Scouts Canada's chief commissioner, Steve Kent, says he now accepts that his organization did not report all allegations of sexual abuse to police in past decades, contrary to previous denials.

The admission came in an interview with CBC’s The Fifth Estate as part of its ongoing investigation into how Scouts Canada dealt with past cases of sexual abuse.

Steve Kent, in an exclusive interview with The Fifth Estate, acknowledges Scouts Canada did not report all past sexual abuse allegations to the police. (CBC)
Kent was responding to revelations from CBC News that it appeared several cases were not handed over to the police.

Three months ago, Kent posted a YouTube video insisting the organization had always gone to police. “Any information that Scouts Canada obtains related to abuse allegations is communicated to police," he said. "To our knowledge there has not been deviation from this policy by Scouts Canada.”
Now Kent says he was wrong.

Lost Boys

The CBC's The Fifth Estate casts fresh doubt on Scouts Canada's claims about how it has dealt with those accused of preying on young boy scouts, and unearths cases not previously reported to police.
The Lost Boys airs at 9 pm on CBC-TV and will be rebroadcast on CBC News Network.

“My understanding has changed. There are indeed cases … where information was not brought to the authorities fast enough, and that is deeply troubling… I’ve actually instructed our staff to get in touch with the OPP [Ontario Provincial Police] to provide the information we do have.”

One final note Mr. Chair - Have you learned Steve or were you placating the public? 

"Secrecy Serves to Entrench Incumbents"

Below is Excerpt 2 from a lecture given by renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz
On Liberty, the Right to Know, and Public Discourse:
The Role of Transparency in Public Life


I have already called attention to several of these adverse effects: Secrecy provides the fertile ground on which special interests work; secrecy serves to entrench incumbents, discourage public participation in democratic processes, and undermines the ability of the press to provide an effective check against the abuses of government. But the adverse effects are more pervasive.

To maintain secrecy, often the circle of those involved in decision making is greatly circumscribed; those who are able to provide valuable insights are cut out of the discussion. The quality of decision making is thereby weakened. There is, again, a vicious circle. With more mistakes, public officials become more defensive; to protect themselves, they seek even more secrecy, narrowing in the circle still further, eroding still further the quality of decision-making.

Public programs may be designed not on the basis of the impact that they have, but on (government officials’ beliefs about) the perceptions of those impacts. Those perceptions will be affected by the information that is publicly available; program design may be as sensitive to those perceptions (and the extent to which they can be controlled) as to their real impact.

There is still one more, related effect: as the space of informed discourse about a host of important issues gets circumscribed, attention gets focused more and more on value issues. It takes an enormous amount of information to make judgments concerning complex economic issues. It takes far less (or a far different kind of) information to come to a view concerning abortion or family values. Thus, secrecy has distorted the arena of politics. The adverse effects of secrecy are multiple: not only are important areas of public policy not dealt with effectively, but also debate focuses disproportionately on issues which are often far more divisive.

__________________________________________________________

Without a doubt the Dunderdale government will seek naturally divisive issues such as hating Ottawa or Quebec in order to avoid real debate on issues such as Muskrat Falls.

This government and it's Secrecy Act are very dangerous to the well-being of our society.

Secrecy and the Consequences - Dunderdale vs. Stiglitz

I will over the next couple of days take excerpts from a lecture given by Joseph E. Stiglitz- Economist.

Below you will find some information about this professional followed by Exerpt 1 of the lecture. 

As a public - the current "secrecy" bill before our House of Assembly - should be frightening. You and I need to be very afraid of what the Dunderdale government is doing and why.

Appointments:

University Professor. Teaching at the Columbia Business School, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Department of Economics) and the School of International and Public Affairs

Co-founder and Co-President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD)

Co-Chair of Columbia University's Committee on Global Thought

Chair of the Management Board, Brooks World Poverty Institute, University of Manchester

Member, CFTC-SEC Advisory Committee on Emerging Regulatory Issues

President of the International Economic Association, 2011-2014

A Modest Proposal for International Monetary Reform, paper presented at the June 

2008 meeting of the International Economic Association, Istanbul.

Sharing the Burden of Saving the Planet: Global Social Justice for Sustainable Development, Keynote speech at the June 2008 meeting of the International Economic Association, Istanbul (see the powerpoint here).

Co-Chair of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress.

GDP Fetishism, Project Syndicate, September 2009.

GSP Seen as Inadequate Measure of Economic Health, by David Jolly, New York Times, September 14, 2009.

Towards A Better Measure of Well-Being, Financial Times, September 13, 2009.

Chair of the Commission of Experts of the President of the United Nations General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System

One Small Step Forward, The Guardian (UK), June 28, 2009.

Recommendations for Immediate Action, a statement from the first meeting of the Comission of Experts, January 4-6, 2009, New York.

West urged to increase aid to poor nations, article about the Commission by Heather 

Stewart, The Guardian (UK), January 11, 2009.

UN Panel Calls for Council to Replace G20, by Harvey Morris, Financial Times, March 22, 2009.

Dollar Reserve Reform Urged, by Harvey Morris, Financial Times, March 27, 2009.

Final Report of the UN Commission of Experts, released September 21, 2009

Excerpt 1

To me, the most compelling argument for openness is the positive Madisonian one: meaningful participation in democratic processes requires informed participants. Secrecy reduces the information available to the citizenry, hobbling their ability to participate meaningfully. Any of us who has participated in a board of directors knows that the power of a board to exercise direction and discipline is limited by the information at its disposal. 

Management knows this, and often attempts to control the flow of information. We often speak of government being accountable, accountable to the people. But if effective democratic oversight is to be achieved, then the voters have to be informed: they have to know what alternative actions were available, and what the results might have been. Those in government typically have far more information relevant to the decisions being made than do those outside government, just as management of a firm typically has far more information about the firm’s markets, prospects, and technology than do shareholders, let alone other outsiders. Indeed, managers are paid to gather this information.

The question is, given that the public has paid for the gathering of government information, who owns the information? Is it the private province of the government official, or does it belong to the public at large? I would argue that information gathered by public officials at public expense is owned by the public— just as the chairs and buildings and other physical assets used by government belong to the public. We have come to emphasize the importance of intellectual property. The information produced, gathered, and processed by public officials is intellectual property, no less than a patentable innovation would be. To use that intellectual property for private is just as serious an offense against the public as any other appropriation of public property for private purposes.

Is the NDP same old same old????

Where is the NDP?

As I have written about in my blog and spoken about on VOCM - the Province's Privacy Act has a major loophole.

Information given by an employee to an employer for employment purposes is not protected. This is a serious and potentially damaging ommission in our law and something I understand the government is now reviewing.

The Provinces of Alberta - BC and Quebec do have covering legislation.

Having said this - not a word from Lorraine Michael publicly - and not even a returned phone-call when I left a message.

Being a political party that prides itself on good relations with labour - this surprises me.

It's one issue to have a problem with the messaenger - but completely different issue to ignore such an important flaw in legislation.

Is this what we could look forward to from Lorraine and Party if they formed government or the Official Opposition? Would we see Lorraine ignore the issue unless one was an open supporter of the party or at the very least one who would not crtique the Party in any way on any issue?

I for one would like to hear Lorraine's position on this piece of legislative business.

I expected nothing from the Liberals and therefore was not disappointed.