Saturday, April 29, 2006

Government in Secret

Following up on a comment back here, I went digging into the NORAD question, and found this little gem where the Conservatives have just signed Canada to "indefinite" involvement in NORAD.

Now, first, let me be clear, I believe that NORAD, like NATO, has served a valuable role in Canada's defenses. However, both organizations are leftovers of the post-WWII "Cold War" era. The degree to which they are relevant today is somewhat suspect.

Second, my problem is not that the Conservatives have signed a renewal of the NORAD agreement either, but rather the apparent secrecy of both the negotiations (how many Canadians even knew this topic was on the table?), and the ambiguous terms that have been agreed to.

Once again, we find ourselves treated to another example of "Open, Accountable Government" - CPC Style. This is neither openness, nor accountability. It's an attempt to govern by subterfuge - to commit Canada to as many things that will inexorably tie our fate to that of the United States as possible - before Canadians can turf this miserable bunch out of office.

[Update 18:00 29/04/06]: So, now Harper is promising a debate on NORAD treaty. This is after the fact of the negotiations taking place. This comes as yet another entry in the list of events where the Harper government continues not only to disregard Parliament, but clearly has an agenda that is hostile not only to Canadians, but derisive towards the intelligence of the Canadian voter.

Remember, this is coming from the party that spent the last couple of years ranting about "Open, transparent, accountable government" - so why is so much being done in secret?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great!! Exactly how is a debate going to do anything now that the negotiations have already taken place and the deal has been signed?? It is interesting to note that the article on CBC's website indicates that the formal signing has not yet happened while another website (follow Grogs link at top of article) states that the deal has been signed in a secret ceremony. Harper is going to pull every trick in the book to accomplish his agenda without involving parliment. And to think that some voters were stupid enough to believe that he would be "more accountable and open" Bah !!

SB

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