Today, former-Sponsorship Scandal Inquiry Head John Gomery criticized the government for what he characterized as overly centralized in the PMO. According to a CTV article, he said, "[Canadians] elect a House of Parliament which is there to deal with government policy. I don't think government policy should arrive only out of the prime minister's office."
Mr Gomery is completely wrong on this issue. The House of Commons is elected to serve as the legislative branch of government - it is NOT the executive branch of government, nor should it be. It is the role of the Cabinet to design policy directives, and the legislature has the right to approve or reject government policy, but not to make it.
Furthermore, it should especially not be the government bureaucracy and civil service setting government policy. The role of the civil service is to implement policy as directed by the Prime Minister and Ministers, not to dictate what it should be.
The different branches of government serve different functions here in Canada, and each should stick to their roles as laid out in the constitution. Development of government policy is the purview of the Executive branch and it should remain that way.
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4 comments:
I think any doubts about this guy being a partisan hack have now been removed
As I understand it; Gomery has no specifics, doesn't acknowledge how many of his ideas (the good ones, it can be argued) have been implemented, and says the unelected bureaucrats have too much power in the Tory government but wants to give the unelected bureaucrats more power in the same breath. Additionally, he himself is an unelected bureaucrat trying to influence the government when no one asked his opinion. This is the guy who let Chrétien off.
It also strikes me as arrogant to expect a "my way or the highway" response to his report. Most of what he wanted has been done, in a minority government that’s pretty good. For my part I disagree with the few ideas that have not been implemented, particularly more power to unelected officials. Finally, he is complaining that the Accountability Act was introduced before he released his report. The Government does not answer to one judge Gomery, they answer to the Canadian people. We wanted that act, they promised it and they kept it. Any complaining at this point is sour grapes.
I do agree that there is way to much centralization of power in the PM's office, regardless of which party is in power. But we should all remember (at least those of us old enough to remember) that both that restructuring and the politicization of senior bureaucrats was a policy brought in by Trudeau.
Before that senior bureaucrats were scrupulously non-partisan.
Future Senator Gomery must keep up his appointed role of obfuscating Liberal corruption and attacking the Conservatives on a regular basis - or he won't get that Senate seat. It'll pay off for him.
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