Liberal Party Wrong to Assume that All Institutions are Non-Partisan and Unbiased

Recently, the Liberal Party and its leader Stephane Dion have criticized the Conservatives for what he characterized as a "war on federal institutions," for daring to criticize and/or intervene in some government institutions, like the Wheat Board and Elections Canada.

Liberals merely assume that these institutions are non-partisan and unbiased; however, this does not seem to be the case. The Liberals treasure these institutions because they represent and mirror the values and policies of the Liberal Party.

For instance, Elections Canada has focused on a witch hunt of the Conservative Party over election financing when all parties, not just the Conservative Party, engage in financial transfers between local and national campaigns. Yet, Elections Canada has focused its energy solely on investigating the Conservatives. This can hardly be considered a hallmark of non-partisanship!

Similarly, members of the Canadian Wheat Board who support the Liberals' policy of pro-monopoly powers over wheat and grains grown in Western Canada have been removed from their government-appointed positions for not supporting the official government policy. It is not up to unelected civil servants to dictate what policy will be, even if they wish they could (especially if they are trying to preserve or implement policies of former Liberal governments!).

When a Liberal sees something as non-partisan, they mean that the organization or institution is not opposed to them, rather than being truly neutral and unbiased.