Olivia Chow, MP

Sad Day for Clean Government: Oshawa Investigation Denied

Federal Ethics Commissioner Refuses to Scrutinize Shady Port Authority Appointments

September 19, 2012

OTTAWA – The Federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has denied MP Olivia Chow’s request to investigate the Oshawa Port Authority appointments. Seeing no reason to take a closer look at how well-connected Conservatives got federal plum jobs, Ms. Dawson hides behind her limited mandate.

NDP Transport Critic Olivia Chow filed the request at the behest of the City of Oshawa, whose City Council asked for a federal investigation. The MP reacted to the disappointing decision of the commissioner with the following statement:

“There is a gaping loop hole in the Accountability Act. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has no “mandate to review the government appointment process.”

All appointments are done in secret in an unaccountable fashion, therefore we can’t prove what private action was taken for the appointments of Jim Flaherty’s friends on the board of the Oshawa Port Authority.

The government appointment process is broken and leads to rewards given to insider friends. That’s why the NDP insists on toughening the Act and an open and transparent process. All federal appointments should be done through an arms-length agency to avoid all potential conflicts of interest.”