LibertasPost

There was an annual awards show in Ottawa today, but unlike the Oscars, being nominated for this distinction was far from an honour. As handed out by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), the Teddy Waste Awards recognize dubious use of public money by civil servants, politicians, and government departments.

The Manufactured Outrage Over Rahim Jaffer

People across Canada were understandably angry yesterday when former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer, caught speeding in Ontario last fall while under the influence and in possession of cocaine, was handed down a relatively lenient sentence of $500 by Judge Doug Maund. Immediate reaction ranged from disbelief, to accusations of Conservative influence peddling. Many actually attested to their belief that there are some rules for regular citizens, and then others for members of the Conservative Party.

By Jordan J. Ballor (with permission)

An Analogy for Good Government

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010

Riffing off of Lord Acton’s quote on liberty and good government, I came up with an analogy that was well-received at last month’s inaugural Acton on Tap.

In his essay, “The History of Freedom in Antiquity,” Acton said the following:

The government’s decision to prorogue Parliament until early March in response to the Senate’s obstruction of its legislative agenda has once again thrust the subject of parliamentary reform back into the public consciousness.

An elected Senate remains the most popular of possible reforms, but with the Conservative Party set to assume control of the upper chamber, perhaps the time is ripe to hit the pause button and ask: Is this the right direction to go?

For some time now, impropriety in Indian-band elections and financial-disclosure problems have been pushed off to the courts for a resolution. The federal government avoided controversy by encouraging First Nation bands to solve their own problems.

A senior Indian Affairs policy analyst recently said that the Ministry must work with a recognized legitimate government on a reserve. If the government is unable to identify an acceptable First Nation leader, Indian Affairs should consider diverting program funding through a third-party manager while competing band factions resolve issues.