More government cuts have been announced, and these ones hold no less of an ideological odour than the last round. While previously, environmental scientists, National Gallery curators and now researchers with the National Research Council have found their jobs being lost, Audit Services Canada appears to be next. Not that it’s a reflection of this government’s “commitment” to transparency and accountability – rather, it feels that these are services that they can simply outsource to the private sector instead, at the cost of some 700 public service positions. Because hey, the private sector is always cheaper and more efficient than the public service, and can always duplicate the same level of specialised services. Right?
Meanwhile, Paul Wells still can’t get the government to explain just what the cuts they already booked in the last federal budget were. Apparently he needs to wait until the Public Accounts come out in the fall, and they invite him to contact individual departments – something he’s had oh so much luck in doing already.
On the subject of financial oversight, in their rush to rubber-stamp the federal spending estimates, it appears that MPs allowed a line item that ceased to separate out the Prime Minister’s Office’s spending plans from those of the Privy Council Office. Because you know, this government is all about transparency and accountability, and totally not mixing up the separate spheres of the public service with the political operations of the government. How many rubber-stamped hidden goodies have yet to turn up? I guess we’ll have to wait and see what else shakes loose, but I’m totally impressed with the Official Opposition’s job of holding the government to account so far. Two sarcastic thumbs up! I’m especially impressed with Pat Martin – who now chairs the Government Operations committee – saying that the government simply needs to be more transparent in these things, rather than saying that oh, MPs should do their jobs and actually scrutinise these documents line-by-line the way they’re supposed to. But hey, they’re just trying to “Make Parliament Work™” and act in “Proposition, not opposition!” by rolling over and playing dead. Seriously, remind me why we even bother having a Parliament if this is the way MPs are going to behave?
Here’s more about that New Brunswick farmer in jail in Lebanon that the Liberals keep raising during Question Period.
John Baird says that he’s not convinced by Syria’s “vague” promises of political reform. Because his is a voice of heft and gravitas on the foreign policy stage. Oh, wait…
And watch Jason Kenney talk out of his ass about Senate reform! (No, you can’t reform the Senate without opening the constitution, and you still haven’t given a vision of what exactly you want a “reformed” Senate to look like).
Up today – that back-to-work legislation for the postal strike starts debate.