YAHOO.CA NEWS has a blog, THE MARK, with a strong position on the F-35. Phil Elder's piece, "No F-35 Scandal? Yes, Minister" nails AIRSHOW to the wall.
I’ve always thought that studying law is a good preparation for our elected representatives. Having myself emerged from this indoctrination, it seemed to me that honing one’s ability to identify a central issue, evaluate evidence, and understand how our parliamentary democracy works is fundamental to governing.
But then along comes someone like Peter MacKay – lawyer and Conservative cabinet minister extraordinaire – who shows a complete disrespect for parliamentary democracy. Notably, MacKay refuses to resign for his department’s, and his own, failings in this F-35 scandal.
In his magisterial book, Democratic Government in Canada, R. MacGregor Dawson explained that a minister’s role is not to work the department, but to see that it is worked. Because a minister answers to Parliament for all the department’s doings, he or she has the right to intervene at any level and remove public servants for wrongdoing. However, “answering to Parliament” also means accepting responsibility for your own missteps and, if those missteps are serious, resigning.
But then along comes someone like Peter MacKay – lawyer and Conservative cabinet minister extraordinaire – who shows a complete disrespect for parliamentary democracy. Notably, MacKay refuses to resign for his department’s, and his own, failings in this F-35 scandal.
In his magisterial book, Democratic Government in Canada, R. MacGregor Dawson explained that a minister’s role is not to work the department, but to see that it is worked. Because a minister answers to Parliament for all the department’s doings, he or she has the right to intervene at any level and remove public servants for wrongdoing. However, “answering to Parliament” also means accepting responsibility for your own missteps and, if those missteps are serious, resigning.
Right on. Click on the link to digest the rest. It seems that a consensus is building; maybe, this sucker's got traction . . .
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