Ethics, the Senate, and Stephen Harper

I read an article from the National Post by Andrew Coyne.  Yes I visited the National Post Site and that in itself could be news.  The article was about whether the Harper Party’s “culture of expediency” was behind the current crop of scandals in Ottawa.

You can read the article here: Andrew Coyne: Conservative government’s culture of expediency behind its multiplying scandals

If you want my comments to Andrew you’ll have to scroll way down the comments list, look for the black cat.

I found myself agreeing with Andrew’s premise that many of the Harper Party Scandals have their roots going into the practice of forcing through legislation that looks good to the party’s supporters but that are not well thought out, political expediency as it were, but I took issue with his idea that

People don’t make ethical choices in isolation. They take their cues from those around and above them.

I believe ethics is what you do when you think no one is watching.

Andrew is of the opinion that even if you are an honest person when you walk into the Senate or the House of Commons that you will soon lose that honesty when you see all the other people grabbing with both hands and not getting caught.  I think he’s wrong.

Look, I know a woman who drove 30 minutes out of her way to go back to a store because they made a mistake and didn’t charge her for an item.  She was free and clear, she wouldn’t have been caught.  So why did she do it?

She felt it was wrong to keep something she didn’t pay for.  She didn’t do anything wrong, the store made an error, but she just didn’t feel right in not paying for it.

She did the right thing because it was the right thing to do.

It’s the same thing as picking up a lost wallet and handing it over to the store or the police unopened because it’s not yours.

Acting ethically can be a choice, but for most of us it seems to be ingrained into us.  We were taught to be honest, to act appropriately, and to be good citizens.  We may choose to be with people of like mind when we are  with our friends, but unfortunately we do not get to choose who were work with.

Stephen Harper is not in a position like most of us.  He has the ability to choose who he has in his inner circle and those who he appoints to various positions including the Senate.  He can check into these people to ensure they are of high moral standing, to ensure they are ethical, but he apparently does not.

We have a number of Senators in Ottawa who don’t appear to live in the regions they represent.  This is a condition for sitting in the Senate stipulated in the Constitution.  If these people took the high moral road, if they acted ethically they would have at least questioned if they were entitled to sit in the Senate.  Instead they just sidled up to the trough and proceeded to gobble all that they could get.

If Stephen Harper were to call me today and say “You want a Senate seat?” I’d say “Thanks, but I can’t.”  I know that I don’t meet the requirements.  Believe me, if I got the call and I could figure out how to make myself eligible I would.  Wouldn’t you? $130,000.00 to start plus the perks would be awfully hard to turn down.

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One way to judge a person is by looking at the company they choose to keep.  Stephen’s had a disbarred lawyer in his inner circle that later got into trouble for lobbying the Government improperly.  A Cabinet Minister who had a child with a baby sitter while he was still married.  Another Cabinet Minister who sold out his own party to have a seat in Harper’s Cabinet.  And of course the befuddled Senator who doesn’t know where he lives.

This does not reek of ethics folks, it reeks of something else.

Stephen Harper has “daylight ethics”.  Or maybe we can call it “political ethics”.  He tries to look like he’s doing the right thing when the harsh lights of public opinion are on him and his people, but when he thinks no one is looking, well that is an entirely different matter.  He thought that no one would notice if he clawed back danger pay from our Forces in Afghanistan.  He tried to reduce the danger pay for others.  These things were in the works until we noticed, until we turned on the lights and said that it was wrong… Then they went away quietly, “mistakes” they said.

Just today Stephen Harper was asked about Pamela Wallin’s travel expenses.  He said that if there are improper expenses that they should be repaid and that when they were repaid that Ms. Wallin would be welcomed back into caucus.

That’s not ethics.

Just paying back ill gotten gains is not sufficient.  Theft and fraud are not the pastimes of ethical or honourable people.  If Senators are bilking the system then they shouldn’t be in the Senate.  If MPs are bilking the system they should not be in the House.  At the very least they should be fired.  If it is warranted, they should be jailed.

When Stephen Harper isn’t wrapping himself in the flag or flogging his love of watching hockey, he claims to be a Christian.  Well he strikes me as one of those “Sunday Christians.”  You know the ones, Monday through Saturday they’ll lie and cheat and steal, or they’ll be all liquored up and chasing skirts while their family sits at home, but on Sunday, they dress up nice and listen to the preacher for a bit and they’re good to go for another week.

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You see Andrew, the problem isn’t that these people are losing their ethics when they walk into the Senate or the House.  The problem is that they didn’t have any before they got there.  Of all 105 Senators and 308 MPs, we only hear a few bad eggs.  Maybe the rest are just smart enough to not get caught, I’d like to believe that the few do not necessarily represent the majority.

I believe that Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin are ethically challenged, should I believe that all journalists are like them?  Should I believe that You are like them?

Cheers, BC

Good Lord the Duffy Situation just keeps getting worse.  Now it appears he was demanding a Ministerial position so that he could have a car and driver and even more travel allowance?  I’m sure glad I didn’t appoint this buffoon.

Oh Those Pesky (not hockey) Senators

Well the auditors are done with at least three of our Senators.  They met with two of them and the third, Mike Duffy was apparently far too busy to meet with them or even bother to send them the paperwork they requested.

Maybe their request was too confusing.  However Duffy did let them know as they were wrapping things up that he was open to a meeting.  The Senate subcommittee decided they didn’t need Mike anyhow.  The auditors had pieced together his attendance and where he was by using his cell phone records and the records from his Government Issue Amex Card.

I saw the news gathering on TV.  It was Conservative Senate Leader Marjory LaBreton came out to make her statement to the media.  She seemed a bit disappointed that the Liberal side of the Senate weren’t ready to put this all behind them and wanted more time to consider the matter.  Ms. LaBreton seems to feel that if the money is repaid then there is no harm and no fouls.

Some of the media pushed her on that, pointing out that if they were over claiming on their expenses they wouldn’t have their jobs very long.  She seemed noncommittal when asked about whether the RCMP would be called.  If the police want to investigate it’s their call, not the Senate’s it seems.

So what have we got?  Conservative Senator Mike Duffy says he was confused and paid the money back, even the per diems he received when he was in Florida and not eligible for.  He blames a temp in his office, but he signed for it.  Apparently Mike doesn’t bother to read things that are put in front of him to sign.

Former Conservative and now independent Senator Brazeau isn’t saying anything.  He’s in enough trouble as it is, he’s probably smart for keeping his mouth shut.

Former Liberal and now independent Senator Mac Harb is going to fight this.  He thinks he has done nothing wrong.  I disagree, but at least he’s standing behind what he did, and if he loses his case then he’ll pay back the money with even more interest.  That is if he loses.

The bottom line is that out of 105 Senators 101 appear to be following the rules, well at least they’re not being investigated.  The auditors and the subcommittee are done with three of them and we’re still waiting to hear on Senator Pamela Wallin. 

But just when you think things can’t get any weirder… the reports on Brazeau and Harb say the rules about residency are unambiguous but that section gets left out of the report on Duffy.  How odd the only one who claims he was confused is not told how clear the rules are.  You’d think that would be the other way around, wouldn’t you?

Look, if you or I were to pull these kinds of games on our employers, we’d be on the street looking for a new job if we were lucky… we might just as likely be charged with fraud.  I don’t care if they are greedy or just thick, ignorance of the law is no excuse.  Taking money you are not entitled to is a crime for citizens and it should be for Senators too.

When I was watching the press conference with Marjory LaBreton, I heard her say one thing that I have to agree with… there is no honour in the Senate.

Imagine that, I’m agreeing with a Conservative…

…and I’m usually the one defending the Senate…

I need a beer.

Cheers! BC

This just in… Liberal Senator James Cowan is saying that the RCMP is indeed interested in examining the expenses of three Senators.  Is this the same RCMP the Senate was chastising this past week?  It could get interesting…

BC