Orwilliams

Over at nottawa, a field report from the Department of No One Would Believe You If You Made This Stuff Up.

Added bonus: awesome visual gag.

Mr. Accountability (IV): Sound, reasonable principles

From the proceedings of the Bow-Wow Parliament on December 3, 2001:

MR. WILLIAMS: That is what my platform is all about; no hidden documents, no hidden agenda. That is why our position is so clear on Voisey’s Bay. No secret negotiations, no secret documents. If the people know the country will be safe, and they have a right to know. They need to know the details on major negotiations of a $50 billion resource. They have a right to know. Why should it be kept secret? That is why I said it.

Let’s go to our policy on Freedom of Information, which is contained in our Blue Book in the 1999 election. "A PC Government will establish a new Freedom of Information Act to reduce the cost of accessing information...". First point, reduce the cost of accessing information. Secondly, "...to reduce the wait for information, and to ensure that Ministers actually provide the information requested where that information belongs in the public domain...". Three pretty sound, reasonable principles.

Mr. Accountability (III): Denial of information

From the proceedings of the Bow-Wow Parliament on November 28, 2001:

MR. WILLIAMS: The Premier continues to refuse to answer questions. It is ironic that the very committee that he speaks of, a request for information was asked on the deliberations of that committee and the government refused to provide that information.

Mr. Speaker, would the Premier agree that the extended time periods, prohibited fees, and the lack of authority by the Citizens’ Representative, in fact constitute a denial of information, rather than access to information?

Mr. Accountability (II): Procedural roadblocks

From the proceedings of the Bow-Wow Parliament on November 28, 2001:

MR. WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, the Premier has claimed to have an open, accessible and transparent government, yet the new Freedom of Information Act, the proposed Bill 49, in fact makes it more difficult for the public to secure information due to procedural roadblocks.

Could the Premier explain to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador why the former act had a thirty-day response period, yet the new act, the proposed bill, requires reasonable efforts only in a thirty-day period, provides for an extension of a further thirty-day period under certain circumstances and, in fact, provides for circumstances where it can be in excess of ninety days? Could the Premier please explain why the differences?

The legislative agenda

This scheduling grid shows compares the schedules of the House of Commons, Senate, and the provincial and territorial legislatures so far this fall (click to enlarge).


The background grey and white zones distinguish the business days of the four months, September through October, left to right. Weekends and holidays are in green. Sitting days are in dark blue, while projected sitting days (where the legislature has provided a calendar of future business) are in light blue.

The British Columbia legislature actually reconvened in August, while those of Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories have already adjourned.

The Bow-Wow Parliament, shown here as the bottom row, in the absence of hard information, has "projected" sitting days are based on the planned November 30th opening of the House of Assembly — and on the fact that it has not, in recent years, sat more than three weeks, or any later than the third week of December.

It often rises for Christmas even earlier than that.

In announcing that the House would finally open on November 30th, Government House Leader Joan Burke said that "Government is eager to resume its legislative agenda".

Whatever that agenda is.

Perhaps the brilliant legislative drafters in Confederation Building have finally tackled the long-promised, yet still undelivered Whistleblower protection bill — the one which Our Dear Premier wanted to take the time "to do right".

Or, perhaps, the eager legislative beavers will finally start gnawing out the Act Respecting Sir Wilfred Grenfell University. That's a piece of legislation — a legislative "piece", if you will — that Joan Burke, wearing her Ministur of Edjukayshn hat, said that she had not had time to finish.

Or, perhaps, they will be handed a new set of marching orders: don't just stand there, expropriate something! And quick!

Who knows?

Timetable change (II)

2006:

While Hydro will take the required time to complete due diligence on the feasibility of this project, a planning schedule has been developed that will see a project sanctioning decision by 2009 and potentially first power by 2015.

2009 (From another in Rob Antle's editorial board series for the Telegram, not online) :

The province had hoped to sanction the project this year.

But Williams acknowledged last week that won't happen.

"This matter here is not going to resolve in the short term," the premier said. "Not by a long shot. We're not looking at a Lower Churchill deal in the near term. I'd love to get the project sanctioned in the next couple of years, and then get it moving after that."

Mr. Accountability (I): What are you trying to hide?

From the proceedings of the Bow-Wow Parliament of November 26, 2001:

MR. WILLIAMS: Mr. Premier, I would ask you: Given this year’s increasing deficit, why does section 23(1)(c) of this act give the government the absolute right to deny to the public vital information which would enable them to determine the impact on public services and programs in this Province? That is section 23(1)(c), Premier.

PREMIER GRIMES: Mr. Speaker, it does not do that. This government has no plan to do that. Mr. Speaker, I know they find that hard to understand, but the whole notion on the modus operandi for this government is that, when there are issues that are of importance to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, they are fully disclosed and fully debated.

I know the Opposition, Mr. Speaker, does not understand that, because when the people that they used to support were in government - because I am not allowed to say when they were in government, because there are none of them there. There is not a soul over there, Mr. Speaker. They have one who is a former premier that they have relegated to the far end of the bench, Mr. Speaker, the very far end of the bench, because they do not want to be tied to things that they used to do and used to support. So, in fact, we will be judged proudly and gladly any day by our record which will be full, open disclosure and accountability, the likes of which has not been seen by any government in this Province before, Mr. Speaker.

MR. WILLIAMS: My final question for the Premier is: Why are he and his government using this very, very important piece of legislation to deny vital information to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador? What are you trying to hide?

Eager beavers

It's hard to tell any more whether the big syrupy doses of irony in ITAR-DAN announcements like this are accidental or subversively deliberate:

"Government is eager to resume its legislative agenda," said the Honourable Joan Burke, Government House Leader. "We look forward to some productive input and debate, which will contribute to the betterment of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador."

Government is so eager to resume its legislative agenda (whatever the blue blazes that is; where's the whistleblower bill, folks?) and so looking forward to productive input and debate (like this)... yet the Amazing Disappearing Legislature continues to disappear, amazingly.

Whatever.

Pease in a pod (VI)

Danny Williams-Government:

The provincial Department of Education is withholding engineering reports on the state of two St. John's high schools, claiming the reports are still in draft form - even though the local school authority made decisions four months ago based in part on the reports' findings.

And again:

Someone’s got a bit of explaining to do. After the province’s minister of health, Ross Wiseman, slipped up on Wednesday and revealed the existence of inspection reports on hospitals in the St. John’s area, he had to know that the questions would come fast and furious.

…

Questions like: given this written commitment from the Williams campaign in the 2003 election campaign that “A Progressive Conservative government will ... release to the public every government-commissioned report within 30 days of receiving it, indicate the action government will take on a report’s recommendations within 60 days, and ensure prompt public access to all government reports in hard copy and on the Internet,” why is it these reports have spent three years or so hidden from view?

And "Steve", via Kady O'Malley:

Question: So how long have you had it?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: --- to last year when it was 2.4 percent. So what the information -

Question: How long have you had it?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: --- what this report demonstrates is exactly what we have been saying.

Question: How long have you had the Commissioner of Firearms report?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: If I could finish -

Question: No, sir, you haven't answered the question that I asked you. You're answering a completely different question.

Hon. Peter Van Loan: What the report demonstrates is what we have been saying all along -

Question: How long have you had the Firearms Commissioner's report, sir?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: --- that the registry - the long-gun registry is not used by police to prevent crime. It's thoroughly ineffective and that when we eliminate the long-gun registry, 97 percent - over 97 percent of the occasions -

Question: This isn't a news conference, these are questions. How long have you had the Firearms report?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: --- over 97 percent of the occasions that -

Goons

Geoff Meeker weighs in on the wisdom of employing the personal touch you only get with hired goons.

By the numbers: Members' Compensation Review Committee

Total number of public sessions held by the Members’ Compensation Review Committee: 6

Total number of such sessions held in the afternoon between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.: 6

Total number of public individual presenters who appeared befor the Committee: 12

Average number per session: 2

Total number of those presenters who appeared at a session outside Capital City: 4

Average number per session outside Capital City: 1

Total number of Groups/Organizations who appeared before the Committee: 4

Average number per session: 0.6667

Average number per session outside Capital City: 0

Total number who appeared before the Committee outside Capital City: 0

Total number of groups, organizations, or private individuals who went before the Committee in public sessions: 16

Total number of MHAs who went before the Committee in closed-door sessions: 17

Timetable change

2006:

While Hydro will take the required time to complete due diligence on the feasibility of this project, a planning schedule has been developed that will see a project sanctioning decision by 2009 and potentially first power by 2015.

2009:

He still hopes to make the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project a reality before leaving office.

"I'm definitely going to hang around to see if I can get it done," said the premier.

But Williams said he's not going to stick around forever "to beat a dead horse" if a deal cannot be sealed, nor will he sign a bad deal for the sake of getting one done while in office.