Transcript In Pursuit of Honest Politics

Honest Politics
Ian Green and David Shugarman - Chapter 8
Presented by Erica Henry-Jackman
April 1st 2009
Honest politics is not only attainable in a democratic
country, it is essential if the fundamental democratic
value of mutual respect is to be taken seriously.
By making more extensive use of ethics
commissioners,
improving
ethics
legislation,
encouraging political parties to develop codes and
enhancing the quality and quantity of ethics
education, we (each of us) can set the stage of an era
in the not-too-distant future when ethical politics is
considered as much a hallmark of our political system
as free elections and judicially monitored human
rights.
 Ethics Commissioners: counsel elected members, provide quick and
impartial means to resolve conflicts of interest and so far they have
been competent and experienced individuals.
 Ethics Legislation: involves rules and guidelines about right and
wrong behaviours for a host of different groups, including elected
leaders (such as the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers), elected
representatives (such as Members of Parliament), political staff, and
public servants.
 Whistle–blowing: legislation is an important means of ensuring
transparency. In some cases public officials become aware of the
unethical conduct of other public officials, but, because of fear, they
do not come forward to report such incidents. The legislation
protects these public officials and make it easier for them to come
forward with allegations of unethical conduct.
 Political Parties Codes of Ethics: can be more effectively handled by
parties than an outside body. Political parties that pursue honest
politics by way of a code of ethics is more likely to lead by example.
 Ethics Audits: elected officials at every level as well as political
parties, could benefit , as the audit reviews and measures
ethical practices and behaviours of public servants.
 Ethics Education: it is desirable that as many public official as
possible have a solid grounding in the principles of ethical
democratic politics and the process of ethical reasoning prior
to becoming politically involved.
 Political Accountability and Responsibility: to be accountable
is to be answerable. In a democracy, elected politicians are
answerable to the public and then the party. Politicians are
accountable through and at elections and by being required
publicly to disclose their records and their reasons for seeking
support. Responsibility refers to fulfilling the job requirements
of a politician, which may include overseeing the jobs other
public servants are commissioned to fulfill.
Global Integrity 2008 Report Drops Canada From "Strong" to
"Moderate" Level in World's Most Detailed Assessment of
Government Integrity and Democracy. Feb 18th 2009
In Global Integrity's six categories in its Integrity Indicators Scorecard,
Canada had its worst scores in categories:
 3. Government Accountability (Weak at 64% overall, especially in the sub-category of Judicial
Accountability with a Very Weak Score of 31%);
 4. Administration and Civil Service (Moderate at 76% overall, with a Weak score of 61% in the
sub-category of Civil Service Regulations), and;
 6. Anti-Corruption and Rule of Law (Moderate at 77% overall, with a Very Weak score of 58%
in the sub-category of Law Enforcement).
Canada had its best scores in categories:
1. Civil Society, Public Information and Media (Strong at 87% overall, with a Very Strong mark
of 92% for media freedom overall);
 5. Oversight and Regulation (Strong at 87% overall, especially in the sub-category of national
government auditing with a Very Strong mark of 94%), and;
 2. Elections (Strong at 86% overall).
Avoidable ethics scandals
 The Sponsorship scandal - 2004 - misuse and
misdirection of funds disbursed through the Liberal
government's
1990s
sponsorship
program.
Investigated by the Gomery Commission.
 Art Eggleton - 2002 - gave a lucrative government
contract to his ex-girlfriend Maggie Maier a $36,500
contract to write a report on post-traumatic stress
disorder and environmental illness among Canadian
soldiers.
 Airbus affair - 1995 - Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
was implicated in a kickback scheme to purchase
Airbus planes for Air Canada
Benoît Corbeil
The former director-general of the Liberal Party of Canada's Quebec wing.
Corbeil was a key organizer identified by Jean Brault as a kingpin in funnelling
sponsorship money to the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada.
In April 2008, Corbeil was charged with influence peddling, fraud and
conspiracy against the Liberal party and the federal government between
1997 and 2000. RCMP Cpl. Luc Bessette said the charges were not directly
linked to the sponsorship scandal but came from a parallel investigation.
What Justice Gomery said: Corbeil accepted cash donations and improper
benefits for the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada and “contributed
to the all too common perception that many of those participating in the
democratic exercise of political activism are dishonest and disreputable.”
Don Boudria
Boudria was minister of public works for five months after
Alfonso Gagliano was appointed ambassador to Denmark.
He was removed from the post after it was revealed that
he had stayed at a luxury chalet belonging to the owner
of Groupe Everest, a Quebec firm that did millions of
dollars
in
business
with
the
government.
In closing …
Leadership comes from and its representative of its
citizenry. As our leaders have a duty to function as moral
actors, so all citizens also have a duty to see to it that they
live up to their obligations and practise the ethics and
principles of democracy.
Ethical Orientation Questionnaire Results:
Two Ethical Styles
The higher your  score, the more you rely on an "ethic of
justice." An "ethic of justice or rights" is based on abstract,
impersonal principles, like justice, fairness, equality or authority.
People who prefer this style see ethical dilemmas as involving
primarily a conflict of rights that can be solved by the impartial
application of some general principle.
The higher your © score, the more you prefer an "ethic of care.”
An "ethic of care or responsibility" is founded on a sense of
responsibility to reduce actual harm or suffering. For these
people, moral dilemmas generally involve a conflict of duties or
responsibilities. People with this orientation believe that the
focal point of every ethical dilemma is the specific individuals
involved and the particular circumstances of the case