Français |
Media and Public
Appearances
(October 1993 - August 2010)
Set out below is a list
of
links to Democracy Watch's media and public
appearances from 2010 and past years.
If you want to see/hear selected
Democracy Watch TV and radio interviews and speeches from past years,
go to:
TV and
Radio Interviews and Speeches / Testimony
If you want see what media and other commentators have said
about Democracy Watch, go to:
Quotations About
Democracy Watch
I.
2010 Media
Appearances
in reverse chronological order
TV
Radio
Newspapers, Magazines and Web Media
listing date of appearance, media outlet, and topic, and
for TV and radio the
specific show.
NOTE: Some links will take you to a
media outlet webpage
that
is not controlled by Democracy Watch. In some cases, the
article or interview will no longer be available on that webpage, or
only available to subscribers.
2010 Public
Appearances
are set out below the Media Appearances and are grouped
under Government
Hearings or Conferences, with the host, date and topic
listed for each appearance.
570 media appearances in 2010 (including 104
national
appearances)
TELEVISION
2010 -- 24 TV appearances so
far
(including 11 national TV appearances)
July 16 - CTV News (New Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - CBC News (New Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 6 - CBC News Channel (Power and Politics show) re:
CanadianPress.com
wire article) re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
will
investigate
Conservative
Cabinet
minister's
action
in
relation
to
former
Conservative
MP Rahim Jaffer --
Commissioner should be investigating many other Conservative government
representatives
June 1 - CHCH TV (Southwestern Ontario, @11:30
show) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
June 1 - CBC TV's The National re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
June 1 - CHCH TV (Southwestern Ontario, @5:30 show) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
May 31 - CPAC (PrimeTime Politics show) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
May 31 - CTV News Channel (feature afternoon interview) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
May 28 - CPAC (The Week with Mark Sutcliffe) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010)
May 18 - Global TV National re: Globe
and
Mail article re: Federal
Auditor
General
not
only
has
clear
power
to
audit
MPs
and
Parliament,
she
is
legally
required
to
do
the
audit
every
few
years
May 18 - Sun TV websites (3 across Canada) re: Globe and Mail article re: Federal
Auditor
General
not
only
has
clear
power
to
audit
MPs
and
Parliament,
she
is
legally
required
to
do
the
audit
every
few
years
April 23 - CHCH TV (Southwestern Ontario, @5:30
show -- @11:30 re-broadcast) re: Rahim Jaffer affair and NEWS
RELEASE: Recent
Cases
Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 23 - CHCH TV (Southwestern Ontario, @5:30 show) re: Rahim Jaffer
affair and NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases
Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 8 - CBC TV's The National re: Former
Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer and his spouse, Conservative Cabinet
minister Helena Guergis, face allegations of improper activities,
allegations they deny
April 8 - CBC's Power and Politics show re:
Rahim Jaffer and Helena Guergis situation and NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Commissioner of Lobbying Fails in Past Year to Rule on Five
Longstanding Ethics Complaints - Along
with
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Also
Taking
Too
Long
to
Rule
on
Complaints
About
Fundraising
Events
Held
by Federal
Conservatives
Rick
Dykstra
and
Lisa
Raitt
Last
Fall
(April 8, 2010) -- To see the
interview (from the 11-minute mark to the 17-minute mark of the show), click here
March 23 - TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin
re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
on
TV
show
panel
on
Senate
reform
-- Click on Senate Reform link on the page
March 15 - CPAC ("PrimeTime Politics" show) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Calls on All Federal Parties to Reach Agreement on Eliminating
"10-Percenter" Mailings to Save More Than $10 Million -- Board
of Internal Economy (BOIE) Must Have Consensus To Change Rules, And
Should Hold Public Meetings To Discuss "10-Percenter" and All Issues
(March 15, 2010)
March 1 - CBC News Network (afternoon news) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Canadian
Federal
Government Far From Owning the Podium on Democracy and
Government Accountability -- Drops to 11th in Global
Integrity's New Annual Report -- Another Accountability Act Needed
(March 1, 2010)
March 1 - Straightgoods.ca re: YouTUBE VIDEO: Duff Conacher on how
to resolve the dispute over the disclosure of all documents about
Afghan detainees
February 24 - Straightgoods.ca re: YouTUBE VIDEO: Duff
Conacher on the ethics of lobbying federal Canadian politicians
February 11 - CBC News Network (afternoon news)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010)
top
RADIO
2010 -- 120 radio
appearances so far (including 14 national radio appearances)
August 6 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal Conservatives' Proposed
Changes Will Increase Disclosure and Ethics Requirements, But Secret
and Unethical Lobbying Will Still Be Legal Until Other Huge Loopholes
Are Closed (August 5, 2010)
August 6 - CKNW (Vancouver -- Bill Good show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal Conservatives' Proposed
Changes Will Increase Disclosure and Ethics Requirements, But Secret
and Unethical Lobbying Will Still Be Legal Until Other Huge Loopholes
Are Closed (August 5, 2010)
August 6 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- morning show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal Conservatives' Proposed
Changes Will Increase Disclosure and Ethics Requirements, But Secret
and Unethical Lobbying Will Still Be Legal Until Other Huge Loopholes
Are Closed (August 5, 2010)
July 19 - Saint John Independent Radio (New
Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - CBC News (New Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - CJOL Radio
(Montreal - Concordia University radio) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher's
legacy
of
changes
as
he
begins
transition
to new work after 17 years as Coordinator
July 15 - CBC Maritime Noon phone-in show (starts 20 min. into
show) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
on
the
loopholes
and
flaws
in
Canada's
democracy
July 14 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Michael
Harris afternoon show) re: Loopholes
in
ethics
rules
allow
MPs
and
Senators
to
keep
active
business and
financial interests
July 14 - CKNW (Vancouver -- Bill Good show) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher's
legacy
of
changes
as
he
begins
transition
to new work after 17 years as Coordinator
July 14 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher's
legacy
of
changes
as
he
begins
transition
to new work after 17 years as Coordinator
June 24 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
June 24 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Murray Langdon's morning show) re: NEWS RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
June 24 - CIUT Toronto ("Take Five" morning
show) re: NEWS RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
June 23 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
(late afternoon show) re: NEWS RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
June 17 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Michael
Harris afternoon show) re: federal Privy Council (Cabinet) office broke
contracting rules in 29% of contracts audited over last 18 months
June 1 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Michael
Harris afternoon show) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31, 2010)
May 26 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010)
May 26 - CKRM Talk Radio (Saskatchewan -
Roger Currie morning show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010)
May 26 - Radio-Canada morning show (French - Alberta) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Federal
Court of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010)
May 26 - CIUT Toronto ("Take Five" morning
show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010)
May 25 - 20 News stations across Canada (airing Broadcast News piece)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch in Court Today -- Appealing Federal Court Ruling That Legalized
Conservative Prime Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal
Election Call Despite Fixed-Election-Date Law (May 25, 2010)
May 25 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch in Court Today -- Appealing Federal Court Ruling That Legalized
Conservative Prime Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal
Election Call Despite Fixed-Election-Date Law (May 25, 2010)
May 18 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Murray Langdon's morning show) re: Democracy
Watch Would Challenge Federal Ethics Commissioner's Error-Filled Ruling
on Lisa Raitt Fundraiser in Court, But Such Court Challenges are
Illegal -- Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws
May 18 - CIUT Toronto ("Take Five" morning
show) re: Democracy
Watch Would Challenge Federal Ethics Commissioner's Error-Filled Ruling
on Lisa Raitt Fundraiser in Court, But Such Court Challenges are
Illegal -- Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws
May 17 - CBC Maritime Noon phone-in show re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
on
the
loopholes
and
flaws
in
Canada's
democracy
May 17 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: Democracy
Watch Would Challenge Federal Ethics Commissioner's Error-Filled Ruling
on Lisa Raitt Fundraiser in Court, But Such Court Challenges are
Illegal -- Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws
May 14 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Michael
Harris afternoon show) re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
ignores
rules
and
facts
in
ruling
clearing
Conservative
Cabinet
Minister
Lisa
Raitt
for
having
lobbyists
who
lobby
her
helping
her
with
a
fundraising
event (CBC.ca article)
May 8 - CBC National Radio News re: MPs having second jobs and case of Liberal
MP
Derek
Lee
May 7 - CBC National Radio News re: MPs having second jobs and case of Liberal
MP
Derek
Lee
May 6 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Adam Stirling's
afternoon show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Files Complaints With Federal Ethics Commissioner About
Possible Preferential Treatment of Rahim Jaffer by Conservative
Government
Representatives (May 6, 2010)
May 6 - News 91.9 (Atlantic Canada) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Files Complaints With Federal Ethics Commissioner About
Possible Preferential Treatment of Rahim Jaffer by Conservative
Government
Representatives (May 6, 2010)
May 6 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Michael Harris afternoon show) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Files Complaints With Federal Ethics Commissioner About
Possible Preferential Treatment of Rahim Jaffer by Conservative
Government
Representatives (May 6, 2010)
May 5 - CBC Radio's World at 6 re: loopholes still left open even
though Liberals'
lobbying
motion
passes
House
of
Commons
April 29 - CBC Radio Whitehorse, Kelowna,
Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Cape Breton (early morning
shows)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases
Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 28 - CBC Radio (Calgary - afternoon show)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases
Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 28 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa - Rob Snow evening show)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases
Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 28 - CBC Radio news (Sudbury) re: the dangers of Internet voting
an Sudbury city council's rejection of the using Internet voting in the
2010 city elections
April 26 - This
Magazine podcast re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
interviewed
about
Democracy
Watch's
history
of
success
April 26 - CIUT Toronto ("Take Five" morning
show) re: upcoming Speaker of the House of Commons' ruling on NEWS
RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls
on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010)
April 23 - At least 20 radio stations across Canada re: Canadian Press
wire
article): Democracy
Watch
points
out
loopholes
in
federal
lobbying
disclosure
law
revealed
by
Rahim
Jaffer
affair -- To see
related news release, click here
April 22 - CBC Radio's "World at Six" show re:
Patrick Glémaud's role in the Helena Guergis / Rahim Jaffer
affair
April 22 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Murray Langdon's morning show) re: Auditor General's report and lack
of an effective
waste-prevention enforcement system in the federal government
April 17 - CBC Radio's The House re: Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher on the ineffectiveness of the federal ethics and lobbying
commissioners
April 16 - Full Comment podcast, National
Post re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
interviewed
on
flaws
and
loopholes
in
federal
government's
access-to-information
system
April 15 - CBC Radio's The Current (Part 1)
evening re-broadcast re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
points
out
loopholes
and
flaws
in
federal
ethics
and
lobbying
rules
and
enforcement
system
highlighted
by
the
Helena
Guergis/Rahim
Jaffer
situation,
some
of
which
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
admits
exist -- For more details see: NEWS
RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 15 - VOCM (Newfoundland and Labrador) re: federal Information
Commissioner's report and NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 15 - CBC Radio's national news re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 15 - CBC Radio's The Current (Part 1) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
points
out
loopholes
and
flaws
in
federal
ethics
and
lobbying
rules
and
enforcement
system
highlighted
by
the
Helena
Guergis/Rahim
Jaffer
situation,
some
of
which
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
admits
exist -- For more details see: NEWS
RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 14 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Adam Stirling's
afternoon show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 14 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Recent
Cases Highlight How Federal Ethics and Lobbying Commissioners Continue
to Fail to Enforce Laws Effectively -- Commons committee must
question both commissioners (April 14, 2010)
April 8 - CHUO (Ottawa - 5 O'Clock Train show)
re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Commissioner of Lobbying Fails in Past Year to Rule on Five
Longstanding Ethics Complaints - Along
with
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Also
Taking
Too
Long
to
Rule
on
Complaints
About
Fundraising
Events
Held
by Federal
Conservatives
Rick
Dykstra
and
Lisa
Raitt
Last
Fall
(April 8, 2010) and NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010) -- To hear the interview, click
here
March 22 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria,
B.C.
-- Adam Stirling's
afternoon show) re: NEW RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Applauds
Opposition
Parties
Actions
on
Disclosure
of
Afghan
Detainee
Documents,
Prorogation
and
MP
Mailings,
But
More
Effective
Measures
Needed (March 22, 2010)
March 20 - CBC Radio news (New Brunswick) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
urges
New
Brunswickers
to
go
from
protesting
proposed
sale
of
NB
Power
on
to
pushing
for
democratic
reforms
to
prevent
future
similar
bad
government
decisions (link is
to Fredericton Daily Gleaner
article)
March 20 - Radio-Canada news (New Brunswick) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
urges
New
Brunswickers
to
go
from
protesting
proposed
sale
of
NB
Power
on
to
pushing
for
democratic
reforms
to
prevent
future
similar
bad
government
decisions (link is
to Fredericton Daily Gleaner
article)
March 19 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
urges
New
Brunswickers
to
go
from
protesting
proposed
sale
of
NB
Power
on
to
pushing
for
democratic
reforms
to
prevent
future
similar
bad
government
decisions (link is
to Fredericton Daily Gleaner
article)
March 11 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 10 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria, B.C.
-- Adam Stirling's
afternoon show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 10 - CKRM Talk Radio (Saskatchewan -
Roger Currie morning show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Appeals Federal Court Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 9 - CIUT Toronto
("Take Five"
morning show) re: Federal
Conservatives' proposal to change Canada's national anthem is a
distraction from priority issues and CBC.ca (Inside
Politics blog) re: Supreme
Court
of
Canada,
not
one
former
Supreme
justice,
should
rule
on
disclosure
of
documents
about
Afghan
detainees
March 6 - CBC Radio's "Q" show re: Federal
Conservatives' proposal to change Canada's national anthem is a
distraction from priority issues
March 3 - Jeff Farias show (U.S. Talk Radio) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Canadian
Federal
Government Far From Owning the Podium on Democracy and
Government Accountability -- Drops to 11th in Global
Integrity's New Annual Report -- Another Accountability Act Needed
(March 1, 2010) -- To listen
to the interview, click
here
March 3 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: NEWS RELEASE: Canadian
Federal
Government Far From Owning the Podium on Democracy and
Government Accountability -- Drops to 11th in Global
Integrity's New Annual Report -- Another Accountability Act Needed
(March 1, 2010)
March 2 - CJAD Talk Radio Montreal re: NEWS RELEASE: Canadian
Federal
Government Far From Owning the Podium on Democracy and
Government Accountability -- Drops to 11th in Global
Integrity's New Annual Report -- Another Accountability Act Needed
(March 1, 2010)
February 11 - CIUT Toronto ("Take Five" morning
show) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls
on
Federal
Conservatives
and
Opposition
MPs
to
Refer
Afghan
Detainee
Document
and
Committee
Testimony
Disclosure
Issues
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
for
Ruling (February 10, 2010)
February 10 - CBC Saskatchewan ("Bluesky" noon-hour show) re: NEWS
RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010)
February 4 - CBC Radio's The Current show
(feature radio piece) evening re-broadcast re: Examination
of
the
federal
Conservatives'
democratic
reform
and
accountability
record
featuring
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher or click here
-- To see Democracy Watch's
Report Card
on the Conservatives' record, click
here
February 4 - CBC Radio's The Current show
(feature radio piece) re: Examination
of
the
federal
Conservatives'
democratic
reform
and
accountability
record
featuring
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher or click here
-- To
see Democracy Watch's Report Card
on the Conservatives' record, click
here
January 28 - 570 News Radio (Kitchener, Ontario)
re: Waterloo
city
council
rejects
request
for
referendum
on
amalgamation
with
Kitchener
January 26 - CJOB Talk Radio (Winnipeg, Nighthawk show re:
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Prorogation
of Parliament and snap elections avoid government accountability in
many unreported ways and must be prohibited unless specific
conditions are met -- other changes needed
to ensure ongoing accountability
January 13 - CFRA Talk Radio (Ottawa --
afternoon show) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 12 - Redeye Radio on rabble.ca re: Democracy
Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher on Prime Minister Harper's
unjustifiable prorogation of Parliament and other abuses of power
January 12 - News 88.9 Saint John, Moncton,
Halifax
("The Afternoon News"
show with Tom Young) re: Conservative
Prime
Minister
Harper's
arbitrary
and
undemocratic
shutting
down
of
Parliament
offers
him
the
opportunity
to
build
a
consensus
on
Senate
reforms,
instead
of
pushing
his
very
questionable
reforms
January 10 - CKNW Talk Radio (Vancouver, B.C. --
Sean Leslie's Sunday evening show) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 9 - Redeye Co-op radio (Vancouver) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 7 - CFAX 1070 Talk Radio (Victoria, B.C. -- Adam Stirling's
afternoon show) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 7 - CBC Radio's "Q" re: Facebook and other social media
websites are good for reaching out and activating voters, but virtual
voters must be connected to petition-signing and/or letter-writing to
politicians for their concern to count
January 6 - CBC Radio News (Ontario north) re:
likely unjustifiable closure of Royal Bank branch in town of
Ironbridge, Ontario
January 4 - CIUT Toronto
("Take Five"
morning show) re: Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's abuse of
power in shutting down Parliament until March, and how opposition
parties must change the rules to prevent such abuses in the future
top
NEWSPAPERS,
MAGAZINES and WEB MEDIA
2010 -- 426 print and web media appearances so far
(including 79 national appearances)
August 16 - Hill Times re: guest column about
ethics test that candidates for federal public office should be forced
to take (with Democracy Watch administering the test)
August 9 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Commissioner of Lobbying Fails in Past Year to Rule on Five
Longstanding Ethics Complaints - Along
with
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Also
Taking
Too
Long
to
Rule
on
Complaints
About
Fundraising
Events
Held
by Federal
Conservatives
Rick
Dykstra
and
Lisa
Raitt
Last
Fall
(April 8, 2010)
August 6 - The Tyee.ca re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Conservatives' Proposed
Changes Will Increase Disclosure and Ethics Requirements, But Secret
and Unethical Lobbying Will Still Be Legal Until Other Huge Loopholes
Are Closed (August 5, 2010) -- To
see the Tyee.ca article, click
here
August 6 - Globe and Mail re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Conservatives' Proposed
Changes Will Increase Disclosure and Ethics Requirements, But Secret
and Unethical Lobbying Will Still Be Legal Until Other Huge Loopholes
Are Closed (August 5, 2010) -- To
see the Globe article,
click
here
August 2 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: CanadianPress.com
wire article re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
will
investigate
Conservative
Cabinet
minister's
action
in
relation
to
former
Conservative
MP Rahim Jaffer --
Commissioner should be investigating many other Conservative government
representatives
July 28 - Ottawa Citizen
(publishing op-ed by Lawrence Scanlan) re: In
some
ways
democracy
is
eroding in Canada
July 18 - Calgary Herald re: Calgary's
city
election
donation
limit
of
$5,000
is too high, allows wealthy to
buy influence with candidates
July 18 - Calgary Herald re: Low
voter
turnout
in
Calgary
elections,
as
in most Canadian city elections,
give well-known candidates a chance to win
July 17 - Canada.com and 12 other CanWest News service newspapers (all
publishing Winnipeg Free Press
article) re: Failure
of
federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
to
maintain Conservative
Cabinet minister's public disclosure statement accurately more clear
evidence of Commissioner's negligent enforcement record
July 16 - Telegraph Journal (New
Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - Daily Gleaner and Times and Transcript (New
Brunswick) re: New
Brunswick
coalition
releases
second
democracy
report
card on provincial
parties' election platforms
July 16 - Globe and Mail
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re:
Ned Franks op-ed re: Democracy Watch
OP-ED: Parliament has problems,
but not the problems many commentators claim it has
July 14 - Canada.com and National
Post "Full Comment" blog
re: Loopholes
in
ethics
rules
allow
MPs
and
Senators
to
keep
active
business and
financial interests
July 11 - Straight.com (Georgia Straight - Vancouver weekly newspaper)
re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher's
legacy
of
changes
as
he begins
transition to new work after 17 years as Coordinator
July 10 - Globe and Mail re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher's
legacy
of
changes
as
he
begins
transition
to new work after 17 years as Coordinator
July 8 - New Brunswick
Telegraph-Journal (publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: CanadianPress.com
wire article re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
will
investigate
Conservative
Cabinet
minister's
action
in
relation
to
former
Conservative
MP Rahim Jaffer --
Commissioner should be investigating many other Conservative government
representatives
July 8 - Brant News
(Brantford, Ontario) re: Attempt
by
Catholic
school
board
to
have
election candidate declared invalid
raises fairness questions
July 6 - CTV.ca and 16
other media outlets across Canada (all publishing a CanadianPress.com
wire article) re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
will
investigate
Conservative
Cabinet
minister's
action
in
relation
to
former
Conservative
MP Rahim Jaffer --
Commissioner should be investigating many other Conservative government
representatives
July 5 - Hill Times re:
Democracy Watch
OP-ED: Parliament has problems,
but not the problems many commentators claim it has
July 5 - Hill Times re: Federal
Conservatives continue patronage and crony appointments, and to break
promise to establish Public Appointments Commission
July 5 - Hill Times re:
Donald Savoie is wrong about Officers of Parliament -- see for details
Democracy Watch
OP-ED: Parliament has problems,
but not the problems many commentators claim it has
July 5 - CTV.ca and 36 other media outlets across
Canada (all publishing CanadianPress.com wire article, July 5, 2010)
re: Loopholes
in
federal
ethics
rules
allow
MPs
to
have
other
jobs
and
businesses,
and
to
lobby
for them -- To see
a related news
release, click here
July 1 - New Brunswick
Telegraph Journal re: New
Brunswick Conservatives promise more collaborative government if
elected in September provincial election
June 30 - New Brunswick
Telegraph Journal re: New
Brunswick
coalition
pushes
provincial
parties
to
promise
honesty-in-politics
law
in
fall
election
platforms
June 28 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Federal
Conservatives broke their 2006 election promises on open government,
but opposition parties also to blame for ongoing government secrecy
June 26 - New Brunswick Telegraph
Journal
re: New
Brunswick
Conservatives
promise
dozens
of
democratic
reforms,
but
details
needed
June 25 - PacificFreePress.com re: NEWS RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
June 23 - Tyee.ca re: NEWS
RELEASE: CSIS
Director's Disclosure of Foreign Influence Over Canadian Government
Officials Yet Another Reason To Ban Secret, Unethical Donations and
Lobbying Across Canada -- If
politicians across Canada do not close
loopholes and strengthen enforcement, corruption of governments will
continue to be easy (June 23, 2010)
-- To see the article on the
Tyee.ca, click
here
June 23 - New Brunswick Telegraph
Journal re: negative campaigns can work for politicians and
parties as long as negative claims are accurate and significant -- To see the article, click
here
June 21 - TheMarkNews.com
re: OP-ED: Oliphant Commission
and
recent scandals show clear need for another Federal Accountability Act
-- To see the op-ed on
TheMarkNews.com, click
here
June 21 - Hill Times re:
OP-ED: Oliphant Commission and
recent scandals show clear need for another Federal Accountability Act
June 21 - Hill Times re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Auditor
General should not have compromised -- is legally required to audit
expenses of MPs
(and Senators)
June 19 - Globe and Mail
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Federal
Conservatives broke their 2006 election promises on open government,
but opposition parties also to blame for ongoing government secrecy
June 18 - New Brunswick Telegraph
Journal re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Auditor
General should not have compromised -- is legally required to audit
expenses of MPs
(and Senators)
June 16 - Rabble.ca re:
OP-ED: Oliphant Commission and
recent scandals show clear need for another Federal Accountability Act
-- To see the op-ed on
Rabble.ca, click
here
June 16 - Toronto Star re: Federal
Auditor
General
should
not
compromise
--
is
legally
required
to
audit
all
public
money
spent
by
MPs/House
and
Senators/Senate
June 16 - Globe and Mail re: Federal
Auditor
General
should
not
compromise
--
is
legally
required
to
audit
all
public
money
spent
by
MPs/House
and
Senators/Senate
June 16 - SingTao.ca (Chinese newspaper) re: Federal
Auditor
General
should
not
compromise
--
is
legally
required
to
audit
all
public
money
spent
by
MPs/House
and
Senators/Senate
June 16 - New Brunswick
Telegraph-Journal re: Provincial Liberals right to question
whether Conservative Party leader's trip should have been paid for by
taxpayers
June 15 - AllVoices.com re: NEWS RELEASE: Dangerously
Unethical Loopholes in MP Ethics Rules Mean They Can Lobby For
Themselves, Family Members and Anyone They Choose (June 14, 2010)
-- To see the AllVoices.com
article, click
here
June 15 - StraightGoods.ca re: New
Brunswick
citizens
coalition
wins
cancellation
of
deal
to
sell
public
power
company,
now
pushes
for
good
government
changes
June 9 - Windsor Star
(Barbara
Yaffe's column) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010) -- To see the
column, click
here
June 6 - Calgary Herald
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31,
2010)
May 31-June 1 - Canada.com
and 21 other CanWest News Service media outlets (including Global TV
and the National Post) re:
NEWS RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31,
2010) -- To see the CanWest
article, click
here
May 31-June 1 - Winnipeg Free Press
and 20 other media outlets across Canada (all publishing
CanadianPress.com wire article) re: NEWS RELEASE: Justice
Oliphant Recommends Closing Only 4 of More Than 20 Loopholes in
Ethics Rules For Cabinet Ministers and Senior Government Officials, and
Correcting 14 of More Than 20 Flaws in Ethics Enforcement System -- Commission ignores many loopholes that allow
for secret donations and lobbying and unethical actions by others in
federal politics (May 31,
2010) -- To see the CP
article, click
here
May 31 - Hill Times
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Would
Challenge
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner's
Error-Filled
Ruling
on
Lisa
Raitt
Fundraiser
in
Court,
But
Such
Court
Challenges
are
Illegal
--
Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws (May 17, 2010)
May 31 - 6 Global TV station websites across Canada re: Oliphant
Commission will release its report on Mulroney-Schreiber affair today
May 31 - Brandon Sun (Barbara
Yaffe's column) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010) -- To see the
column, click
here
May 28 - Vancouver Sun
(Barbara Yaffe's column) re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Court
of Appeal Ruling Means Harper Conservatives Broke Their 2006
Election Promise to Fix Election Dates -- Democracy
Watch
Will
Apply
For
Leave
to
Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
(May 26, 2010) -- To see the
column, click
here
May 27 - New Brunswick
Telegraph-Journal
re: New
Brunswick
Liberals
again
promise,
and
Conservatives
promise
for
first
time,
to
require
disclosure
of
provincial
lobbying
May 27 - NOW Magazine
(Toronto) re: Governments
must
require
banks
they
do
business
with
to
serve
everyone
fairly
and
well
May 26 - New Brunswick Times and
Transcript
re: LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Auditor
General
has
not
only
the
power,
but
actually
a
legal
duty,
to
audit
MPs
and
Parliament (Hill Times,
May
24,
2010)
May 25 - CTV.ca and 37
other media outlets across Canada (all publishing CanadianPress.com
wire article) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
in
Court
Today
--
Appealing
Federal
Court
Ruling
That
Legalized
Conservative
Prime
Minister
Harper's
September
2008
Snap
Federal
Election
Call
Despite
Fixed-Election-Date
Law (May 25, 2010)
May 25 - Canoe.ca (and Canoe.ca en français) and 9 Sunmedia newspapers
across Canada re: MPs'
attendance
records
in
Parliament
kept
secret,
violating
the
public's
right
to
know
whether
they
are
doing
their
job
May 25 - National Post and 7
other Canwest newspapers across Canada re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch in Court Today -- Appealing Federal Court Ruling That Legalized
Conservative Prime Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal
Election Call Despite Fixed-Election-Date Law (May 25, 2010) -- To see CanWest article, click
here
May 24 - Hill Times re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Auditor
General has not only the power, but actually a legal duty, to audit MPs
and Parliament
May 20 - Montreal Gazette re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Auditor
General has not only the power, but actually a legal duty, to audit MPs
and Parliament
May 20 - Canoe.ca and 5
SunMedia newspapers across Canada re: Democracy
Watch's
challenge
of
Prime
Minister
Harper's
snap
election
call
in
Federal
Court
of
Appeal
on
May
25th
May 19 - Globe and Mail re: Federal
Auditor
General
not
only
has
clear
power
to
audit
MPs
and
Parliament,
she
is
legally
required
to
do
the
audit
every
few
years
May 18 - Halifax Chronicle Herald
re: Federal
Auditor
General
has
clear
power
and
legally
required
mandate
to
audit
MPs
May 17 - Hill Times re: NEWS
RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Would Challenge Federal Ethics Commissioner's Error-Filled Ruling
on Lisa Raitt Fundraiser in Court, but Such Court Challenges are
Illegal -- Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws (May 17, 2010)
May 17 - Hill Times re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Federal
Liberal and Conservative proposed changes won't make secret, unethical
lobbying illegal (Hill Times,
May
17,
2010)
May 15 - National Post
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Democracy
Watch Would Challenge Federal Ethics Commissioner's Error-Filled Ruling
on Lisa Raitt Fundraiser in Court, But Such Court Challenges are
Illegal -- Group Calls For
Dismissal of Ethics Commissioner, and Changes to Strengthen Federal
Ethics Laws
May 14 - Toronto Star
re: Federal
political
parties
refuse
to
allow
Auditor
General
to
audit
spending
by
MPs,
raising
questions
of
what
they
are
hiding
May 10 - New Brunswick Times and
Transcript re: Fixed
election
dates
with
election
spending
regulations
for
long
time
period
before
voting
day
are
more
fair
for
everyone
May 10 - Hill Times re:
LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR: Federal
Liberal and Conservative proposed changes won't make secret, unethical
lobbying illegal
May 10 - CTV.ca and 26 other media outlets across Canada (including the
Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, Metro newspapers and many radio
station websites) re: Newfoundland
and
Labrador
Premier
Danny
Williams
seeks
third
term
in
2011
fixed-date
provincial
election,
but
loopholes
allow
him
to
escape
accountability
May 3 - Hill Times re:
OP-ED: Weak ethics rules and
enforcement
undermine everyone in Canadian politics (Hill Times, May 3, 2010)
May 3 - Edmonton Sun re:
OP-ED: Weak ethics rules and
enforcement undermine everyone in Canadian politics (Hill Times, May 3, 2010)
April issue - Canadian Bar Association's National magazine re: NEWS
RELEASE: Forced
By
Federal
Court
of
Appeal
Ruling,
Federal
Commissioner
of
Lobbying
Finally
Bans
Lobbyists
From
Giving
Gifts
and
Doing
Favours
For
Politicians,
Their
Staff
and
Government
Officials
--
Will
the
Commissioner Uphold the Ban When
Ruling on Past, Current and Future Cases?
(November 12, 2009) -- To see
the magazine article, click
here and go to page 44 of the April issue
April 26 - Hill Times re: Democracy
Watch
highlights
loopholes
in
federal
laws
and
enforcement
that
continue
to
allow
for
secret,
unethical
lobbying
and
advising
by
former
politicians
and
government
officials
April 23 - CTV.ca and 10
other media outlets across Canada (all publishing Canadian Press wire
article) re: Democracy
Watch
points
out
loopholes
in
federal
lobbying
disclosure
law
revealed
by
Rahim
Jaffer
affair -- To see
related news release, click here
April 23 - Maclean's.ca (Andrew Coyne's blog) re: Democracy
Watch
points
out
loophole
in
federal
lobbying
law
revealed
by
Rahim
Jaffer
affair -- To see
related news release, click here
April 23 - Halifax Chronicle Herald
re: MPs
grill federal Ethics Commissioner about Helena Guergis affair
April 20 - Toronto Sun and 6
other Sunmedia
newspapers across Canada re: Federal
government's
waste
prevention
rules
and
watchdog
agencies
too
weak
to
prevent
waste
April 19 - CBC.ca Inside
Politics re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
on
CBC
Radio's
The
House
re:
the
ineffectiveness
of
the
federal
ethics
and
lobbying
commissioners
April 17 - Full Comment podcast, National
Post re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
interviewed
on
flaws
and
loopholes
in
federal
government's
access-to-information
system
April 15-17 - Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, Vancouver Sun and New Brunswick Telegraph- Journal
(all publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Federal
Conservatives broke their 2006 election promises on open government,
but opposition parties also to blame for ongoing government secrecy
April 16 - Lawyers' Weekly
re: restricting Prime Minister's power to prorogue Parliament and NEWS
RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Appeals
Federal
Court
Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Case Will Be Heard By Federal Court
of Appeal on May 25, 2010 -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
April 15 - Vancouver Sun
(Barbara Yaffe's
column) re: Prime
Minister
Harper
could
have
taken
steps
last
September
to
ensure
no
further
problems
with
Cabinet
minister
Helena
Guergis
April 14 - StraightGoods.ca
re: Loopholes
allow
for
secret,
unethical
federal
lobbying,
mainly
by
corporations
April 13 - Halifax Chronicle Herald
re: Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
creates
secret
process
to
hide
Cabinet
ministers'
conflicts
of
interest,
raising
questions
about
compliance
with
the
Conflict of Interest Act
April 12 - Hill Times re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Commissioner of Lobbying Fails in Past Year to Rule on Five
Longstanding Ethics Complaints - Along
with
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Also
Taking
Too
Long
to
Rule
on
Complaints
About
Fundraising
Events
Held
by Federal
Conservatives
Rick
Dykstra
and
Lisa
Raitt
Last
Fall
(April 8, 2010)
April 12 - Halifax Chronicle
Herald re: Federal
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson and federal
Conservative Cabinet Minister Gail Shea fail to ensure declaration of
recusal is in Shea's public file to alert public to conflict of interest
April 9 - Canoe.ca and 9
other Sunmedia newspapers across Canada re: NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Commissioner of Lobbying Fails in Past Year to Rule on Five
Longstanding Ethics Complaints - Along
with
Federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Also
Taking
Too
Long
to
Rule
on
Complaints
About
Fundraising
Events
Held
by Federal
Conservatives
Rick
Dykstra
and
Lisa
Raitt
Last
Fall
(April 8, 2010) -- To see
Canoe.ca article about the release, click
here
April 9 - Globe and Mail re: Former
federal
Conservative
MP
Rahim
Jaffer
faces
allegations
of
influence-peddling,
failing
to
register
as
a
lobbyist,
allegations
he
denies
April 9 - Fredericton Daily Gleaner
re: New
Brunswick
coalition
switches
from
opposing
NB
Power
sale
deal
to
pushing
for
democratic
reforms
April 9 - Toronto Star re:
Rahim Jaffer situation and loopholes in Conservatives' so-called
Accountability Act
March 24 - The Aquinian (St.
Thomas University
student newspaper) re: Deal to sell
New Brunswick Power to Hydro Quebec cancelled
March 16 - Hill Times re:
NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Appeals
Federal
Court
Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Case Will Be Heard By Federal Court
of Appeal on May 25, 2010 -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 22 - Fredericton Daily Gleaner
re: At
protest of thousands against NB Power deal on Saturday, Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher calls the deal a bad government decision
March 22 - Saint John Telegraph
Journal re: At
protest of thousands against NB Power deal on Saturday, Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher calls the deal a violation of key democratic
government principles
March 22 - Moncton Times and
Transcript re: At
protest of thousands of New Brunswickers against NB Power deal on
Saturday, Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher gives keynote speech
March 20 - CBC.ca re: At
protest
of
New
Brunswickers
against
proposed
sale
of
NB
Power
company,
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
as
keynote
speaker
raises
questions
about
ethics
of
deal,
and
urges
voters
to
push
for
key
democratic
reforms
to
stop
similar
future
bad
government
decisions
March 20 - Fredericton Daily Gleaner
re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
urges
New
Brunswickers
to
go
from
protesting
proposed
sale
of
NB
Power
on
to
pushing
for
democratic
reforms
to
prevent
future
similar
bad
government
decisions
March 20 - Fredericton Daily Gleaner
re: Profile
of
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
and
his
message
urging
New
Brunswickers
to
focus
on
key
democratic
reforms
to
prevent
future
bad
government
decisions
March 20 - Canada.com re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Calls on All Federal Parties to Reach Agreement on Eliminating
"10-Percenter" Mailings to Save More Than $10 Million -- Board
of Internal Economy (BOIE) Must Have Consensus To Change Rules, And
Should Hold Public Meetings To Discuss "10-Percenter" and All Issues
(March 15, 2010) -- To see the
editorial on Canada.com, click
here
March 19 - Victoria Times Colonist
(editorial board editorial) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch Calls on All Federal Parties to Reach Agreement on Eliminating
"10-Percenter" Mailings to Save More Than $10 Million -- Board
of Internal Economy (BOIE) Must Have Consensus To Change Rules, And
Should Hold Public Meetings To Discuss "10-Percenter" and All Issues
(March 15, 2010) -- To see the
Times Colonist
editorial, click
here
March 19 - Fredericton Daily Gleaner
re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
to
be
featured
speaker
at
rally
against
NB
Power
deal
in
Fredericton
on
Saturday
March 16 -
StraightGoods.com re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Appeals
Federal
Court
Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Case Will Be Heard By Federal Court
of Appeal on May 25, 2010 -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 15 - Law Times re: NEWS
RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Appeals
Federal
Court
Ruling That Legalized Conservative Prime
Minister Harper's September 2008 Snap Federal Election Call Despite
Fixed-Election-Date Law -- Case Will Be Heard By Federal Court
of Appeal on May 25, 2010 -- Group Calls on PM Harper To Promise
Not To Call Another Snap Election (March 10, 2010)
March 15 - Hill Times
(printing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Supreme
Court
of
Canada,
not
one
former
Supreme
justice,
should
rule
on
disclosure
of
documents
about
Afghan
detainees (link is to CBC.ca's
Inside
Politics blog)
March 7 - Sina.com re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010) -- To see article on Sina.com (in Chinese), click
here
March 6 - National Post
(blog) re: Supreme
Court
of
Canada,
not
former
Supreme
Court
justice,
should
rule
on
disclosure
of
documents
about
Afghan
detainees
March 5 - CBC.ca (Inside
Politics blog) re: Supreme
Court
of
Canada,
not
one
former
Supreme
justice,
should
rule
on
disclosure
of
documents
about
Afghan
detainees
March 5 - CanadianPress.com wire article (also published by 23 other
media outlets across Canada) re: Supreme
Court
of
Canada,
not
former
justice,
should
rule
on
disclosure
of
documents
about
Afghan
detainees
March 3 - Globe and Mail
(Lawrence Martin's column) re: Federal
Liberals
should
promise
government
accountability
reforms
that
Conservatives
promised
but
failed
to
act
on
March 3 - Le Devoir re: Three
federal
Conservative
Cabinet
ministers
being
investigated
by
Information
Commissioner
for
blocking
access
to
documents
March 2 - StraightGoods.ca re: Appeal
to
Supreme
Court
of
Canada
would
clear
up
rights
of
Parliament
and
public
to
full
disclosure
of
documents
and
testimony
about
Afghan
detainees
March 1 - CBC.ca (Inside
Politics blog) re: Liveblog
of
the
Liberal
Party-organized
panel
discussion
on
government
accountability -- To
see related news release, click
here
March 1 - CBC.ca (Inside Politics blog) re: Announcement
of
Liberal
Party's
public
forum
on
government
accountability
March 1 - NetNewsLedger.com re: Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
one
of
panel
speakers
at
Liberal
Party
of
Canada
public
forum
on
government
accountability
February 26 - CBC.ca
(Inside Politics blog) re: Announcement
of
federal
Liberal
Party-organized
panel
discussion
on
Monday,
March
1st
on
issue
of
government
accountability
February 24 - Globe and Mail
(Lawrence Martin's column) re: Federal
Conservatives
have
broken
their
open
government
promises
February 23 -
StraightGoods.ca re: federal political finance system still has
loopholes that allow for secret, unlimited donations to nomination race
and party leadership candidates
February 22 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Conservatives broke their promise to make nomination races democratic,
but opposition parties and MPs also to blame for control by party
leaders of MPs
February 17 - National Post
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Conservatives broke their promise to make nomination races democratic,
but opposition parties and MPs also to blame for control by party
leaders of MPs
February 13 - Canada.com
and 11 CanWest News Service newspapers across Canada re: Federal
Conservative
Minister
of
Democratic
Reform
refuses
to
make
his
briefing
book
public
Also published by:
- Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Windsor Star, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, Victoria Times Colonist, Nanaimo Daily News
February 13 - Winnipeg Free Press
re: Federal
Conservative
Minister
of
Democratic
Reform
refuses
to
make
his
briefing
book
public
February 11 - Le Devoir re:
NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010) -- To see article in Le Devoir (in French), click
here
February 10 - CBC.ca (Inside Politics blog) re: NEWS RELEASE: Democracy
Watch
Calls on Federal Conservatives and Opposition MPs to Refer Afghan
Detainee Document and Committee Testimony Disclosure Issues to Supreme
Court of Canada for Ruling (February 10, 2010) -- To see the blog posting, click
here
February 8 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal Accountability
Act's
restrictions on government officials becoming lobbyists have nothing to
do with Conservative government's difficulty in finding experienced,
competent Cabinet staff people, and whether and how Parliament passing
a law can restrict a Prime Minister will likely be determined by
Democracy Watch's fixed-election-date
court
case
February 8 - Hill Times re:
Parliamentary Budget Officer is now untouchable unless he acts in a
very negligent way
February 4 - Toronto Star
re: Ontario
judges
hold
unjustifiably
secret
training
session
on
trial
management
issues
February issue - The CCPA Monitor
(publishing
op-ed by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty
is
the
best
government
policy, and so it
should
be required by law
February-March issue - Dialogue
magazine (publishing op-ed by
Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Prorogation
of Parliament and snap elections avoid government accountability in
many unreported ways and must be prohibited unless specific
conditions are met -- other changes needed
to ensure ongoing accountability
February 1 - Hill Times re:
Changing rules on
prorogation of Parliament raises same issues of restricting Prime
Minister's powers as the federal fixed-election-date law
February 1 - Hill Times re: Federal Accountability Act's
restrictions on government officials becoming lobbyists have nothing to
do with Conservative government's difficulty in finding experienced,
competent Cabinet staff people
January 28 - Globe and Mail
(Lawrence Martin's
column) re: As
Democracy
Watch
has
detailed
in
many
reports
over
the
past
16
years,
no
ruling
party,
nor
Parliament
overall,
has
done
enough
to
reduce
the
federal
government's
democratic
deficit -- To
see some of Democracy Watch's
recent reports, click here
January 28 - 570News.com (Kitchener, Ontario) re: Waterloo
city
council
rejects
request
for
referendum
on
amalgamation
with
Kitchener
January 26 - rabble.ca (John Bonnar's blog) re: Anti-prorogation
rally
in
Toronto
at
which
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
was
one
of
the
speakers
January 26 - New Brunswick
Telegraph-Journal (Chantal Hébert's column) re: Columnist
Chantal
Hébert
jumps
prematurely
to
the
conclusion
that
laws
cannot
restrict
the
Prime
Minister's
right
to
advise
the
Governor
General
to
shut
down
Parliament,
given
that
Democracy
Watch
is
appealing
its
fixed-election-date
case
ruling
to
the
Federal
Court
of
Appeal
January 25 - Hill Times
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Court judge dodges issue of legality of federal Conservatives' 2006
election ad spending scheme -- Elections Canada must appeal or
prosecute to get ruling that clarifies the issue
January 25 - The Varsity
(University of Toronto's newspaper) re: Anti-prorogation rally in
Toronto at which Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher was one of
the speakers
January 25 - Toronto Star
(Chantal Hébert's column) re: Columnist
Chantal
Hébert
jumps
prematurely
to
the
conclusion
that
laws
cannot
restrict
the
Prime
Minister's
right
to
advise
the
Governor
General
to
shut
down
Parliament,
given
that
Democracy
Watch
is
appealing
its
fixed-election-date
case
ruling
to
the
Federal
Court
of
Appeal
January 24 - CP24.com re: Anti-prorogation
rally
in
Toronto
at
which
Democracy
Watch
Coordinator
Duff
Conacher
was
a
speaker
January 23 - GlobeandMail.com (Nelson Spector's blog) re: the
prorogation of Parliament and Democracy Watch's fixed-election-date
court challenge -- To see the
blog posting, click
here
January 23 - Winnipeg Free Press
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Court judge dodges issue of legality of federal Conservatives' 2006
election ad spending scheme -- Elections Canada must appeal or
prosecute to get ruling that clarifies the issue
January 22 - National Post
re: Canada's
federal
political
public
financing
system
needs
some
changes
to
be
more
democratic,
but
not
radical
changes
-- Also published by:
- GlobalTV.com, click
here
- GlobalTVBC.com, click
here
- Kelowna.com, click
here
January 20 - Macleans.ca
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Court judge dodges issue of legality of federal Conservatives' 2006
election ad spending scheme -- Elections Canada must appeal or
prosecute to get ruling that clarifies the issue
January 18 - Toronto Star and Hill Times (publishing op-ed by
Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Prorogation
of Parliament and snap elections avoid government accountability in
many unreported ways and must be prohibited unless specific
conditions are met -- other changes needed
to ensure ongoing accountability
January 16 - Charlottetown Guardian
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Federal
Conservatives broke their whistleblower protection and open government
election promises, as the Afghan prisoner scandal makes clear
January 15 - Yukon News re: Prime Minister Harper has
acted in an arbitrary and undemocratic way in proroguing Parliament
January 14 - Kingston Whig Standard
(publishing
op-ed by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty
is
the
best
government
policy, and so it
should
be required by law -- To see the op-ed as published in the
Whig Standard, click
here
January 14 - Canada.com and 5 CanWest News Service newspapers across
Canada re: Once
again,
federal
Ethics
Commissioner
Mary
Dawson
protects
Cabinet
ministers
with
flawed
ethics
ruling,
this
time
approving
of
them
handing
out
government
cheques
labelled
with
Conservative
Party
logo
January 13 - Waterloo Region Record,
Guelph Mercury and Sudbury Star (all publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher)
re: Prorogation
of Parliament and snap elections avoid government accountability in
many unreported ways and must be prohibited unless specific
conditions are met -- other changes needed
to ensure ongoing accountability
January 11 - Hill Times
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 9 - Vancouver Sun
(publishing
letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 8 - Toronto Star
(publishing letter-to-the-editor by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher) re: Conservative
Prime Minister Harper's arbitrary and undemocratic shutting down of
Parliament offers him the opportunity to build a consensus on Senate
reforms, instead of pushing his very questionable reforms
January 7 - New Brunswick
Telegraph-Journal (publishing op-ed by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty
is
the
best
government
policy, and so it
should
be required by law -- To see the op-ed as published in the
Telegraph-Journal, click
here
January 7 - StraightGoods.ca (publishing op-ed by Democracy Watch
Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty
is
the
best
government
policy, and so it
should
be required by law -- To see the op-ed as published on
StraightGoods.ca, click
here
January 6 - Kitchener-Waterloo Record
and Guelph Mercury
(publishing op-ed by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty is the best government policy, and so it should
be required by law -- To see the op-ed as published in The Record, click here
January 6 - Owen Sound Sun Times
(publishing op-ed by Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher) re: Honesty is the best government policy, and so it should
be required by law
January 6 - Globe and Mail
re: Federal
Parliamentary
Budget
Officer
(PBO)
will
use
his
clear
power
to
release
reports
while
Parliament
is
shut
down
--
As Democracy Watch
first pointed out, PBO would lose that power if made into an Officer of
Parliament unless changes are made
January 5 - Niagara This Week
re: One of the
significant local area stories of 2009 was Democracy Watch's complaint
about local Conservative MP Rick Dykstra -- see details in NEWS
RELEASE: Group
Files Additional Information Supporting Complaints To Lobbying
Commissioner, Ethics Commissioner and Elections Canada About
Fundraising Events That Raise Serious Questions Held by Federal
Conservatives Rick Dykstra and Lisa Raitt (November 3, 2009)
January/February 2010 issue
- The Walrus magazine re:
History and state of federal Canadian access-to-information system, and
how Democracy Watch continues to push federal politicians with its Open Government Campaign
December 24 - Toronto Star
re: Federal
Task
Force
on
Financial
Literacy
must
recommend
creation
of
financial
industry
citzen
watchdog
group,
and
bank
regulation,
to
be
effective
December 23 - Maclean's
magazine re: Democracy
Watch's
successful
court
challenge
leads
to
stronger
restrictions
on
federal
lobbyists
doing
favours
for
politicians,
parties
and
government
officials
December 21 - Hill Times re:
NEWS RELEASE: Federal
Conservatives' Accountability and Democratic Reform Record Earns Only
an "E" Grade For Breaking Many Promises and Practising Politics As
Usual -- Three Years After Federal
Accountability
Act Became Law, Dishonesty, Conflicts of
Interest, Excessive Secrecy,
Unlimited
Donations and Patronage All Still Legal -- Another, Stronger
Accountability
Act Needed (December 16, 2009)
top
II. 2010
Public Appearances
in reverse chronological order
GOVERNMENT HEARINGS
2010
March 1 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher presented in Ottawa in the Centre Block of Parliament at a
public forum organized by the Liberal Party of Canada on the issue of
government accountability -- To see
related news release, click here
February 10 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher presented in Ottawa in the Centre Block of Parliament at an
unofficial committee meeting on the issue of how to resolve the dispute
over the disclosure of documents concerning detainees in Afghanistan --
To see related news
release, click here
February 3 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff
Conacher presented in Ottawa in the Centre Block of Parliament at a
public forum organized by the Liberal Party of Canada on how to prevent
white-collar crime -- To see
related news release, click here
CONFERENCES / WORKSHOPS / SPEECHES
2010
May 19 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher presented
on a panel on the issue of government accountability at the PPX.ca
conference in Ottawa
April 28 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher
presented on the state of democracy in Canada, and how careful
Kazakhstan has to be in making effective democratic reforms, at a forum
organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ottawa
March 20 - Democracy Watch Coordinator Duff Conacher presented on the
state of democracy in New Brunswick, and how to make it more
democratic, at a public rally for the Coalition for NB Power in
Fredericton, New Brunswick
|
![[Democracy Watch Logo]](dw.gif)
