In their lead editorial, the good Calgary Sun lets loose on the Liberals’ choice to replace the outgoing military ombudsman. Who did the all-knowing Liberal elites choose? They picked the very person rejected by the Commons committee. They picked who they damn well pleased.
The Canadian Forces, like the CBC, the CRTC, Via Rail, Canada Taxation, our Supreme Court, the RCMP, the Canadian television media and so many other organizations and institutions, is becoming another division of the Liberal Party.
There goes that “democratic deficit” again.
Ever since Prime Minister Paul Martin vowed to get rid of it, it just grows bigger and bigger.
The latest growth spurt occurred yesterday when Defence Minister Bill Graham announced the appointment of Yves Cote as Canadian Forces ombudsman.
Trouble is, the Commons committee that held hearings last month to review the Liberals’ choice of Cote as military ombudsman rejected him for the post.
Cote was a lawyer for military brass during the notorious Somalia inquiry and also served as legal officer for the Judge Advocate General during court martial proceedings.
Cote’s mandate is to investigate complaints and serve as a neutral third party “independent of the chain of command.”
With his three-decade background as lawyer for the military and senior civil servant, it may be difficult to convince servicemen and women they will get a neutral hearing of their complaints.
“The troops will not see Cote as being an advocate for the rank and file and without that trust, the incoming caseload will soon cease,” wrote Scott Taylor in Esprit de Corps magazine, a publication that advocates for Canadian soldiers.
Cote replaces Andre Marin, the Forces’ first ombudsman, who locked horns with the military establishment, which made no secret of its displeasure with his activist role.
The Commons Defence Committee obviously saw the problem coming down the pipe with Cote’s appointment and so turned thumbs down.
But Graham and Prime Minister Paul Martin believe their arbitrary authority trumps those made by a committee of MPs from all parties.
Canada’s judges and the most influential civil servants are selected on the whim of the prime minister. These powers are contrary to the way a democracy runs and, without proper checks and balances, give the PM draconian influence over our country.
So much for Martin’s commitment to democratic process.
All Canadians are losers today as a result of this cynical gesture.
Sadly, the biggest losers are our military men and women who need help when they go up against a defence establishment that has often proved far from sympathetic to their plight in the past.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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