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Search Warrant for Collins' Office
© 2003 David D. Schreck.
According to news
reports, the offices of Finance Minister Gary Collins and
Transportation Minister Judith Reid were the target of search
warrants served at the legislature on Sunday, December 28. It
is becoming an annual tradition for major bad news to be visited
upon the Campbell government at year end. Last year the Premier
was in jail; this year a truck load of documents was hauled away
from the legislature as part of a criminal investigation.
Reporters were quick to emphasize that the investigation concerned
political staff rather than elected officials, but it immediately
raises the question of "Ministerial Responsibility". On August
4, 2001, Collins, as Minister responsible, began second
reading on the "Balanced Budget and Ministerial Responsibility
Act (Bill 4)". Collins said "The government is also committed
to individual ministerial accountability." He went on to say "This
is a new government. It was elected with a significant mandate
to do things differently. That's why the Premier has directed
that personal accountability be included in this." The context
of Collins remarks referred to accountability for balancing the
budget and Ministerial pay bonuses, but Hansard is full of remarks
from members of the Campbell caucus where they called for Ministers
to resign or step aside at the slightest sniff of impropriety.
Surely Collins and Reid, if not Campbell, will follow their own
advice, recognize the importance of and accountability for supervising
key political staff, and step aside until the RCMP has completed
its investigation and the courts have resolved any charges that
may result. Ministerial Assistants regularly act on behalf of
their Minister; Ministers must be accountable for their assistants.
Maybe the lower standard that was adopted following last year's
scandal will again be applied so that no Minister is held accountable
for the raid on the Ministerial offices; maybe no one will ever
know if budget documents were compromised. Accountability and
responsibility are fine terms in the abstract; what counts is
how their definitions are revealed by the actions of a government
under stress.
© 2003 David D. Schreck.
Articles appearing here may be quoted elsewhere provided that
attribution is made to David Schreck, StrategicThoughts.com
Full articles may be reprinted with attribution and the preservation
of this copyright.
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