HARPER SETS RECORD IN BROKEN PROMISES!!!

Wow, it did not take long for Harper to backtrack on alot of his promises made during the federal election. Here is some key aspects from my favourite web-site http://www.liberals.ca

Last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper set an Olympic record for breaking campaign promises. Throughout the election, Mr. Harper vowed that his top priority would be to “clean up government”; however it appears that come Election Day, the Conservatives’ principles of ethics and accountability were thrown out the window of their campaign bus.

Here are just some of the promises that have already been broken by the Harper government:

Promise Made: Mr. Harper campaigned for an elected senate and pledged that “all appointments would be made on merit-based requirements”.

Promise Broken: In his first act as Prime Minister, Harper appointed his campaign co-chair Michael Fortier as a Senator and Minister of Public Works –the largest governmental procurement department and home of the sponsorship scandal. Because Mr. Fortier is not elected, he cannot be held accountable for his actions in the House of Commons.

Promise Made: In Opposition, the Conservatives fought hard against floor-crossing. Days before the election, 40 Conservative MPs supported a private members’ bill banning floor crossing without a by-election. Promise Broken: Within hours of receiving the election results, Mr. Harper dismissed the valuable contributions of many of his fellow Conservative candidates and instead sought out the Liberal Minister, David Emerson, for a key position in his cabinet.

Promise Made: Prior to the election campaign, Mr. Harper unveiled his party’s Accountability Act, which aims to “crack down on the revolving door between ministers’ offices, the senior public service and the lobbying industry”.

Promise Broken: The Accountability Act apparently didn’t stop Gordon O’Connor from walking right through this revolving door into the crucial portfolio of Minister of Defence. Minister O’Connor, formerly a lobbyist for the defence industry, is now responsible for overseeing some of the largest defence contracts in Canadian history.

Promise Made: Mr. Harper’s election platform committed to strengthening the role of the Ethics Commissioner and preventing the Prime Minister from overruling the Commissioner’s decisions in the application of ethics rules.

Promise Broken: Despite “numerous attempts” to interview Mr. Harper over a four-month period, our new Prime Minister refused to make time for the Ethics Commissioner to discuss his role in the Gurmant Grewal taping affair.

On the accountability front, it’s clear that the Conservative government doesn’t practice what it preaches. Prime Minister Harper has repeatedly told the Canadian people that “accountable government means leading by example”. If this is his idea of leading by example, Canadians are in for a bumpy ride.