“I’m sure the ethics commissioner will have a chuckle about this one,”
Prince George-Cariboo Conservative MP, Dick Harris, responds to the uproar over his appointment of Houston Mayor Sharon Smith, to act as his “go to person” in Skeena-Bulkley Valley.
His representation without the need of an election plan has been disavowed by the Federal Conservative party, become fodder for bloggers across Canada and raised the temperature of man of the residents of the riding he cast his glance at. So for Mr. Dick Harris the last week or so has been one in which a low profile seems to have been the advice offered.
Frequently found unavailable for comment in the last seven to ten days or so, the Conservative MP surfaced long enough this week to try to deflect some of the storm that has come his way. Suggesting that the ethics commissioner will be finding much humor in Harris’ plan to redirect constituency questions away from the NDP MP Nathan Cullen, who while serving as the elected member to the House of Commons for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, isn’t up to snuff as far as Mr. Harris is concerned.
Prince George-Cariboo Conservative MP, Dick Harris, responds to the uproar over his appointment of Houston Mayor Sharon Smith, to act as his “go to person” in Skeena-Bulkley Valley.
His representation without the need of an election plan has been disavowed by the Federal Conservative party, become fodder for bloggers across Canada and raised the temperature of man of the residents of the riding he cast his glance at. So for Mr. Dick Harris the last week or so has been one in which a low profile seems to have been the advice offered.
Frequently found unavailable for comment in the last seven to ten days or so, the Conservative MP surfaced long enough this week to try to deflect some of the storm that has come his way. Suggesting that the ethics commissioner will be finding much humor in Harris’ plan to redirect constituency questions away from the NDP MP Nathan Cullen, who while serving as the elected member to the House of Commons for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, isn’t up to snuff as far as Mr. Harris is concerned.
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Suggesting that the riding's needs appeared to be a situation which apparently requires an agent more in thinking with the Conservative viewpoint, to process the needs of democracy to the “proper channel”.
The incumbent MP, Mr. Cullen of course wasn’t too impressed with his fellow traveler in the House of Commons and made much of what he called unethical behavior, which has resulted in the MP drafting a formal complaint about Mr. Harris for the ethics commissioner. Mr. Cullen is asking Ms. Mary Dawson to investigated his allegations the Mr. Harris has violated the Parliamentary code of ethics.
The issue received another look in Friday’s paper as the Daily News examined the background and the latest developments in the simmering dispute between MP’s.
CULLEN CHARGES HARRIS’ BEHAVIOR IS UNETHICAL
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, August 31, 2007
Pages one and three
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen has drafted a formal complaint alleging Conservative Dick Harris violated his code of ethics when he named Sharon Smith as a special appointee to the riding.
At the same time, the federal Conservative Party says Harris, B. C. caucus chair, was acting on his own when he decided to appoint an unelected Tory to symbolically serve members of a riding held by an MP from the opposition.
“This is not an official party policy,” said Conservative spokesperson Ryan Sparrow.
Cullen said he has been flooded by phone calls from people from across his riding who are outraged that the Conservatives are suggesting they need to speak to government MP’s or their representatives in order to have their needs addressed.
“Most times when I talk to the press or people within my own caucus even, they don’t believe it,” Cullen said.
“So I send them the (CBC) transcripts, or just the press releases from the Conservatives and they just kind of shake their heads. It’s very bizarre, not very bright, and deeply unethical.”
In separate letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the federal ethics commissioner, Cullen suggests that Harris was in a conflict of interest for using public resources, such as his MP’s travel budget, to boost the private interests of Smith.
“What Mr. Harris has done has infuriated people across my riding, and across the province of B. C., who have heard about this,” Cullen said.
“It puts a slime over everything. These guys got in (to office with promises of accountability and transparency and ethics – and we thought it wouldn’t be hard for them to improve on the Liberal record – but they somehow found a way to slip under that bar.”
Harris told the Prince George Citizen in his riding that he did nothing wrong because Smith the mayor of Houston, B. C. was acting in a volunteer position to serve residents who, he said, were not getting their money’s worth from their current MP.
“I’m sure the ethics commissioner will have a chuckle about this one,” said Harris.
North Coast MLA Gary Coons agrees with Cullen that the action is improper, unethical and possibly violates the conflict of interest code for MP’s.
“I’m pleased the government spokesperson has clarified the impropriety of such an abusive, undemocratic action and confirmed the government sees this as inappropriate,” said Coons.
“He confirmed that constituents should contact their duly elected MP’s, not friends or insiders of the current Conservative MP’s who are trying to manipulate our democratic process.”
Despite the government’s official denouncing of the practice in question, Cullen isn’t buying into it just yet.
“I think they’re trying to backpaddle out, and they’re having a hard time because what’s done is done,’ said Cullen.
“Sometimes in politics people make bad judgements, they say something wrong or do something wrong. And if you do, apologize, correct it and move on.”
The incumbent MP, Mr. Cullen of course wasn’t too impressed with his fellow traveler in the House of Commons and made much of what he called unethical behavior, which has resulted in the MP drafting a formal complaint about Mr. Harris for the ethics commissioner. Mr. Cullen is asking Ms. Mary Dawson to investigated his allegations the Mr. Harris has violated the Parliamentary code of ethics.
The issue received another look in Friday’s paper as the Daily News examined the background and the latest developments in the simmering dispute between MP’s.
CULLEN CHARGES HARRIS’ BEHAVIOR IS UNETHICAL
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, August 31, 2007
Pages one and three
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen has drafted a formal complaint alleging Conservative Dick Harris violated his code of ethics when he named Sharon Smith as a special appointee to the riding.
At the same time, the federal Conservative Party says Harris, B. C. caucus chair, was acting on his own when he decided to appoint an unelected Tory to symbolically serve members of a riding held by an MP from the opposition.
“This is not an official party policy,” said Conservative spokesperson Ryan Sparrow.
Cullen said he has been flooded by phone calls from people from across his riding who are outraged that the Conservatives are suggesting they need to speak to government MP’s or their representatives in order to have their needs addressed.
“Most times when I talk to the press or people within my own caucus even, they don’t believe it,” Cullen said.
“So I send them the (CBC) transcripts, or just the press releases from the Conservatives and they just kind of shake their heads. It’s very bizarre, not very bright, and deeply unethical.”
In separate letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the federal ethics commissioner, Cullen suggests that Harris was in a conflict of interest for using public resources, such as his MP’s travel budget, to boost the private interests of Smith.
“What Mr. Harris has done has infuriated people across my riding, and across the province of B. C., who have heard about this,” Cullen said.
“It puts a slime over everything. These guys got in (to office with promises of accountability and transparency and ethics – and we thought it wouldn’t be hard for them to improve on the Liberal record – but they somehow found a way to slip under that bar.”
Harris told the Prince George Citizen in his riding that he did nothing wrong because Smith the mayor of Houston, B. C. was acting in a volunteer position to serve residents who, he said, were not getting their money’s worth from their current MP.
“I’m sure the ethics commissioner will have a chuckle about this one,” said Harris.
North Coast MLA Gary Coons agrees with Cullen that the action is improper, unethical and possibly violates the conflict of interest code for MP’s.
“I’m pleased the government spokesperson has clarified the impropriety of such an abusive, undemocratic action and confirmed the government sees this as inappropriate,” said Coons.
“He confirmed that constituents should contact their duly elected MP’s, not friends or insiders of the current Conservative MP’s who are trying to manipulate our democratic process.”
Despite the government’s official denouncing of the practice in question, Cullen isn’t buying into it just yet.
“I think they’re trying to backpaddle out, and they’re having a hard time because what’s done is done,’ said Cullen.
“Sometimes in politics people make bad judgements, they say something wrong or do something wrong. And if you do, apologize, correct it and move on.”
.
With files from CanWest News Service and the Prince George Citizen.
With files from CanWest News Service and the Prince George Citizen.
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