Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Fight the real enemy

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, May 7, 2010 9:15am - 214 Comments

Amid talk yesterday of Rahim Jaffer, Helena Guergis, Devinder Shory, lobbyists, religion, ideology, firearms, abortion policy, poverty, torture, nuclear weapons, the prosecution of Omar Khadr and salmon farming, John Baird astutely identified the foremost issue facing Ottawa as the legal career of Liberal MP Derek Lee. Seems the biography of Mr. Lee posted on a law firm’s website describes him as participating in activities that include “lobbying government.”

After QP, Mr. Lee’s office distributed the following.

“Like several other Parliamentarians, I am a legal counsel to a law firm. I disclosed to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner my relationship with Sun & Partners Barristers & Solicitors and am in full compliance with federal laws. Contrary to accusations made by the members of the Conservative government, I am not a lobbyist, nor have I ever been paid to lobby the federal government. I was unaware of how my role was portrayed on the Sun & Partners website, and am concerned that it is not sufficiently clear in its description of the nature of my work. As such, I have asked that my profile, including any reference to lobbying, be removed from the Sun & Partners website. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.”

That profile does indeed seem to have been removed. Mr. Lee’s office has also sent out a letter sent to the ethics commissioner asking her to investigate whether he has erred in any way.

Tags: Derek Lee, ethics commissioner, John Baird, lobbying, lobbyists, mary dawson, Sun & Partners

More by Aaron Wherry

http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

You just made fun of accountability measures, genius, by suggesting that sheets had to be signed for sandwiches. Yes, it's all such a burden when Liberals have to do it, isn't it. The horror.

Dot

It was a joke, Jethro.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Actually, I just don't know what you're talking about. If you could provide some links, that'd be great. What are these accountability measures, and where do you see the Liberals resisting?
http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

Yes, accountability measures are joke to you when Liberals are required to abide by them. Thanks!

Dot

Nuts.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

Dennis partisan goggles prevent him from comprehending that you were somewhat agreeing with him. This goes against his programming – ie. everyone here is a leftist, and therefore, the enemy. Instead of thinking or discussing, he insults, and uses the catch phrase "Next" (under some misguided belief that he has actually made a significant rebuttal). Sometimes it is both sad and amusing, when you consider the irony.

Lord Kitchener's Own

Dennis, look up.

That was Dot's point flying above your head.

I do love it though when commenter one writes "I think X", and then commenter two writes "How DARE you, you should think X", followed immediately by commenter one writing "Huh? Didn't I JUST SAY X!?!?!". That meme never gets old.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

Please explain to me how that applies to the current exchange. That is, of course, if you're not joking either. lol.

What is it with people on here who are incapable of addressing the points raised? Man.

http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

You called?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

So.. when you actually meet someone who wants to get informed, you say, "Oh.. no.. you actually want facts.. I don't want to talk with someone like that.."

Fair enough. Now I know how to proceed with you.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

No, requiring that only opponents do so is. Next.

http://intensedebate.com/people/doug_rogers doug_rogers

Pot Kettle Black.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

Name one example of where I have set a higher standard for others. I thought you leftist types were proud of being educated and analytical. Well, show it sometime! Live up to your own words every once in a while, for crying out loud.

Holly Stick

You set the low standards for us all.

wilson

Why would a company hire a sitting MP?
What possible benefit could a person with a full time job, be to the hiring company?

Why would a sitting MP, with a full time well paid job, with exceptional benefits and pension, look for outside work after being elected?

Dan

Yeah I don't see anything really wrong with it. Christine Eliott (Mr. Flaherty's wife) is an MPP and still a member of her and her husband's law firm.
Its pretty standard.

Now Senators still being allowed to be members of corporate boards, that's more than a little bit sketchy.

http://intensedebate.com/people/tedbetts tedbetts

Sir John A never gave up his practice either.

http://intensedebate.com/people/lgarvin lgarvin

It's a prestige thing for the Law firm and a convenience for the MP to maintain his professional credentials. I have no data in front of me but I think it happens quite a lot. I believe that many MPs maintain a professional designation while serving as elected officials. Doctors, Lawyers and other professionals are fairly common in politics.

Elected politicians don't have long-term job security. They need to think about their futures too.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

Your pretty much on the ball with this. What is more shocking is that so many people seemed to be oblivious to this up until now.

peter

"Culture of Deceit" TM LPC 1993-2010. I'm just guessing but i don't think was the kind of "branding" the OLO braintrust had in mind :).
http://intensedebate.com/people/Dennis_F Dennis_F

That's a good little boy. Do you shine shoes, too?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

Only on Tuesdays.

http://intensedebate.com/people/tedbetts tedbetts

[cont]
With Lee by contrast, every step of the way he has told the Ethics and Lobby commissioners what he was doing. Here we have the government trying to claim that Lee was lobbying them. Either he was and the government, being the ones to raise the charges, should tell us who or he wasn't and they've disgracefully slandered a decent respectable MP.

In both cases, the Conservatives have the information to clarify whether there was lobbying.
http://intensedebate.com/people/FVerhoeven FVerhoeven

"Are you telling me that Lee never, ever reviewed his profile on the law firm website? "

No, they're telling us we are the most gullible of gullibles.
wilson

Can not see how Lee on committee for regulations is not an obvious conflict.
The Opps have a majority on everything,
and definitely can vote down or influence .

“Why would the Liberal leader put a man who advertised himself as a paid lobbyist, who could have regulations changed for foreign interests … on the standing committee for the scrutiny of regulations?”
“Is that not putting the fox in charge of the henhouse?” http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/05/07/…

Gayle

Hi wilson.

Still waiting for some proof he ever actually lobbied anyone in the government. SInce you are so close to them, maybe you could ask them to produce said proof?

Or was your point to simply muddy the water with scurilous, unproven, unprovable allegations…