Twelve of a kind?

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 12:05 PM - 0 Comments

To the cases of Linda Keen, Arthur Carty, Bernard Shapiro, Kevin Page, Peter Tinsley, Richard Colvin, Marc Mayrand, Paul Kennedy, Robert Marleau, Munir Sheikh and Pat Stogran, you can perhaps add the curious case of Chief Supt. Marty Cheliak.

The head of the Canadian Firearms Program, who is a strong supporter of the long-gun registry, is quietly being bounced out of the position, CBC News has learned…

CBC’s Brian Stewart reported that Cheliak was set to unveil a major report before the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police at their annual general meeting in Edmonton and get a president’s award for his work on the long-gun registry. But Stewart said Cheliak was told by the RCMP he’s not going to be sent there.

Add another to the enemies list (II)

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 1:22 PM - 83 Comments

Michael Ignatieff selflessly beseeches the Prime Minister to spare the rest of the population and direct all anger at him.

I was shocked to read that Prime Minister Harper has again attacked a private citizen for expressing views on public policy that are perceived to be at odds with his government’s agenda. The Prime Minister’s behaviour is beneath the office he holds.  As an elected Member of Parliament, I am used to being on the receiving end of Mr. Harper’s style of politics.  But I draw the line at Mr. Harper’s attacks on members of the public.  The Prime Minister must withdraw these comments and apologize to Mr. Clark.

Whether or not one agrees with Mr. Clark’s advice, he is the CEO of one of Canada’s largest and most respected financial institutions, and he should be free to offer his opinion on Canada’s fiscal policy without fear of reprisal to his business or personal smears to his reputation from the Conservative government. This is the second time in a week that the Prime Minister has crossed the line in civil public discourse by maligning the reputation of a citizen for disagreeing with the Conservative government. Last week, former finance official Scott Clark was attacked by the Prime Minister, adding to the long list of non-partisans like Linda Keen, Peter Tinsley and Paul Kennedy who have been maliciously accused of partisanship for voicing their disagreement with his government’s policies.

The watchdogs

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 5:09 PM - 54 Comments

The Globe, Canadian Press, Star, and CBC report from the appearances of the former president of the Nuclear Safety Commission, the former chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission and the former chair of the RCMP public complaints commission at a Liberal forum this morning. From the Globe’s account.

More diplomatic was Peter Tinsley, whose term as chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission, was not renewed last year. The commission made news for probing the Afghan detainee controversy, the same hot-button issue that many observers say forced the Tories to prorogue Parliament this winter.

“The perception has become widespread that something is not quite right in the system,” Mr. Tinsley said. Too often, he said, political “horsetrading” and unelected staffers play key roles in hiring and firing watchdogs that serve at the whim of the government they are appointed to criticize. ”The potential for abuse itself does not bode well for good governance,” Mr. Tinsley said.

Three of a kind

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:01 PM - 72 Comments

As reported by the CBC’s Alison Crawford, the former chair of the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, the former Military Police Complaints Commissioner and the former head of the Nuclear Safety Commission will speak at a Liberal-organized forum on governance next week.

Kennedy had wanted to see through expected legislation on providing civilian oversight for the RCMP.  His reports included blunt criticism about how Mounties take notes, handle Tasers, investigate themselves, etc. And in the last days of his tenure, Kennedy lashed out at RCMP Commissioner William Elliott, accusing him of trying to delay the publication of several of his reports.

The government also refused to renew Tinsley’s appointment, even though he wanted to continue his work on the Afghan detainee issue. And Keen, who was fired while serving her second term as head of the CNSC, accused the natural resources minister of ignoring her advice to close the Chalk River nuclear facility.

Warnings then and now

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, December 14, 2009 at 1:12 AM - 44 Comments

Canadian Press delves deeper into what Canada did, or didn’t, do about Asadullah Khalid, a notorious Afghan governor. The former chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission reiterates his concerns about government secrecy. The Foreign Affairs Minister concedes that tracking detainees remains a “challenge.”

“The May, 2007, arrangement states that the government of Canada will be notified prior to the release of a Canadian-transferred detainee by Afghan authorities. However, notification has been a challenge,” Mr. Cannon conceded in a written and little-noticed answer delivered to Parliament’s order paper last week, weeks after ministers had first faced and deflected questions on the subject at committee hearings.

… military sources have admitted that at least some detainees have been captured multiple times. The impact on morale of capturing Taliban fighters, transferring them to Afghan custody and then facing them again in combat is severe, according to Canada’s top diplomat in Kabul. The “release of detainees is having a profound and demoralizing affect on our soldiers,” Ambassador William Crosbie wrote in a Sept. 19 memo.

The redacted Colvin memos (II)

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 3:46 PM - 5 Comments

The Star reports that it was Peter Tinsley, commissioner of the Military Police Complaints Commission, who allowed today’s release after selective leaks elsewhere. The NDP’s Paul Dewar says that what has been redacted in one report is a general reference to the possibility of “torture” and other abuses.

“By redacting just that one sentence, the government was able to cover up knowledge of extrajudicial killings and torture in Afghanistan,” Dewar said, citing this as an example of overzealous censorship. ”This is precisely why Canadians can’t trust any document with redactions from this government.”

'It would seem that some of the key lessons of the Somalia experience … have not been learned'

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:20 PM - 5 Comments

Lost somewhat in all the discussion of Richard Colvin’s testimony, is the statement of Peter Tinsley, chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission, that immediately followed Colvin’s appearance.

Here is that statement. Continue…