14°c Overcast
13°c Variable cloudiness
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
NDP ministers caught with cookie jar crumbs
Related Items
-
Articles
So it seems not even NDP cabinet ministers can deny themselves the sweet siren song known as "Go Jets Go." The difference between us and them, however, is that we actually have to pay for our tickets, if we can get any.
Now ministers Steve Ashton, Gord Mackintosh, Andrew Swan, Dave Chomiak and more join the ranks of those elected officials who believe that they deserve so-called entitlements on top of their annual $120,000 taxpayer funded salaries.
This mentality is not exclusive to Today's NDP. Former Liberal MP David Dingwall famously told a House of Commons committee he was "entitled to his entitlements" in reference to his reported $500,000 severance package as head of the Royal Canadian Mint.
More recently, Conservative cabinet minister Bev Oda has been in the news for repaying the $1,350 difference between the hotel she was booked into and the five-star hotel she preferred.
Manitobans have every right to expect more from their elected officials, especially when Finance Minister Stan Struthers stated, "We don't want to have ministers... seen to have an advantage over regular, everyday Manitobans."
News flash for Struthers, they were seen.
Once again taxpayers receive the obligatory pat on the head and are told all is right in the world as those ministers have since paid for their tickets.
Of course, as federal NDP House leader Nathan Cullen noted in reference to Oda's repayment, "She only did this because she got caught" and the same applies to this situation.
What should also be of concern to Manitobans is that it appears when the minister responsible for MLCC, Jim Rondeau, told the Opposition, "We will provide the information in due course," it turned out the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation had been supplied the information almost five weeks earlier.
It's a sad day for democracy when even the simplest of requests can be denied in the name of political games.
Are there bigger issues facing our province? Yes, just read the Free Press report on our crumbling roads and the $13 billion infrastructure deficit, for example. However, the freebie Jets ticket issue gives us a peak as to the thinking of our elected officials.
When government has to bring in a no-free-Jets-ticket policy for cabinet ministers because we cannot rely on an individual's common sense to kick in and say, "Hmmm, this is probably not the best optics," then just maybe there is cause for concern. Transparency and accountability should be ideals to strive for, not crumbs found at the bottom of the cookie jar.
Shannon Martin is a Winnipeg political commentator.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 12, 2012 A19
More Analysis
- Back to Top
- Return to Analysis
Poll
Most Popular Analysis
- What is Struthers afraid of?
- Cash for coitus scheme gets axed in Oz
- Never take candy from a stranger
- Can't lose when ends justify means
- THIS IS NO WAY TO MAKE A POINT!!!
- 'Most hated man' in Senate
- Why we assume the worst
- The Angelina Jolie effect
- StatCan survey data worthless
- Philippine election all about personality, not policy
- The Angelina Jolie effect
- Angelina Jolie: 'I feel empowered... '
- A sad twist in the path that the corner store was on
- Making NRC tool of industry bad for science
- Ruining lives for cash flow
- Internet becoming a jungle
- Harper fuels opposition to oilsands projects
- What is Struthers afraid of?
- Cash for coitus scheme gets axed in Oz
- Smart people SLEEP LATE
- Don, it's not about nakedness
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Ashton might try to get the facts straight
- Ageism is rampant in Canada
- Canadian to expose alien collaboration with U.S.
- Smart people SLEEP LATE
- 'Done deal' offends Whiteshell cottagers
- What are they smoking at First Nations Bank?
- Celebrated economics theory wrong
- Manitoba could follow B.C. on surrogacy issue
- Ruining lives for cash flow
- Happy not-mother's days
- Internet becoming a jungle
- 3D printers will make outsourcing so yesterday
- Early childhood education overrated
- Canada and the Arctic Council
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Manitoba could follow B.C. on surrogacy issue
- Why Stephen Poloz heads the Bank of Canada
- Making NRC tool of industry bad for science
- 'Done deal' offends Whiteshell cottagers
- How CBC and others torque ratings
- Kim Sigurdson It's time for government fish monger to cut bait
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Ice roads, airships could work together
- Where is Canada's strategy to help Ukraine?
- Climate options -- grim, grimmer, grimmest
- Mother Nature springs into action
- Industry, First Nations partnerships exploding
- Ageism is rampant in Canada
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.