Liberal MPs are accusing the Harper government of handing out hundreds of patronage appointments over the past two years to people who have been contributors to the Conservative party.
“Research shows that, since the last election, Stephen Harper has overseen the appointments and re-appointments of a startling number of Conservative insiders to sit in the Senate, courts and government boards and agencies,” Liberal MP Wayne Easter told an Ottawa news conference Tuesday.
The government has rewarded 386 former Conservative MPs, cabinet ministers, campaign workers, past candidates and top donors, Mr. Easter said. Together, he said, those people have contributed over half a million dollars to Conservative coffers.
The Liberals say the Conservative donors who have been named to plum positions within the government account for 20 per cent of all federal appointments since 2008.
But Andrew MacDougall, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, said the government obviously has to appoint thousands of people every year.
“Our government is committed to appointing only people who are qualified,” Mr. MacDougall said. “I notice that the Liberals don’t take exception to any of these people’s qualifications, at least not that I’ve seen.”
The appointment process is open, transparent and based on competence, he the Harper spokesman added.
The Liberals did not shy away from appointing people who were friendly to their party when they were in power. But Mr. Easter told reporters that former Liberal prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin also appointed Senators who were not aligned with the party.
The PEI Liberal stressed that Mr. Harper came to office by campaigning against Liberal largesse. “He said he would do certain things, he hasn’t done them,” Mr. Easter said, noting the position of appointments commissioner, which was an office Mr. Harper promised to create, remains unfilled.
Armed with trophies for the cabinet ministers who appointed the most Conservative Party members to positions and a list of appointees that rolled to the floor, Mr. Easter and Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès said Mr. Harper is using taxpayer money to serve his “ultra-partisan interests.”
They offered awards to people including recently appointed Senator David Braley who, along with his company, has contributed nearly $100,000 to the Conservative Party.
“Is it just a coincidence,” Mr. Easter asked, “that even though just point three per cent of Canadians contributed to the Conservative party in 2009, more than a fifth of appointees are partisan Tories?”
The New Democrats weighed in too, saying the Liberals refined patronage to an art form. "Stephen Harper didn’t invent patronage but he’s sure taken to it like a duck to water," Pat Martin told reporters.
"I don’t understand why it doesn’t seem to be a vote-determining issue. I don’t know why Canadians aren’t outraged at the political patronage that goes on. Next to out and out corruption, nothing offends the sensibilities of ordinary Canadians as much as that 'who you know' type of politics where very lucrative appointments are made based on the political card that your carrying and not on merit or qualification."
Mr. Martin agreed the biggest broken promise of the Harper administration has been the failure to name an appointments commissioner
"What should worry Canadians most I think in all of this is the absolute power of the Prime Minister’s Office," he said. "In a minority parliament, he can arbitrarily change the face of civil society by these arbitrary appointments."
