Duff Conacher

Election analysis: Better voter representation system needed

Par Duff Conacher le 10 juin 2011

The $2 per-vote annual subsidy for parties is the most democratic part of the federal political finance system, because it is based on the fundamental democratic principle of one-person, one-vote. While it should be changed to make it more democratic it will be very undemocratic to cut it to zero as the Conservatives propose.

Letters: Banks and Consumers

Par Duff Conacher le 19 mars 2009

It is not surprising that Canada’s big banks are still profitable, given that the federal government has offered them and other financial institutions more than $250 billion in direct and indirect subsidies in the past few months.

New financial consumer watchdog groups needed to watch banks and investment industry

Par Duff Conacher le 15 janvier 2009

OTTAWA - With Canada's big banks reporting a total of $16 billion dollars in losses and writedowns mainly because of their irresponsibly risky investments, Canada's leading bank accountability coalition called on federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to work with opposition parties and protect financial consumers by requiring banks to prove their credit card, other consumer and small- and medium-sized business loan interest rates and service charges do not amount to gouging, empowering the Competition Bureau to evaluate the lending record and competition level in basic banking services nation-wide, and requiring banks and other financial institutions to facilitate the creation of watchdog groups...

No moral high ground for Canada’s political parties

Par Duff Conacher le 18 décembre 2008

 All federal political parties should have been working toward a democratic compromise over the Conservative minority government's economic and political finance proposals, instead of continuing their poorly timed games....

Extraordinary ruling in Democracy Watch lobbying challenge

Par Duff Conacher le 21 août 2008

In an extraordinary one-line ruling, without giving any reasons, Federal Court of Canada Justice Alan M. Linden recently ordered Democracy Watch to pay $10,000 in advance into court to cover costs it may possibly have to pay in the future to lobbyist Barry Campbell, as a result of Democracy Watch's appeal of the February 2008 Federal Court ruling by Deputy Judge Orville Frenette that legalizes federal registered lobbyists raising money and doing favours for Cabinet ministers they lobby...

Protecting the whistleblowers

Par Duff Conacher le 26 juin 2008

ederal Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Christiane Ouimet recently reported that she received only 59 complaints about government wrongdoing from whistleblowers in her first year in office...

Private wealth still trumping public interest with Canadian MPs

Par Duff Conacher le 1 mai 2008

While representatives of all political parties point accusing fingers at each other, none have focused on cleaning up the "He who pays the piper calls the tune" and "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" system that is the basis for many decisions made in Ottawa...