Lowering the bar on political ethics

 The October 21, 2020 confidence vote in Parliament is one of the lowest points ever reached in Canadian politics. It was a vote about integrity and ethics, versus incompetence or, worse, corruption. It was about the propriety of a sole-sourced contract for almost a billion dollars being given to an

Education, Information and Democracy

 Fretting about the health of democracy has recently moved from being an esoteric activity of academics to a widespread preoccupation across much of the developed world. We treasure the ideal of democracy for good reason. While there are many forms of democracy, some more direct than others, some more secular

Democracy Watch challenges Ontario Integrity Commissioner over Premier Ford’s violation of ethics rules

 OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch released the application it has filed in Ontario Divisional Court challenging Ontario Integrity Commissioner David Wake’s refusal to issue a public ruling on Premier Ford’s Chief of Staff Dean French (and possibly other Ford staff) providing preferential treatment to Ford’s friend Ron Taverner, and also to Mario

Religion, Theology, and Tomorrow’s Society

 Religions in Crisis October 22, 2015, will mark the first anniversary of a tragic event that took place here in Ottawa: the shootings at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill. The attacker claimed he was acting on account of his religious beliefs. Since then, the media have reported that many young people from Canada have travelled

The Fletcher Effect

 I like Stephen Fletcher. Our brief encounters, typically in airports or the occasional public event, are always friendly and cordial. It is hard not to admire him. Despite quadriplegia, he has found the strength and determination to serve his country as a Member of Parliament, at various times holding appointments

When is it Okay for Doctors to Let Someone Die?

 By Dr. Charles J. Wright The long overdue public, medical, legal and political debate on end-of-life care is now well underway in Canada. Medical journals and the general press are commenting regularly on the subject, the Canadian Medical Association is changing its ethics guidelines, Quebec has decriminalized assisted dying and

Democracy Watch Unloads on Harper Government for Chronic Lack of Accountability in Series of Cover-ups

 According to Democracy Watch, "biased, lapdog investigations mean cover-up of Senate scandal most likely outcome and public inquiry will be needed – Wright, Duffy should be found guilty of violating ethics rules, and possibly other laws "Ethics Commissioner has covered up twice already for Nigel Wright, Senate Ethics Officer is