Tory promise of open and accountable government suffers another big blow
Ottawa (11 May 2007) - The Harper Conservatives showed what they really think of whistleblowers by taking the first big one to surface under their watch away in handcuffs this week.
A federal contract employee was arrested by uniformed officers and escorted from his office for allegedly leaking Environment Minister John Baird's flawed environmental plan to the media 10 days before it's official release.
The employee was not immediately identified by the government or the RCMP, nor was it made clear what charges, if any, could be laid. The individual came forward voluntarily on Wednesday to identify himself as Jeffrey Monaghan, 27 and describe his arrest as a "witch hunt" by the Harperites.
"What I can tell you is that the proposed charges against me pose a profound threat to the public interest," Monaghan said in a statement. "They are without precedent in their disproportionality, they are vengeful and they are an extension of a government-wide communications strategy pinned on secrecy, intimidation and centralization."
In fact, to critics of the government, one of the main purposes of the exercise appeared to be to send a strong message to all federal employees, telling them in no uncertain terms that they will be playing with fire if they blow the whistle on this government.
Baird denies it, claiming that whistleblowing is not the issue in this case but rather a breach of public service ethics. "I don't think that there's any suggestion that this was involving a whistleblower, if someone on an unauthorized basis leaked some sensitive information anonymously," he told reporters.
Talk is cheap, however. It was the spectacle of a workplace arrest in handcuffs that sent shivers down the spine of workers across the country.
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has lobbied for many years to have governments adopt stronger whistleblowing legislation – in both the public and private sectors.
The RCMP, the Tories, politics and the law
In this case, the RCMP was called in to investigate and carry out the arrest, raising new questions about the blurring of the line between law enforcement and politics. Why the issue was not dealt with through standard labour-management practices has not been clearly explained.
RCMP Supt. Stan Burke issued a statement, saying: "An employee who violates the terms of their workplace security clearance, including the release of secret documents, may be subjected to legal consequences, including criminal charges." Yet the official provided no information on statutes violated or what charges are being considered.
Andrew Dumbrille, a spokesman for Climate Action Network, was critical. " ... instead of strengthening them, it has gone on a witch-hunt," he said.
Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch added that the incident represents a clear contradiction of the Harper's promise to run an open and accountable government.
Patty Ducharme of the Public Service Alliance of Canada says it is the first time she had ever heard of a public servant in Canada being escorted away in handcuffs.
"It's a scary thing to stand up to government as a government employee and we all know that sometimes the government is wrong," Ms. Ducharme said.
"I would say that it's definitely an attempt by the Conservative government to scare its employees, to scare them into submission," she adds. "I think there's an argument to be made there that he was definitely looking after the public interest and the public good as opposed to toeing the Conservative party line."
More information:
• Ottawa Citizen blows whistle on Tory whistleblower
• Accountability legislation still woefully weak on whistleblowing
• Accountability Act falls short of Harper campaign rhetoric
• Tory MP whistling to himself about whistleblower bounty?
• Blow the whistle and get paid? Tories studying idea
• Are Tories wavering on whistleblowing legislation
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