By Erin Conway-Smith
“Gluttony is not a secret vice.” — Orson Welles
Never mind their waist lines: It was a series of front page newspaper stories that exposed the gluttony of some senior government bureaucrats.
Indeed, until it landed on their doorsteps, Canadians weren’t privy to the fine dining culture of this upper echelon of unelected public servants.
After that, anger and disgust and howls of government waste.
The Liberals have a reckless disregard for public money, the critics said, and darn it, we need better mechanisms to keep these high falutin’ bureaucrats accountable.
But in fact, these recent revelations are illustrative of accountability at work.
The two most infamous cases, former privacy commissioner George Radwanski and Charles Boyer, former aide to Sheila Copps, were outed by Alliance MP John Williams, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee. An onslaught of Access to Information requests netted him damning hospitality expense reports.
Williams has made his name by nailing those in government who waste taxpayer’s money, and for his efforts, this crusader must be expecting to get his due.
Regardless of political leanings, what’s important here is that journalists and Opposition members are keeping close watch on those in power, using available government mechanisms to make sure they’re held accountable.
While it’s also important to be wary of “gotcha” posturing, Williams’ stand against taxpayer-funded gourmands is something people from across the political spectrum can respect.
The penalty for the well-fed spendthrifts? A hasty resignation. Public humiliation. Harsh, but this is no private matter: Radwanski, Boyer and others similarly disgraced violated the trust of the public, which bore the cost of their lavish habits.
Williams continues to go after gluttons, and others have joined the chorus, too, criticizing figures such as Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, who returned home last week from her pricey “northern identity” tour of Russia, Iceland and Finland.
The difference? Madame Clarkson is Canada’s official Head of State. It’s her job to represent Canada at its finest — no matter the cost. This is what she was appointed to do.
Who were Radwanski and his senior communications adviser, Dona Vallieres, impressing when they ate a $400 lunch? The waiter, with their impeccable taste in fine wine?
Radwanski has said he doesn’t feel he did anything wrong. No doubt he didn’t, in his mind. It’s like keeping up with the private sector Jones’ — this schmooze culture seems ingrained among Ottawa’s unelected elite
These days, that culture has surely been chilled. No doubt Williams will help keep it that way. The mechanisms aren’t perfect: Access to Information can be frustrating and spending guidelines open to loose interpretation. But the accountability checks are working, sort of, slowly, to discover the gluttons weighing down government.
While front pages now show stories about “unite the right,” the pressure for unelected players in government to stay trim should keep on, openly and always. Williams, for his part, has positioned himself nicely for a sweet spot in a united right, a union he has publicly praised.
He’s hoping this gluttony will bring glory days. The rest of us can only hope his watch keeps bureaucrats on the skinny.