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Government Motion 19

October 23, 2008 - Appointment of Ethics Commissioner

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak against acceptance of Government Motion 19. Now, I was appointed as an opposition member to the select special committee to advertise, recruit, interview, and make a recommendation to the Legislative Assembly on a new Ethics Commissioner. I attended every meeting in person.

This is a difficult situation for me. At the first long list of names that was offered to us, I raised the issue that the individual in question who has been recommended by the committee had in fact made a cash donation to the party in power. I also noted several others who had done that. I was taken to task by other members of the committee and, in fact, heckled fairly persistently by one particular individual for most of the rest of the meeting for having done this. To me it was important because to me all-party committees and legislative officers need to be neutral. I need to believe as a member of this Assembly that I will be treated the same as any other member would be. I do not have that faith in this particular circumstance, and I’m saddened.

I did raise the close partisan ties of this particular individual. I also raised and noted during the meetings the general public perception, which I was aware of just from moving around in Edmonton circles, that this individual had very close party ties, if they weren’t actually a card carrying member. In fact, at a separate meeting I also raised and had in my hand proof of donations to two different leadership campaigns that were made by this individual. So I’d been pretty clear with the committee. But this is what happens when almost every committee where it’s possible to go in camera goes in camera because, of course, no notes are kept of anything, and it’s easy to deny after the fact that I did this. But I know I did it, and I know I had the information in my hand at the time. That’s the way I usually do things.

Mr. Speaker, my integrity is important to me. As my hon. colleague has said, the Ethics Commissioner has sweeping powers that they can effect upon a member whom they find to be in violation of one of the ethics codes. As a member of this Assembly I have to uphold those rules. The standing orders: even if I don’t agree with them, I have to uphold those standing orders and work with them. I have to uphold any number of rules. One of the things that I have to uphold as an MLA are those ethics and conflict-of interest rules even if I don’t agree with them, even if I spoke against them over and over again when they were in debate. I have to uphold them.

You know, as an individual, Mr. Speaker, I’m a nice, middle-class gal. I obey rules. I never saw myself as a particular rebel. [interjection] Please don’t heckle me. This is very difficult. I obey rules even when I don’t like them, and I keep obeying those rules until I see that they are being implemented in a way that I think is unfair to me or to others, and then I will fight them. I will fight them with all the rules that are available for me to fight them with. I will fight them legally – I always have – and no one can say that I don’t. So I’ve objected. Every opportunity in this committee, every vote, I objected to what was happening here.

I am extremely uneasy about having my intimate personal details disclosed to an individual who is not neutral and not only is not neutral, but he’s closely aligned with a governing party that has a tremendous amount of input on my very livelihood and how I am seen in the community. I feel helpless. I feel frightened. That sounds like a dramatic statement to make, and it is. I feel the process failed me.