The Perils of a One-Party State and the Consequences of Perpetual Liberal Rule
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THE PERILS OF A ONE-PARTY STATE AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF PERPETUAL LIBERAL RULE Peter G. White and Adam Daifallah Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as Lord Acton famously observed. The sponsorship scandal, Shawinigate, and the billion-dollar boondoggle at Human Resources amply demonstrate the abuses of power that result from a weak and divided opposition, a culture of mediocrity in government, the bankruptcy of the policy process and ultimately the disengagement of citizens. The authors, early advocates of the Unite the Right Movement, survey the perils of perpetual Liberal rule and suggest that with the realignment on the Right and a revival of the NDP on the Left, the Liberals are finally under pressure at a time of explosive scandals that illuminate the consequences of one-party rule. Le pouvoir corrompt et le pouvoir absolu corrompt absolument, disait lord Acton. Le scandale des commandites, le « Shawinigate » et les bidouillages d’un milliard de dollars aux Ressources humaines illustrent d’éclatante façon les abus de pouvoir occasionnés par une opposition faible et divisée, une culture gouvernementale de médiocrité, la faillite du processus politique et, en dernière analyse, le désengagement des citoyens. Les auteurs, qui comptent parmi les premiers partisans d’une union de la droite, évoquent les périls de l’interminable domination libérale et notent qu’à l’heure où les scandales mettent en lumière les conséquences d’un système de parti unique, le réalignement engagé à droite et le renouveau à gauche auront finalement mis les libéraux sous pression. hy should Canadians be concerned about per- power, and Liberal ministers are not immune from this petual government by one party? There are at near-universal human failing. Louis St-Laurent’s minister of W least five interrelated reasons: the tendency of trade and commerce, C.D. Howe, once actually taunted the any unchallenged authority (1) to abuse its power; (2) to opposition about their powerlessness to prevent the Liberal develop a culture of mediocrity leading to decline; (3) to government from doing whatever it wanted. “Who’s to stop sink into a paralysis or bankruptcy of policy; (4) to rule by us?” he asked — not rhetorically — in 1951. And in the clique; and as a consequence of all of the above, (5) to lead pipeline debate of 1956, he famously asked, “What’s a mil- citizens to conclude that there is little point in their lion?” Enough to bring down a government, replied John engagement in the political process. Diefenbaker in the 1957 campaign that finally ended 22 The best-known encapsulation of this syndrome is consecutive years of Liberal rule. British statesman Lord Acton’s 1887 aphorism: power tends The chief danger, and frequently the reality, of such to corrupt. He added that absolute power corrupts absolute- omnipotence is abuse of office. Wherever politicians and ly. Canada is not quite at this terminal stage, although the their bureaucrats have a monopoly or have exclusive rights, sponsorship scandals and related rot in Ottawa would sug- wherever they have arbitrary authority coupled with the gest we are getting there at a speed that may prove danger- conviction that no one can stop them, there is bound to be ous to the political health of Paul Martin. abuse of this unrestricted power, in matters high and low. British Prime Minister William Pitt the elder made the The courts, which are the theoretical bulwark against such same observation a century earlier: unlimited power is apt abuses, are of little help to any but the most rich and pow- to corrupt the minds of those who possess it. This corrup- erful among us, in any situation where the government is tion of the mind has been well described as the arrogance of willing to further abuse our taxes by spending unlimited 28 OPTIONS POLITIQUES MARS 2004 The perils of a one-party state and the consequences of perpetual Liberal rule money and time to defend its initial one with political pull, only a fool he $700 million that Canadian abuse relentlessly, an advantage that would actually steal. T taxpayers contributed to the no private citizen can overcome. Even An example of the Liberals’ abuse Atlantic Investment Partnership such apparently powerful figures as of office and public funds for partisan worked out to $603 for every voter in Brian Mulroney and Conrad Black per- advantage was the $700 million the region. But it was only the tip of sonally felt the vengeful sting of the Atlantic Investment Partnership the iceberg of Liberal largesse to the Chrétien government as it dealt with announced less than four months Atlantic region. Net transfers to the its perceived enemies. before writs were issued for the 2000 Atlantic provinces from the rest of But it is the myriad of less visible election. According to the Web site of Canada (via Ottawa) equal about 30 abuses of government authority that the Atlantic Canada Opportunities percent of their GDP; yet unemploy- happen every day in Canada, and Agency (ACOA) at the time, this new ment levels there are still the highest against which the victims have no program was unveiled at a news con- in the country. effective recourse whatsoever, that ference in Halifax on June 29, 2000, by A related example of abuse of must concern every Canadian who Prime Minister Chrétien, along with office and public funds for partisan believes in freedom, due process and the four regional ministers for Atlantic gain was the entire jobs grants program the rule of law. at Human Resources The Canadian prime minister is the Development Canada, where hen the authority of an most powerful elected figure in any up to $1 billion in grants was W office is abused so as to democracy, as he enjoys complete mismanaged. The auditor gen- benefit the office-holder eral reported that the perform- directly or indirectly, the abuse authority over both the executive ance of HRDC was “disturbing,” becomes outright corruption. and the legislative branches of the involving “breaches of authori- Political scientist Donald government, and personally ty, improper payments, limited Savoie, in his book Governing appoints and dismisses both cabinet monitoring and approvals that from the Centre: The had not followed established Concentration of Power in ministers and senior public servants procedures.” This is bureau- Canadian Politics, has demon- — even judges. Jean Chrétien clearly cratese for saying that many strated that the Canadian abused his office in personally grant recipients were selected prime minister is the most pressuring François Beaudoin, then on the basis of politically moti- powerful elected figure in any vated recommendations from democracy, as he enjoys com- head of the Business Development Liberal MPs and party officials. plete authority over both the Bank of Canada, to approve a loan Public office may also be executive and the legislative to businesses with which Chrétien abused for the purpose of perse- branches of the government, had been associated, in cuting one’s political enemies. and personally appoints and The most notorious example of dismisses both cabinet minis- contravention of the bank’s the use of this tactic by the ters and senior public servants guidelines and recommendations. Chrétien government was the — even judges. Jean Chrétien politically motivated RCMP clearly abused his office in personally Canada. (Why did Atlantic Canada investigation into unsubstantiated pressuring François Beaudoin, then need four political ministers?) The Web rumours of kickbacks to former prime head of the Business Development site said this program was a “five-year, minister Brian Mulroney in relation to Bank of Canada, to approve a loan to $700-million initiative designed to the purchase by Air Canada of 34 businesses with which Chrétien had build new partnerships that would Airbus A320 jets from Airbus Industrie. been associated, in contravention of increase the capacity of Atlantic It took a major libel action and a pro- the bank’s guidelines and recommen- Canadians to compete in an increas- fessional public relations campaign by dations. He and other ministers rou- ingly global, knowledge-based econo- Mulroney, at a personal cost of over $2 tinely diverted huge sums of my. Through the Atlantic Investment million, to clear his name in a 1997 set- taxpayers’ money for their own parti- Partnership, the Government of tlement. Although the Liberal govern- san political advantage, even though Canada would make major invest- ment was forced to allow the RCMP to they may not personally have gained ments in the areas of innovation, com- pay Mulroney’s expenses, it continued a direct financial benefit. They pre- munity economic development, trade the RCMP investigation for another ferred to follow the advice of the and investment, and entrepreneurship five years. And the entire investigation Tammany Hall political boss in New and business skills development.” That now appears to have been based on York, who once said that with all the should pretty well have covered the nothing more than unsubstantiated grand opportunities around for some- Atlantic waterfront. allegations by Mulroney’s sworn POLICY OPTIONS 29 MARCH 2004 Peter G. White and Adam Daifallah CP Photo Victorious and vindicated: Former Business Develoopment Bank president François Beaudoin and his lawyer Doug Mitchell are all smiles following the scathing court ruling that scorched Jean Chrétien’s appointees to the bank for firing him for refusing to extend the Auberge Grand-Mère bank loan requested by Jean Chrétien on behalf of a constituent in a property in which he once had an interest. enemy, muckraking journalist Stevie borne helicopters, then 37 years old. The most recent, and without Cameron, who has acknowledged that The second was the similar cancella- doubt the most serious, example of she was unwittingly the RCMP’s “con- tion of a contract with a private-sector corrupt abuse of office by the Chrétien fidential informant” in the case.