[imc-ontario-stories] News release re: Senate and switching MPs

[Democracy Watch]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 9, 2005

NEWS RELEASE

PRIME MINISTER SHOULDN'T ADD TO UNETHICAL SENATE, SWITCHING MPs 
SHOULD RESIGN THEIR SEATS

OTTAWA - Today, Democracy Watch criticized Prime Minister Paul 
Martin's appointment of more senators as an unethical action that 
violates Martin's past pledges to democratize his appointment process 
and Martin's stated position that the Senate needs to be reformed. 
Democracy Watch also called on Belinda Stronach and David Kilgour to 
resign and face a by-election for leaving their respective parties.

	"As in March, Paul Martin again violated his own pledge not 
to practise politics as usual by appointing Liberals to the Senate, 
by saying nothing about the dangerously flawed Senate ethics code, 
and by failing to propose concrete measures to democratize the 
Senate," said Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch.  "As a 
result, the Senate remains an undemocratic and unethical haven for 
people who can, legally, act as inside-government lobbyists for 
corporations and other private interest groups."

	Among other appointees, Martin appointed Dennis Dawson, 
against whom Democracy Watch filed an ethics complaint in June 2002 
because he was lobbying the Department of Finance for nine corporate 
and government clients while also working for Martin's campaign for 
the leadership of the Liberal Party (as a result of the Liberals' 
negligence and deeply unethical attitude, that and seven other 
Democracy Watch ethics complaints have yet to receive a fair, 
impartial hearing).  Martin also appointed well-known Liberal 
fundraiser Rod Zimmer from Winnipeg.
	In March, Martin appointed former Liberal Cabinet minister 
Art Eggleton among others to the Senate, even though Eggleton was 
found guilty in 2003 of violating the federal Cabinet's ethics rules.

	"Martin's and the Liberal Party's cronies will be at home in 
the Senate with its loophole-filled ethics code and lapdog Senate 
Ethics Officer, as they have all supported unethical, undemocratic 
party leaders over the past decade," said Conacher.

	Democracy Watch called on Belinda Stronach and David Kilgour 
to resign because they are continuing to sit in House of Commons 
seats they were not elected to fulfill.  The rule should be clear 
that switching MPs must resign and face a by-election if an election 
is not going to happen within 30 days.  Democracy Watch believes that 
both MPs have violated federal ethics rules by switching and not 
resigning, and it plans to file complaints against both MPs.

	Democracy Watch will continue to push for long-overdue, 
much-needed changes to the Senate's structure and operations, and 
will continue to file and pursue ethics complaints until they are all 
reviewed fairly and impartially.

- 30 -

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch, Tel: (613) 241-5179
Government Ethics Campaign - http://www.dwatch.ca/ethicdir.html
Voter Rights Campaign - http://www.dwatch.ca/voterdir.html

*******************

Democracy Watch
P.O. Box 821, Stn. B
Ottawa, Canada
K1P 5P9
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Fax: (613) 241-4758
Email: dwatch at web.net
Internet: http://www.dwatch.ca
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