As per our goals, we are willing to comment on the reality of politics in Canada. Early each year, we critique those we believe are doing a poor job in what we call the "Idle Canadian" awards.
The "Idle Canadian" winners for the worst since 2004!
2008
In a normal year, there were several worthy candidates. However, in the embarrassment that was 2008, the Worst Federal Member of Parliament was ...
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
- for playing politics with Canadians: for breaking his own election law to call an election that wasn’t necessary (at a cost of $300 million) to try to get his majority; for continuing to bully his opponents, especially Stéphane Dion who was targeted by an unfair advertising campaign; saying one thing at an international conference (we will stimulate the economy), then doing the opposite (we will cut); trying to cut off most of the funding to the Opposition political parties for partisan gain; failing to face Parliament and running to the Governor-General to prorogue.
The Worst Provincial M.P.P./M.L.A./M.N.A. was ...
Ed Stelmach, Premier of Alberta
- for misleading Albertans, other Canadians, and American political leaders about the potentially devastating environmental consequences of the tar sands’ development. Not only will oil from the tar sands not be ‘clean’, as the premier told U.S. Congressional and business leaders but, short of some unknown advancement in technology, will be the ‘dirtiest’ oil produced on the planet.
The Worst Municipal Councillor was ...
The entire council of the City of Vaughan, Ontario
- the mayor, for spending excessively on lunches, with and without liquor, and other items, while saying the "rules" were vague; the council, for spending tens of thousands of dollars to undermine the mayor and trying to force her out, apparently by endlessly attacking her ethics. To the mayor: brown bag your lunch. To the rest of council: just a hint ... you don’t have the legal authority to oust her, so concentrate on your constituents!
The Worst International Politician was ...
Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
- for inciting political violence and human rights' violations, while fixing his country's June election to keep himself in power, saying "Only God" can remove him; for doing nothing to stop a cholera epidemic except to blame the British government for introducing it.
The Worst Civil Servant was
Michaelle Jean, Governor-General of Canada
- for setting an awful precedent which could lead to future political chaos by permitting Parliament to be prorogued just so the governing party can temporarily avoid a motion of confidence; for not putting limits on what the Prime Minister could do while the House was prorogued, permitting him to appoint 18 senators he previously had said he would not appoint. So what’s to now stop any prime minister from proroguing just to save their party from losing power?
Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award
George Bush, President of the United States of America
- for lying to get Congress to go along with a war against Iraq and for lying about its progress; for establishing never-before-seen deficits of such magnitude it will take at least a generation for Americans to dig themselves out from the mountain of debt; for partisan and ideological ignorance that led to blind deregulation that created the conditions for the present economic collapse; for violating his country’s constitution and the rights of citizens, again and again, when it served his purposes.
2007
Each year we choose those in public service who we think have disappointed Canadians the most. As selected by Institute members:
The Worst Federal Member of Parliament was ...
John Baird, Minister of the Environment
- for his continuing histrionic attacks on opposition members; for continuing to say Canada will adopt tough standards to fight global warming, while rejecting any substantive measures; for embarrassing Canadians overseas with contradictory policy and an unwillingness to compromise except when cornered
The Worst Provincial M.P.P./M.L.A./M.N.A. is ...
Ernie Fage, Nova Scotia MLA (then Minister of Human Resources)
- for drinking and driving, then leaving the scene of an accident and pretending he wasn't involved; this came after he had been returned to Cabinet, having resigned for being in a conflict of interest over a government loan to a potato farm that leased land from his family. He was recently convicted of leaving the scene of an accident.
The Worst Municipal Councillor is ...
David Miller, Mayor, City of Toronto
- for constantly harping his city doesn't receive its fair share from other levels of government, while ignoring Toronto taxes are at a level below most other Ontario cities, e.g. comparable $350,000 houses in Toronto and London are about $1,000 apart, with the former at $2,800 in property tax; for complaining that city council members cannot get things done, while doing little to compromise to get things done.
The Worst Political Candidates are ...
Liberal candidates appointed by Stéphane Dion
- for not having to face a riding nomination. This violates what few democratic measures exist within a political party and denies members their decision.
The Worst International Politician is ...
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
- for circumventing the democratic system that brought him to power in order to hold onto power, even as his term ends. Russia is supposed to be entering the world of citizen-controlled states, not a laughingstock among those countries.
The Worst Civil Servant is ...
Sandra Buckler, Communications' director for the Prime Minister
- for not communicating with the media and, thus, to Canadians; for helping to limit access of Ministers of the Crown from explaining their (in)actions; for misleading Canadians on a variety of issues, even if only temporarily
And our Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award goes to ...
Howard Hampton, Ontario NDP leader
- for not seeing to it his party updated policies, in some cases dating back decades, to attract voters; for complaining constantly about government policies without offering constructive alternatives or attempting to negotiate change; for not resigning after his third significant election defeat, something most party leaders do after two losses
2006
In our first category, we had a three-way tie.
The Worst Federal Members of Parliament were ...
Rona Ambrose, then Minister of the Environment
John Baird, then Treasury Board President
Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance
- Ambrose was chosen for her complete ineffectiveness as a Minister of the Crown. She introduced the Clean Air Act, which would have done almost nothing to clean the air for decades. She attended international meetings where she embarrassed her country by her lack of knowledge on the subject, and by pretending to lead on climate change while denying it was a serious problem.
- Baird was chosen for his 'attack dog' antics in the House of Commons, which led to nothing but a general decline in decorum. As well, he interfered in the 2006 Ottawa civic election by delaying final approval on the federal share of funding for an $880 million light rail system by questioning financial okays of his officials, as well as provincial and municipal ones. This was a delay to permit a new council, led by a conservative ally of his, to reconsider the deal, which they did, cancelling it. Ten years of work was wasted, as was the environmentally-friendly public transit.
- Flaherty was chosen for declaring far and wide that his government was cutting taxes, when they actually increased them for many. While he cut the GST from 7 to 6%, he also changed the personal income tax exemption which forced thousands of poorer Canadians back into paying the tax.
The Worst Provincial M.P.P./M.L.A./M.N.A. is ...
Ontario Liberal and Conservative MPPs
- for giving themselves a 25% pay hike without public consultation, while trying to hide it in the year-end holidays. This goes double for the Liberal MPPs who apparently threatened to quit to run federally if they didn't get the raise. Obviously, too many are in politics for the money. (Of course, in pegging their salaries at 75% of a federal MP, they've denigrated their own positions, as they probably have more work to do than an MP.)
The Worst Municipal Councillor is ...
Rob Ford, Councillor, City of Toronto
- for showing up at a Toronto Maple Leafs game drunk, shouting obscenities at the crowd, then handing out his business cards and, later, wondering how he was identified. Also, for his general nature, e.g. objecting to $1.5 million in grants for AIDS awareness programmes by saying "if you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you won't get AIDS, probably".
The Worst Political Candidate* (a new category) is ...
Dianne Haskett, Conservative candidate in the 2006 London-North-Centre federal by-election
- for blatant opportunism in begging Londoners to believe she hadn't returned from Washington, DC after six years just to run for office, and promising to stay regardless, win or lose. She returned to Washington within six weeks of her defeat.
The Worst International Politician is ...
Kim Jung-Il, President of North Korea
- for ignoring the horrendous conditions of his people while blackmailing the world with threats of nuclear proliferation in exchange for better aid
The Worst Civil Servant is ...
A tie.
Giuliano Zaccardelli, former Commissioner of the RCMP
Tom Parkinson, former CEO of Ontario's Hydro One
- Zaccardelli for not immediately resigning over his handling of the Maher Arar affair, once the inquiry had reported, and for testifying to a House of Commons' committee he had certain information on Arar in 2002, then later saying it was 2006 before he knew. Most people who prevaricate do so by denying they knew something, then admit it, not the other way around.
- Parkinson, who was earning a stupifying $1.6 million per year, for having his secretary sign for items so they would not appear on his expenses. As well, for taking a $3 million severance package, when he hadn't really done what he was hired to do, fix the problems of Hydro One.
And our Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award goes to ...
Jim Wilson, Ontario MPP for Simcoe-Grey
- for causing what has become long-term damage to the Ontario healthcare system when Minister of Health, the electricity sector as Minister of Energy, and for being an ineffective backbencher beyond his recent hobbyhorse of saving the Frederick Banting homestead while doing nothing to help constituents stop unwanted urban sprawl in his riding.
Congratulations!
We wanted to throw out a positive this year to Halton MP Garth Turner for showing some spine, something sorely lacking amongst his fellow parliamentarians. He was willing to express opinions which differed from his party leadership to the point he was expelled from it. Of course, his toying with the Green Party and, then, joining the Liberals, took some of the shine off the achievement, it is still worth noting.
2005
The Worst Federal Member of Parliament is ...
Gurmant Grewal, now retired Conservative MP for Newton-North Delta, BC
- for unethical behaviour in illicitly taping conversations; trying to negotiate with the Liberals to cross the floor and prop up the government; for taking sureties from international visitors as guarantees they will leave, outside any rules; asking for 'stress' leave for being under investigation
The Worst Provincial M.P.P./M.L.A./M.N.A. is ...
Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta
- using unprecedented revenues to give out $400 in 'Ralph bucks' to each Albertan instead of strengthening services for people such as health care
The Worst Municipal Councillor is ...
Clearview Township (Ontario) Councillors (all of them)
- for refusing to state their positions regarding a major proposed subdivision development, while going through the process of approving it
The Worst International Politician is ...
Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
- for inciting political violence and human rights' violations, while undermining his country's economy and farming base
The Worst Civil Servant is ...
Stephen Duff, Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
- for turning the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) programme against Ontario farmers; suggested farmers who couldn't afford to contribute to their fund should borrow the money
And our Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award goes to ...
Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada
- for his self-promoting arrogance, the GST, the Meech Lake constitutional debacle that stirred separatist sentiment, a free trade agreement that is unenforceable, tripling the national debt in just nine years, and his denials he had any responsibility in destroying the national Progressive Conservative party
2004
The Worst Federal Member of Parliament is ...
Stephen Harper, Conservative Opposition Leader
- for continued duplicity in presenting his ‘unified’ party as something it is not; on same-sex marriage, hailing Supreme Court decision, then using it to say Liberals would destroy "traditional marriage"; criticizing ‘dinosaurs’ in party during election, then not punishing them to any great extent; disappearing for the entire summer and not working to expand party base and strength; complaints about everything but has offered little as alternatives
The Worst Provincial M.P.P./M.L.A./M.N.A. is ...
A tie between Alberta Premier Ralph Klein for
- hypocrisy of attacking the federal government over getting into provincial jurisdiction on several fronts, from health to natural resources, then trying to interfere in federal jurisdiction over same-sex marriage; insensitivity regarding the disabled; cuts to services while bringing in unprecedented revenues
And Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara
- for not stepping aside while under investigation for apparent violation of conflict of interest; though vindicated by Integrity Commissioner, was clearly in a conflict for two-plus months; for not ending clawback of federal Family Tax Benefit for welfare families because the province ‘can’t afford it’
The Worst Municipal Councillor is ...
Tom Gosnell, Deputy Mayor for the City of London, Ontario
- for acting as a development consultant and deputy mayor with staff, without disclosing on whose behalf he is dealing; for dismissing concerns over this as unimportant
The Worst International Leader is ...
George W. Bush
- for continued hypocrisy on Iraq; for promoting free trade while refusing to uphold international trade decisions that go against the U.S.
The Worst Civil Servant is ...
Chuck Guité
- for running his section and programmes like a fiefdom for his own personal aggrandizement, while wasting millions of dollars
And the Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award goes to ...
Mike Harris, former Premier of Ontario
- his reactive, regressive policies still resonate in Ontario, with much of the Liberals’ time spent on dealing with damage caused by him
Rules:
1. Must be nominated by an Institute member.
2. Must be an active politician for first four categories.
3. Must be an active civil servant or one still "in the news".
4. For lifetime award, must have been out of politics long enough to evaluate policies and political decisions or, if still active, have a long track record.
5. "Winners" selected by Board of Directors.