Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Legislating secrecy as Basi and Virk trial approaches
An edited posting by BC Mary in The Tyee, 9 May 06, following:
Liberals plan to slam lid of secrecy. By Stanley Tromp.
Does anyone else feel that there's some significance in the timing for this BC Liberal legislation? Bill 23 imposes secrecy upon the findings of any Public Enquiry. Bill 30 imposes secrecy on various forms of agreement between government and business. Any provincial project in BC could become "the equivalent of the entire Quebec sponsorship program" by being marked "a joint service project", says Tromp, meaning that all information "jointly developed" could be sealed.
I mean, here's the BC Legislature, enacting virtual getoutofjailfreecards for the Gordon Campbell government just as the trial of Basi & Virk gets under way -- in only a matter of days.
Bill 30, as I read it, could inhibit what can be said in court about the financial affairs which led to the charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and influence peddling.
There could (and should) very well be a call for a public enquiry into what happened to BC Rail and Roberts Bank, after the trial. But the findings could be kept secret under Bill 23.
I also see significance in the trial beginning on 5 June and the Legislature is being prorogued (shouldn't that be de-rogued?) on May 18. Gone for the summer. Most everybody on holiday. So perhaps the Basi & Virk trial will quietly slip by for 3 unnoticed months? Unnoticed by the Presstitutes?
commentor: Bailey
provided this basic format for a class action lawsuit, as follows:
Where the devil is our loyal opposition? Do we have to do this ourselves?
How should we word it?
WHEREAS:
Bill 23 and Bill 30 are specifically designed by the BC Liberal government to conceal public information in a way which strongly suggests that it is intended to conceal evidence of misbehaviour if not outright criminality. And
WHEREAS:
The BC Liberals elected by the people of BC promised faithfully to maintain open and accountable government, and were elected on that promise. And:
WHEREAS:
No possible democratic government can be imagined that could survive these bills, which forbid the electorate access to information that would be crucial to them
THEREFORE:
We the undersigned call upon the Lieutenant-Governor of BC, the Premier of BC, and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of BC to call a general election at the earliest possible time, before said bills, or any such bills are brought to a vote.
Something like this ought to work ...
Liberals plan to slam lid of secrecy. By Stanley Tromp.
Does anyone else feel that there's some significance in the timing for this BC Liberal legislation? Bill 23 imposes secrecy upon the findings of any Public Enquiry. Bill 30 imposes secrecy on various forms of agreement between government and business. Any provincial project in BC could become "the equivalent of the entire Quebec sponsorship program" by being marked "a joint service project", says Tromp, meaning that all information "jointly developed" could be sealed.
I mean, here's the BC Legislature, enacting virtual getoutofjailfreecards for the Gordon Campbell government just as the trial of Basi & Virk gets under way -- in only a matter of days.
Bill 30, as I read it, could inhibit what can be said in court about the financial affairs which led to the charges of bribery, fraud, breach of trust, and influence peddling.
There could (and should) very well be a call for a public enquiry into what happened to BC Rail and Roberts Bank, after the trial. But the findings could be kept secret under Bill 23.
I also see significance in the trial beginning on 5 June and the Legislature is being prorogued (shouldn't that be de-rogued?) on May 18. Gone for the summer. Most everybody on holiday. So perhaps the Basi & Virk trial will quietly slip by for 3 unnoticed months? Unnoticed by the Presstitutes?
commentor: Bailey
provided this basic format for a class action lawsuit, as follows:
Where the devil is our loyal opposition? Do we have to do this ourselves?
How should we word it?
WHEREAS:
Bill 23 and Bill 30 are specifically designed by the BC Liberal government to conceal public information in a way which strongly suggests that it is intended to conceal evidence of misbehaviour if not outright criminality. And
WHEREAS:
The BC Liberals elected by the people of BC promised faithfully to maintain open and accountable government, and were elected on that promise. And:
WHEREAS:
No possible democratic government can be imagined that could survive these bills, which forbid the electorate access to information that would be crucial to them
THEREFORE:
We the undersigned call upon the Lieutenant-Governor of BC, the Premier of BC, and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of BC to call a general election at the earliest possible time, before said bills, or any such bills are brought to a vote.
Something like this ought to work ...
