5,000 signatures reached
To: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Cancel Harper's 'Future' Patronage Appointments
On October 19th, Canadian voters dramatically removed Stephen Harper from power, after a miserable decade of Conservative rule. With a new government firmly in power, it felt like a much-needed fresh start.
But in his final days as Prime Minister, Stephen Harper and his cabinet quietly stacked government agencies and Crown corporations with dozens of “future appointments,” and early appointment renewals, many of which were scheduled to go into effect long after the Conservatives were defeated. [1]
In other words, as the Conservative ship of state was sinking, Harper secured cozy jobs for his partisan friends in order to maintain his influence in key government sectors.
We call on you to immediately cancel the 'future' patronage appointments made by Stephen Harper.
Why is this important?
These 'future' patronage appointments, unprecedented in Canadian history, will entrench within the new government the worst tendencies of the Conservative party — secrecy, hyper-partisanship, an incredible disregard for science and evidence-based policy, etc. — that voters so fiercely rejected.
Take, for example, the case of the National Energy Board (NEB), which regulates the construction of pipelines and the import of oil and natural gas. Because of Harper’s future appointments, Prime Minister Trudeau will not be able to replace any temporary members of the NEB until 2018, or any permanent members until 2020. Given Harper’s record on the environment and his history of dismantling environmental protections, this move should be seen as nothing less than an attempt to undermine the Liberal promise to take action on climate change and reduce greenhouse emissions.
This is a slimy move, even for Harper.
Opposition parties and top government officials are calling on the Liberal government to cancel these future appointments immediately. [2][3]
Let’s join them and let Harper know once and for all that Canada has moved on.
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[1] Doomed Harper government made 49 “future” patronage appointments. iPolitics. http://ipolitics.ca/2015/11/23/doomed-harper-government-made-49-future-patronage-appointments/
[2] Cancel Harper’s “future appointments”: Boulerice. iPolitics. http://ipolitics.ca/2015/11/23/cancel-harpers-future-appointments-boulerice/
[3] Disband National Energy Board to deal with Harper’s appointments: Collenette. iPolitics. http://ipolitics.ca/2015/11/24/disband-national-energy-board-to-deal-with-harpers-appointments-collenette/