It looks like it's a very cloudy morning in Ottawa (photo below).
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| 10 points to whoever can see the Parliament. (Photo taken at the corner of Metcalfe and O'Connnor Streets) |
I guess the Opposition will decide that this is due to the Tories, what with the PMO hiring a new Chief of Staff and trying to justify it. I'm sure they must think that a hidden agenda is behind all of this. It can't be as simple as Guy Giorno leaving. Hmmm...
Anyways, that being said, John Ivison wrote a great piece on this appointment in the National Post. But, keeping with the theme of transparency, Canada has another victory in which to revel.
Every year, Transparency International (TI), an NGO whose headquarters are in Berlin, publishes a report on its Corruption Perceptions Index. Important to note is its definition of corruption because one person's idea of liberty may include more negative freedom (freedom from something) or positive freedom (freedom to... something), for example. TI defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain." According to TI, "[corruption] hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority."
So, what am I getting at? Well, the 2010 report has just been published and Canada has done well, yet again. When I say well, I really mean phenomenal, actually. Canada continues to climb the ladder with every passing year. In fact, ever since the sponsorship scandal and Canada's election of the Conservative government, Canada has continued to climb higher on the list. (For those wondering, placing first on the list means there is less perceived corruption).
From 2008 to this year, Canada has placed 9th, 8th and 6th, respectively. And again, Canada places sky high on the list among other constitution monarchies (my favourite system of government) such as Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden.
So where is Prime Minister Stephen Harper's hidden agenda? We're still waiting to see it even though the Liberals and media like the CBC continue to fear-monger Canadians. It's clear that there is a constant smear campaign going on in the Liberals' favour in this country.
To finish, however, one important thing to note about all this is that the fact that the Tories keep steering us in a good direction under Prime Minister Harper. That's one thing that Canadians still believe in.
