Rahim Jaffer, accused of lobbying without a license, is no longer a sitting MP. Derek Lee, is a sitting Member of Parliament. The law firm that employs him claims: "Mr. Lee's valuable contributions to our clients include acting for foreign and offshore organizations in obtaining operating licenses, securing regulatory and governmental approvals for mergers and acquisitions ... advising government bodies on international issues regarding cross-border tax collection, anti-dumping issues, and lobbying government on policy issues as well as facilitating inter-governmental relationships."
Is one job not enough for Mr. Lee? He has been sitting in Parliament since 1988, so what is he doing moonlighting as a lobbyist while also introducing key contempt of Parliament motions as a sitting MP? At least Tories wait until they are out of office to start lobbying, even if they are terrible at the job like Mr. Jaffer. For someone who allegedly has "access", Rahim sure sucks at securing funding for his projects. I don’t know how effective Mr. Lee is as a lobbyist, I just don’t think he should be doing it while sitting in elected office. Maybe that’s just me.
He's a liberal - he doesn't have to play by the rules he insists Conservatives play by....and the media just continue to look the other way.
ReplyDeleteCan you even imagine if this was a Tory MP doing this????
Let's have a Royal Commission to investigate and shine some light after we get the opposition to agree to include themselves from being lobbied.
ReplyDeleteThose expenses The Board of Internal Economy $ 550 million per annum while we are at it!
Let's get the books, diaries from the riding associations too and party presidents opened!
After all they work for us let's help them discover the priorities we want delivered.
Until than no more political party welfare payouts?
Absolutely NOT. Why should MPs moonlight , period!!!
ReplyDeleteWhere are these crack investigative reporters? where's the list of MPs that moonlight,
that must be public info.
Or do bloggers have to do the work for our pathetic media...
Oh yah, Mr Derek Lee authored the motion for contempt charges re: Afghan detainee docs;
and he is at it again,
this time he has threatened contempt charges on Minister Prentice,
because Enviro Canada ia late filing reports...4 years late,
in 2007 Eviro Canada was 5 years late filing annual reports
.....when the Libs got booted out of government in 2006,
Enviro Canada had yet to file their 2002 annual reports.
Another Liberal mess Liberals are blaming on the Harper govt....makes yah wonder what they actually did in office for 13 years, eh.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100506/national/prentice_parl_contempt
Unless Mr. Lee is being compensated by some non-governmental source, I don't see how he can be called a lobbyist. All members of parliament are lobbyists. The way the system works is that you lobby the other parliamentarians to get support for your pet project so that it can either be included in some proposed legislation or so that you can get it tabled as a private members bill. That's what they're supposed to do. As far as the compensation goes, unless the proposed outside sponsors are as incompetent as the Times Square bomber, you bury the compensation by offering it as a future benefit ie. a promised future cushy job, or a villa in Europe, etc. That's almost impossible to prove and is the reason that 99% of the members of parliament do it this way.
ReplyDeleteThat 'pet project' MPs lobby for, Powell, is as representatives of their constituents,
ReplyDeleteNOT as a paid moonlighting employee!
NO way MPs should have a second job.
How do we know that those 'free' flights and wine and dine expenses are not for the 'other' employer benefit?
Did Derek Lee wine and dine 'clients' for the law firm, on the Canadian taxpayer dime?
Open up the books on MPs and Senators,
rewrite the lobbying act to include MPs.
Anything short of this is just plain wrong.