From the Most "Transparent" Government in the Country's History

Why, the Liberal government is as open as a Russian government willing to assist in locating black boxes of an aircraft they shot down:

Irving’s president briefed top federal officials on the company’s plans to sue Postmedia after the news organization asked questions about potential problems with the multi-billion dollar Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship program, according to newly released documents.

The Liberal government has tried to distance itself from Irving’s actions, with procurement minister Carla Qualtrough saying she wished the firm hadn’t threatened Postmedia with legal action in March after the government shared with it a reporter’s questions about potential problems with welds on the new vessels.

But documents obtained by Postmedia show Irving briefed Qualtrough’s top officials at Procurement Canada, including Deputy Minister Bill Matthews, as well as bureaucrats at the Department of National Defence, about the company’s legal strategy a little more than an hour after Irving’s lawyer threatened the news organization with a lawsuit.

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Export Development Canada says an independent review has cleared its personnel of any wrongdoing after a claim that its staff turned a blind eye to bribery and corruption in a 2011 transaction involving SNC-Lavalin.

(Sidebar: I'm sure.)

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The federal government has stalled on a plan to break one company’s monopoly on a lucrative Atlantic fishery by awarding part of the quota to an Indigenous group, after a disastrous attempt last year that led to an investigation by the federal ethics watchdog.

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Blacklock’s Reporter has found that the Canada Infrastructure Bank – which was created by the Trudeau government – has “compiled a blacklist of ‘negative reporters’ faulted for unflattering coverage of its work.”

Additionally, the Infrastructure Bank listed reporters who were positive and should be contacted again, obviously to have some puff pieces written.

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Ever since Justin Trudeau told a “Ladies Night” fundraiser in 2013 that he admires China’s “basic dictatorship” the Liberal leader has been teased and mocked for the comments.

The mocking isn’t funny anymore as Canadian lives are on the line in China and Trudeau’s government is starting to imitate the regime in Beijing by trying to silence critics. Two former senior diplomats have come forward to say that officials called to ask them to stop contradicting the government in public on China and to “get with the program.”

That would be fine if either David Mulroney or Guy Saint-Jacques were still employed by the government but they aren’t. They are former diplomats now living out their lives as private citizens and offering their expertise on China to the media when asked.

The two have commented on the detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, detained by China on trumped up charges. They have also commented on the deteriorating relations caused by the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou last December, the incident that led to the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig.

There is no doubt the former bureaucrats know what they are talking about. Mulroney served as Canada’s ambassador to China from 2009-12 while Saint-Jacques served from 2012-16.

In reports by the Globe and Mail, both men describe the calls as odd and out of place.

“Especially having served in China and knowing how they try to control messaging there,” Saint-Jacques said.

Both men were called by Paul Thoppil, an assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada.

The pair of former diplomats told the Globe that Thoppil told them straight up that the push for one voice on China was coming from the prime minister’s office.

“He wanted me to know that PMO just wanted him to relay the hope that we could all speak with one voice to support the strategy of the government,” Saint-Jacques said.

“People in Ottawa don’t invoke PMO frequently or lightly. It is done to intimidate and obtain compliance,” Mulroney said.

 
With all of these moments of democratic openness, is it a wonder that no one likes any of them?:

Canadians are almost twice as likely to say they’re angry or pessimistic towards the federal government, as opposed to feeling satisfied or optimistic, according to Nanos Research analyst Nik Nanos.