John Baird on NCC & Gatineau Park
A piece in the Ottawa Citizen starts out reporting that John Baird Ottawa West Nepean MP and now government House leader is reassuring government workers that in trying to control government spending, their jobs won't be at risk. He then goes on with other sunshine messages that might be considered by a cynical person a laying of groundwork for an election call. As far as the NCC and Gatineau Park go, the Citizen reports:
He expressed delight at the “outstanding job” done by National Capital Commission chief executive Marie Lemay and chair Russell Mills, both Harper government appointees.
“Marie Lemay is just an outstanding public servant. These are two non-partisan individuals who were chosen for their skill and merit.”
Under its current leadership, Baird said the NCC is more open and transparent than it was in the past. “It’s just exciting to see,” he said. “I think it enjoys a lot more popular support than it did five years ago.”
He said the government is keen to pass amendments reintroduced in April to the National Capital Act that legislate many of the policy changes the NCC has already made. The proposed changes will also better protect Gatineau Park and the Greenbelt, which Baird called “two jewels” in the area.
August 8th, 2010 - 08:13
Baird’s proposed reform to the National Capital Act was supported only by the Gatineau Park landowners … and the NCC.
Besides, senior federal officials have said privately that John Baird has dropped the ball on the Gatineau Park file.
Interestingly, Baird says Lemay is “outstanding.” The only other people I know of who have said this are the landowners during their testimony before the committee studying Bill C-37 (reform of the NCC). Could it be because “our girl Marie” does their bidding?
Moreover, one of the main beefs voiced by the landowners before that committee had to do with the NCC’s powers of expropriation — which Minister Baird parroted in perfect unison when he testified last October, although he didn’t propose any amendments to remove expropriation powers from the Act.
Could Baird’s parroting of the landowners beef have anything to do with, as the Citizen reported yesterday, Perrin Beatty being one of Baird’s “oldest friends?” After all, Beatty, chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is a Meech Lake cottager…
Might one be allowed to think that the Conservative government is placing the interests of its friends who own cottages at Meech Lake ahead of the public interest?
After all, in politics, perception is reality …