News and views from SA Canada Victory to Ontario College teachers! ‘Conflict of interest’ is a rich man’s game
2017Barry Weisleder 2017-11Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 10 →
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1) How do you know when a bourgeois politician For its part, the Conservative Party Official Opposi tion claims to be clean; but in opposition, since they 2) When is a bourgeois politician in a conflict of don’t regulate anything, a true test of financial conflict Somehow, though, doesn’t this miss the point? Doesn’t In the era of decaying liberal democracy, the corpo it ignore the elephant in the room? By serving and pre rate mass media occasionally identifies rich people in serving the capitalist system, bourgeois politicians high office who appear to benefit economically from reap the rewards of the private profit system, sooner the laws and budgets they craft. Donald Trump, for one, or later—regardless of whether they administer, leg defies his critics, and just flatly refuses even to post his islate, regulate, or just stand back and watch their as sets grow under the current regime, of which they are Canada’s federal Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, takes a different tack. After he was caught reaping benefits The historic conflict of interest that really matters is that resulted from changes he proposes to federal pen the one between capital and labour. That’s a conflict sion plans, Morneau moved to sell off his shares in that cannot be regulated out of existence. It can be re the over $1 billion family firm Morneau Shepell. It is a solved only by social revolution. In the meantime, argu leading Bay Street pension administration and human ments in the media and in parliament about the alleged resources company, with 20,000 clients across North conflicts of interest of office-holding politicians repre sents a relatively minor issue: they reflect the disputes Morneau pledges to donate to charity the profits he made since coming into office in October 2015, esti They also serve to remind working people that oper mated at $10 million. Of course, for a multi-million traded assets. A further 14 cabinet members issued a ating and benefiting from the capitalist system is main aire, that is a drop in the bucket. It’s much less than he uniform statement that they are in compliance with ly a rich man’s game. n will be paid annually when he “returns to the private recommendations of the Parliamentary Ethics Com missioner, who said they do not have to put their cor Four other government ministers, following intense pressure, reported that they do not hold any publicly Finally, 10 additional ministers simply refused to re Questions:
is lying?
interest? tax returns. America.
sector.” porate wealth in a “blind trust.” seems beyond reach. shamelessly a part.
(Left) Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
ply to media questions on the subject. between different factions of the capitalist class.
Answers to Questions: 1) When their lips are moving. 2) Once they take office.