The first rule of Parliament is you don’t stand up to Stephen Harper – unless, of course, your name happens to be Kevin Page.
The Thunder Bay native is at it again, releasing a tell-all insider account of the backroom antics and power struggles in Ottawa, dropped in the midst of one of the most heated election campaigns in Canadian history.
The timing is no coincidence.
Page, the former parliamentary budget officer who dared question the prime minister and ruling Conservatives about the controversial procurement of a new set of F-35 fighter jets, not to mention the Canada health transfer and the old-age security program, says the country and its voters have a right to know what’s going on behind the scenes.
“Like a lot of things in life, sometimes you say this is just the right thing to do,” said Page, who arrived in his hometown on Wednesday for a book signing of Unaccountable: Truth and Lies on Parliament Hill (Viking Canada) at Chapters.
The book was co-authored by former NHLer and scholar Vern Stenlund, who also helped Bobby Orr pen his autobiography.
“For me I was encouraged to do it, but it felt like the right thing to do.”
Parliament is a dysfunctional place, said Page.
“One of the lies is when parties say when they’re in opposition they want more accountability,” he said. “Should they find themselves in government, then all of a sudden it’s ‘we don’t want more accountability.
“All of a sudden they stop sharing information and start shutting down debate.”
Page argues there should be more debate about key issues, like the cost of going to war, taking care of veterans, the cost of military planes and ships – not to mention clearing up the misinformation surrounding all of these files.
“It’s about power. I think when you can control the message you can get legislation passed that much quicker. I think that is the resistance. When people are spending their own money, when you’re buying a house and buying a car you want to know what they’re purchasing and that you’re getting the best price,” he said. “But when you’re spending other people’s money and you’re in power, that’s not necessarily the first objective.”
It’s gotten worse under Harper, but by no means is the country’s 22nd prime minister the only offender.
“I don’t think the problem started with the Conservative government, but I think we’re at a point now where the institutions are so weak that the systems are broken.”
Stenlund said it’s a story that needed to be told and releasing it with a few weeks to go before Canadians go to the vote is appropriate.
“This is a very important election and I think the timing for the book release is fantastic. I think Canadians need to take a look at what their government is all about,” Stenlund said.
“The reality is we elect people to go to Parliament. The basic premise of the book is that our Members of Parliament don’t have enough basic information to make informed choices.”
