Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lino... who wrote (3603)	2/16/2004 12:09:07 PM
From: Lino...	Respond to of 37031

Canada has growing reputation for corruption Current scandal will have 'high cost'. Now in questionable company of Belarus and Zimbabwe: Transparency International AILEEN McCABE CanWest News Service Monday, February 16, 2004 Canadians are kidding themselves if they think the scandal playing out in Ottawa won't end up adversely affecting the whole country, says the Canadian chairperson of an international alliance that monitors corruption. Wesley Cragg of Transparency International Canada says the current sponsorship scandal that has the federal Liberal government taking a public lashing will have "a very high cost" for all of us. In an interview, Cragg said the damage would likely show itself in measurable terms when this year's annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index comes out next summer or fall. Since 2000, Canada has been on the skids in the index that "ranks countries in terms of the degree of corruption that is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." Indeed, the slip from fifth best in the world in 2000 to 11th in 2003 earned Canada a mention as a "noteworthy example of worsening (perceptions of corruption)" and put Canada in the questionable company of Belarus and Zimbabwe. After this week's events in Ottawa, Cragg declared: "I think Canada is still sliding. We're much further down the scale now." Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin was clearly upset when he heard Cragg's prediction. "There are cost factors involved with that in terms of confidence in investments, in terms of expanding certain sectors," he said. "There are tangible cost factors in terms of us slipping on that index of Transparency International. "It's not just the $100 million of taxpayers' money, I think that will pale in comparison to the lost opportunity associated with slipping down on that index," Martin said. For Cragg, who is also a professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, the impact of a corruption scandal that touches both the public service and politicians will be felt particularly by Canadian businesspeople and the public service. Foreigners doing business with Canadians and their government will more and more "assume corruption is in place," he said, adding they will question the "quality and integrity of our politicians" and our public servants. In particular, Cragg said, "it raises questions on public procurement issues," that is to say, issues of kickbacks and bribery. Pat Martin, who was in Paris this weekend to attend a meeting of the Global Organization for Parliamentarians Against Corruption, said he did not want to overstate the possible fallout of this sponsorship mess, but said: "This scandal could change the image of Canada as an above-board, transparent place to do business. "The consequences of that are difficult to measure, but they are real and worrisome." --------- Monitoring Corruption Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index ranks countries in terms of the degree of corruption that is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. In 2000, Canada was was ranked the fifth-least corrupt country. Canada slipped six places to 11th for 2003, tied with Britain. canada.com