Duff Conacher

Duff Conacher, LL.B Coordinator of Your Canada, Your Constitution, is an internationally recognized leader in the area of democratic reform and government accountability. He is a former Ralph Nader’s Raider and co-author, with Ralph Nader and Nadia Milleron, of Canada Firsts: Ralph Nader’s Salute to Canada and Canadian Achievement which spent six months on Canadian best-seller lists in 1993 and was the #1 best-seller for five weeks, and author of the best-selling More Canada Firsts: Another Collection of Canadian Firsts and Foremosts in the World (1999).

Voters want to rein in political leaders: poll

Jun 102013

Features

Canadian party leaders have more power than leaders in any other country.

by Duff Conacher

OTTAWA, June 10, 2013 — Today, the national educational foundation Your Canada, Your Constitution (YCYC) released the results of the first-ever national survey of 1,007 Canadians on the question of restricting the powers of political party leaders to control politicians in their party. The results show that a large majority of Canadians (71 percent) want legal restrictions on party leader powers to give more freedom and power to politicians in each party, while only 20 percent do not want these legal restrictions (9 percent did not answer).

Public service watchdog committee boots whistleblower charity

Oct 182012

Canadian politics

FAIR director's public criticism of troubled agency brings swift reaction.

by Duff Conacher

OTTAWA — On Monday the whistleblower charity FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform) was ordered off the Advisory Committee of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner’s office (PSIC) — the agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers.

Canada’s evolving democracy

Jun 262012

Features

Charter of Rights now 30 years old; constitution, 145.

Questions still hang over Canada's Constitution even though 145 years have passed since it became the founding law of our country and governments, most of them relating to the diversity of Canadians now, and even at that time.

This is not surprising given that the Constitution was drafted by 36 men, 33 of them of British origin and three French, and that it was changed significantly by the British government before its parliament made it the law known as the British North America Act.

Lobbyist law hard to enforce, prosecute.

Jun 182012

Feedback from our readers

Dear Editor,

The Commissioner of Lobbying has continued the partial enforcement
of federal lobbying disclosure rules by finding Keith Beardsley,
former deputy chief of staff for Prime Minister Harper, guilty of
violating the Lobbyists' Code because he lobbied without registering
within 5 years after leaving his job.