Alberta Tory MP Rathgeber Jumps Ship Over Transparency Issues

Member of Parliament Brent Rathgeber blasted the Federal Conservative party Wednesday for their lack of transparency, claiming that “unelected staffers” and advisors to the Prime Minister’s Office have been interfering in parliamentary business.

In a scathing blog post entitled “I Stand Alone,” The Edmonton-St. Albert MP announced that he would be leaving the federal Conservative caucus and continuing his second term in parliament as an independent.

“I joined the Reform/conservative movements because I thought we were somehow different, a band of Ottawa outsiders riding into town to clean the place up, promoting open government and accountability,” he wrote. “I barely recognize ourselves, and worse I fear that we have morphed into what we once mocked.”

The MP’s departure comes amidst a firestorm of critiques of the Harper Government’s transparency record. In May the media advocacy group Canadian Journalists for Free Expression released a damning report on the government’s access to information track record. In April Information Commissioner Susan Legault launched an investigation into the muzzling of government scientists.

The impetus for Rathgeber’s departure was what he perceived as a gutting of private members bill C-461, The CBC and Public Service Disclosure and Transparency Act.

The bill drew criticism for its lack of clarity in its wording regarding access to information disputes with the CBC. Although a vocal opponent of the CBC, Rathgeber said he would accept changes to the bill that would protect the broadcaster’s journalistic freedom.

“There has been some credible evidence that C-461’s attempt to protect the ‘independence’ of the public broadcaster is inadequate and will lead to excessive disclosure,” he wrote in his blog during meetings about the bill.

Rather, it was the decision to raise the federal sector salary disclosure level of $188,000 per year to $400,000, a number that exceeds the highest salary for a deputy minister, which spurred his decision to leave the party. That, as well as the recent expense scandals, convinced him of the party’s unwillingness to follow the rules it set for itself in its campaign. 

“I’ve reluctantly come to the inescapable conclusion that the government’s lack of support for my transparency bill is tantamount to a lack of support for transparency and open government generally,” Rathgeber wrote.

Rathgeber doesn’t see this continuing lack of transparency as coming from the Prime Minister himself, but rather from some of his closest advisors. He blames those “unelected staffers” for recent financial scandals in the Senate, particularly the “Duffy/Wright debacle.”

In the future, he says he will simply vote according to what he believes is the will of his constituents. “I will support the Government when warranted—which incidentally was always my understanding of the proper role of a Government Backbencher, save for in matters of Confidence,” he writes.

Its worth noting that Rathgeber was also one of the MPs who were sternly rebuked last year for voicing their support for motion 312 which sought to revisit the definition of human life.

This is not the first time Rathgeber has been at odds with a powerful Conservative party leadership. In the 2004 provincial election he and several other Edmonton-area Tory MLAs found themselves in direct opposition to some very unpopular policies toward teachers and insurance reform from then Premier Ralph Klein. Although Klein was ultimately re-elected, eight Edmonton MLAs lost their seats; Rathgeber lost to teacher NDP David Eggan by a margin of just under 400 votes.

Back then Rathgeber was controlled in criticism for the Klein, telling the Edmonton Journal after his loss, "I do not regard the premier as being a liability to me. I will say that he's not the asset that he was in 2001."

This time, rather than try to fight from within, Rathgeber has decided to go it alone.

PMO Director of Communications Andrew MacDougall, who garnered attention for a recent Twitter dustup with indie rocker and CBC pundit Torquil Campbell, tweeted that, “The people of Edmonton-St. Albert elected a Conservative Member of Parliament. Mr. Rathgeber should resign and run in a byelection.”

The riding’s former MP John Williams, however, applauded the move. “Backbench members of Parliament are not trained seals, and the Prime Minister cannot use them and abuse them … while gutting private members’ bills,” Williams told Postmedia News. 

Rathgeber says he will leave the decision up to his constituents. “The preliminary emails and tweets that have come into this office would show anything but unhappiness so I suspect I’m safe with my constituents. I’ll answer to them. I won’t answer to the PMO any more.

The rest of the party is closing ranks. Another Alberta MP, Peter Goldring, will be filling Rathgeber’s seat in caucus. Goldring was recently welcomed back into the Tory fold after being cleared of a charge of refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver insisted, “The morale is very strong.”

“I think we’re on course on our legislative agenda,” he said. “We’re on course on the economic agenda, which is the core of the agenda, and I think everyone is inspired by the prime minister.”

In his blog, Rathgeber promises he will now use his power as an independent to call the Harper government when it strays from its core values.

“I will use my now unchained opportunity in Question Period to ask the Government pointed but fair questions on principles I believe that most conservatives still believe in but seem to have been abandoned or at least compromised by this Government in the name of political expediency.”

Image Credit: St. Albert Leader via brentrathgeber.ca