One of the local council candidates I was talking with boasted that he has the support of the local MP (who happens to be a senior cabinet minister) and the MP even put up a lawn sign endorsing him.
That doesn't sit right with me.
Yes we have freedom of speech.
We must exercise it responsibly, as we also have a civic duty toward fairness and respect amongst one another.
Especially when it can affect the climate of negotiations at other levels of government.
I have asked my MP's office if the MP was publically endorsing one municipal candidate over another. The answer (approximately): "He might very well be, but I don't know for sure whether he has a sign or not. [...] I am not aware of anything that would prevent him from displaying his support, just as the 200,000 other public servants in the country probably also display their support for one candidate or another." When I mentioned I believe it violates a the principle of intergovernmental neutrality, especially at such senior levels, he suggested I contact the city of Ottawa elections officer and find out. I asked him how could I know for sure whether the sign exists or not, and he offered to look into it and call me back.
Stay tuned. I feel there will be more on this soon enough.
Update 1: City elections office confirmed "there are no rules [in the provincial Municipal Elections Act] concerning other government levels; any registered voter is free to express his/her support." It wouldn't be up to a provincial law to dictate what individuals can/cannot do because of their federal status (or stature) anyway, to which she agreed.
I really don't expect to find any official rule anywhere, rather this would be in the misty yet fundamental realm of ethics and integrity.
1 comment:
As a voter, I am not influenced by any other politicians' endorsements because they are full of crap anyway, plus they change their minds too. But you are right. It does not seem appropriate.
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