She won't say

Bob Fife, one of Canada's pre-eminent journalists, always responds to my questions within minutes.  I'm serious.  Maybe he googled me?  The first time it happened I was surprised at the rapidity, I mean, how many people get in touch with him?  Anyway, my latest question was about the hullaballoo over Chinese interference in the last federal election.  I wanted to know why we hear absolutely nothing from either the Chief Electoral Officer, or the Commissioner of Elections?  Isn't that what they are supposed to be looking into?

Bob wrote back and said that Christine Simard, the commissioner, said she wouldn't say if she had been told, or was looking into it.  Whaaaat!@$@#$!???  She had to wait to be told?!!  That is her one and only job!  Here's her mandate:

"The Commissioner and her staff work to ensure that political entities, third parties -- hello China! -- and other individuals and entities engaged in the electoral process do so in compliance with the rules."

Would you not think she would be loudly and publicly on top of this serious breach of Canada's democracy?  How she stonewalls Bob Fife is beyond me?!  (Sorry for all the exclamation points, but that's me yelling!)  Here is the well-paid, secretive, affirmative-action appointee Ms. Simard:

Next we have Stéphane Perrault, the chief electoral officer -- another one not doing his job.  His mandate is almost identical.  He's paid to, among other things, "Monitor compliance with electoral legislation."  He's also supposed to earn and maintain the public trust.  Judging by the front-page headlines and numerous TV panels crying foul over China, Stéphane's not doing too well on the file.

What astounds me is that not one journalist has mentioned neither Simard, nor Perrault to ask what the h-ll they are doing about China's proven interference in our last two elections!  There was even a panel, headed by over-her-head, affirmative-action appointee, Janice Charette, charged with looking into possible interference.  Lo and behold, the panel found that the Chinese government had indeed meddled, but they did not release this finding for fear of targeting and upsetting Chinese Canadians.  This was the same situation with COVID, let's not upset the Chinese by blaming them.  I kid you not!!!   

I know I keep banging on about my days as a journalist in Toronto, but my editors would never have let me write about this mess without doing the research into who should be held responsible -- you know, the old "who, what, when, where, why" of Journalism 101.  

The only guy speaking out is ex-chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley.  He is demanding Trudeau call a Parliamentary inquiry.  Trudeau has said we don't need one.  Well, naturally he'd say that because Chinese interference and campaign contributions are what got him elected!  CSIS should also be on this hard.

It's appalling and I'm glad Bob Fife keeps writing about it.  But he has to call Simard and Perrault out, as I suggested to him yesterday.  Both of them are sitting pretty tightly on their integrity, falsely claiming "confidentiality" and basically using their mandates as scratch paper.  In other words, they are thumbing their noses at Parliament, which they cannot do.  Let's see if Bob steps up.  

Epilogue:  He did.  Both his column and the editorial in 'The Globe and Mail' come down hard on Simard and how she is not doing her job.  Naturally, I am taking a little credit.