It's easy to talk a big game about transparency when you're in opposition. But the real test comes once you have the power to implement your commitments. On the transparency front, the Trudeau government's actions simply do not match their words
(This column originally appeared on the Toronto Sun)
When news broke recently that Rana Sarkar had been appointed as Canada's consul-general to San Francisco at a salary somewhere north of $220,000--well above the official pay range which tops out at $140,000--the Prime Minister's principal adviser, Gerald Butts, took to Twitter to defend his friend, noting that Sarkar was a highly qualified candidate and was, in fact, taking a pay cut to help serve his country.
Set aside for the moment the fact that Sarkar happens to be a well-connected Liberal. Set aside too the fact that by twice seeking to become an elected Member of Parliament at a salary of about $170,000, Sarkar implicitly seemed prepared to work for that amount.
