On credibility gaps

While the Libs' Quebec leadership debate appears to have descended into farce, the more lasting harm to the party today may come from a report from its own ethics panel which sounds in part like something taken directly from the most blunt of PMS attacks:

The federal Liberals have almost no credibility left with the Canadian public and will have to arm themselves with an exhaustive code of conduct in order to regain that trust, says a report by a panel of ethicists.

The Liberals will also have to take steps to ensure ethical behaviour among their candidates, parliamentarians and employees, says the report commissioned by the party.

“The Liberal party must bring order to its own affairs if it wants the public to one day confer another mandate to govern,” concluded the panel which included Michael Bloomfield, a Victoria-based biologist and ethicist, and Penny Collenette, spouse of former Liberal minister David Collenette.

“Many estimate that, on just about every issue, the party has absolutely no credibility in the eyes of the public,” said the recently released report, a frank analysis of the Liberals’ behaviour during the federal sponsorship scandal...

Liberal scandals have given rise to cynicism among the public when it comes to politics, the panel found.

“During the commission (of Judge John) Gomery, no minister or bureaucrat took responsibility with regard to the program or its failures,” said the report.

One member of the panel noted that “it’s the party that gives rise to politicians and that completely missed the opportunity to reprimand them for their unacceptable behaviour.”

The report dovetails nicely with the NDP's appeal to replace the Cons with a credible government as soon as possible, rather than letting the Cons continue to damage the country while the Libs decide who to put at the head of the same institution which lost the trust of Canadians to begin with. "One day" may eventually come for the Libs...but in the meantime, Canada needs and deserves better than PMS.