Open letter to MP from NDP
Dear Mr. Van Loan,

Your recent flyer boasting about your party's Accountability Act requires a reply. The passing of the Act was a small step in the right direction, but by no means makes government accountable or spending transparent!

Your government broke their election promise to put 52 measures in the Act, and instead only put 15 into law. As a result, Democracy Watch counts 85 undemocratic and accountability loopholes remaining in the Accountability Act.

Still no one in the government is effectively required to act honestly, ethically, openly, representatively or to prevent waste. To give citizens an idea of what we are talking about, I will mention only 6 out of the 85 loopholes that need plugging.

* Cabinet ministers, their staff, and senior government employees will still be allowed to be involved in policy-making processes that affect their own personal financial interests;

* many politicians, their staff, and senior government employees will still be allowed to become lobbyists too soon after they leave their government positions;

* many people who blow-the-whistle on government wrongdoing will still not be effectively protected from retaliation

* secret donations to parties and politicians will still be effectively legal because watchdogs lack key powers and enforcement measures;

* politicians and their staff will continue to be able to hide the details of their expense accounts, and will be able to wine and dine party supporters and lobbyists with the public picking up the bill;

* the pay and perks for politicians will still be too high above the salary of average CanadiansFinally, I think citizens need to know that Democracy Watch has filed a complaint against Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives for ... being dishonest about the Accountability Act. See http://www. dwatch. ca/camp/RelsDec1206.html

Sylvia Gerl, York- Simcoe Federal NDP Candidate