The "THROW THEM OUT" Campaign - Politicians must be made to sign a "Contract for Canada" contract in order to govern

Abuse of the public trust is the insider pass-time among Canadian politicians, political appointees and government employees. Maybe they get the same rush we felt as kids building houses out of cards -- whose card will knock the whole thing down?

At the risk of sounding like a bad public service announcement, betrayal of public trust is no joke (regardless of the gales of laughter coming from Jean Chrétien's mansion).

For this reason I propose that Canadian citizens of every stripe insist that a standard, legally binding document be drawn up -- called the "Contract for Canada" -- to enforce ethics and honesty among our politicians, political appointees and government employees, by threat of real and harsh punishment to all those who fail to measure up to the contract's rigors.

I don't care what laws are currently on the books relating to this subject. These laws and the people charged to enforce them have failed Canadians. Up to now, Canada has been insulted by hollow apologies -- if that -- from politicians caught abusing the public trust. The Liberal Party "Sponsorship Scandal" replete with its feather-duster spankings for those few and rare found guilty of any wrongdoing, is only the most recent outrage.

(Or, remember when the HRDC "misplaced" $1 billion? Not a single person even resigned over that debacle. That kind of unresponsive government must come to an end.)

The tepid apologies and shrugs-of-the-shoulders of years past, when politicians, political appointees and government employees have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, just don't cut it any more. From this point onward, when a hand is caught wrongfully in the public cookie jar, that hand should be hacked off.

So, among the punishments for any politician, political appointee or government employee abusing the public trust, there should be:

(1) Immediate dismissal -- not resignation. No one abusing the public trust should be given the courtesy of being allowed to resign. They must be fired. They will be fired.

(2) Immediate loss of salary and any and all pensions related to their so-called "public service.". No exceptions. In fact, if some wrongdoer attempts to make a claim that they are an exception to the rule, they will be forced under stiff penalty to repay their previous year's salary. If they continue to push the issue, they will be forced to repay every nickel they've ever been paid while on the public pay roll.

(3) Names and photographs of the guilty compiled on a Web site called "Throw Them Out." It would be tempting to bar identified and tagged miscreants from running for public office, but why deprive ourselves of such freakshows? Let these rotters run for office in the future, if they're so gluttonous for punishment. They will have to sign the "Contract for Canada" again, and adhere to increased monitoring of their conduct, including wearing electronic tethers. Hey, no one's making them run for public office.

(4) Incentive for politicians, political appointees and government employees to "rat out" one another. We need these people looking over their shoulders, feeling isolated and unable to trust anyone around them -- we must create an environment where honesty is their only option. Due to the obvious opportunity for abuse, incentives will only be handed out to those coming forth with clear, compelling, and credible evidence of another's wrongdoing. Or, if you're near retirement, rat your own self out. It's your choice. But for all of those slippery fellows who would seek to use this system of incentive/paranoia to merely sabotage a rival, harsh, harsh, harsh penalties await you. If come forward with anything other than ironclad proof of another's wrongdoing, you will suffer the consequences. What are those consequences? Try it and find out.

Politicians, political appointees and government employees must be made to know they are held in the greatest contempt by the general public. Since they can't be trusted to conduct themselves in an ethical manner, they must be compelled.

No one's forcing them to run for office. Maybe the idea of real, enforced punishment for unethical doings might finally draw people of integrity into the Canadian political process.

Who will be first in the Rogue's Gallery?