The mother of a top Conservative staffer and former adviser to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is the newest member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, raising opposition concerns over whether it was a patronage appointment.
Rumina Velshi recently retired from a decades-long career with Ontario Power Generation. She is the mother of Alykhan Velshi, a lawyer in his late 20s from Toronto, who made a name for himself on Parliament Hill over five years on and off as a Conservative staffer.
Most notably, he worked as Mr. Kenney’s director of parliamentary affairs and communications before the 2011 federal election. He defended Mr. Kenney on several controversial topics, including when the federal government blocked outspoken former British MP George Galloway from Canada in March 2009, based on what it believed was his support for the Palestinian group Hamas. Mr. Galloway later filed a lawsuit against Mr. Velshi and his boss, claiming that they had defamed him.
Mr. Velshi also worked for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird when he was environment minister in 2008. He later left government to work as the executive director of EthicalOil.org, debating American actress Daryl Hannah on CBC television over the Keystone XL pipeline.
Mr. Velshi returned to government in late fall 2011 as the director of planning in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver announced the appointment of Ms. Velshi to a five-year part-time term with the national nuclear regulator on Dec. 20.
Ms. Velshi is a professional engineer who has held director-level roles with OPG, including in the new nuclear build and nuclear generation divisions. She is also a member of the board of directors of Scientists in School and was recently a board member of Women in Nuclear Canada.
She was named in 2010 to a similar job appointed by the governor general on the advice of Cabinet as a district chairperson of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees, which decides appeals.
“There are a lot of credible engineers out there, but there’s not a lot of credible engineers whose sons are closely tied to the prime minister, Jason Kenney, and their ethical oil campaign for the tar sands. This is another case of who you know in the PMO,” said NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus in an interview on Jan. 5.
“I’ve got nothing against this woman, but I’ve got no reason to believe she was chosen for her expertise because the pattern is—again and again and again—they use any positions that are appointees to favour people who support their party.”
The same week as Ms. Velshi’s appointment, days before Christmas and while Parliament was not sitting, the government announced a number of other Cabinet-recommended appointments to federal government bodies.
Mr. Angus outlined several in a statement as “patronage appointments.” He highlighted defeated Conservative Cabinet minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, dispatched to Paris as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as former Conservative MP Bernard Généreux, named to the Quebec Port Authority.
Ministers and their offices, supported by their departments, are typically responsible for managing the selection process of such appointments, according to the government. They may find suitable candidates through recruitment firms, as well as advertisements in newspapers and professional journals, for instance.
Mr. Velshi was reached by Embassy but referred comment to other government sources.
“The appointment of Ms. Velshi to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) was based on merit,” wrote John Penner, a spokesperson for Mr. Oliver’s office, in an emailed response to questions.
“Ms. Velshi has over 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry in Canada, including numerous senior level positions. She has the experience and expertise necessary to serve on the board of the CNSC.”
Colleen Sidford, president of Women in Nuclear Canada and a colleague of Ms. Velshi’s at OPG, also supported Ms. Velshi’s appointment based on her professional experience—not her political connections.
“She’s not the kind of person that builds on that kind of thing,” said Ms. Sidford.
“I think she is very well-qualified and will probably do a great job.”
Original Article
Source: Embassy
Rumina Velshi recently retired from a decades-long career with Ontario Power Generation. She is the mother of Alykhan Velshi, a lawyer in his late 20s from Toronto, who made a name for himself on Parliament Hill over five years on and off as a Conservative staffer.
Most notably, he worked as Mr. Kenney’s director of parliamentary affairs and communications before the 2011 federal election. He defended Mr. Kenney on several controversial topics, including when the federal government blocked outspoken former British MP George Galloway from Canada in March 2009, based on what it believed was his support for the Palestinian group Hamas. Mr. Galloway later filed a lawsuit against Mr. Velshi and his boss, claiming that they had defamed him.
Mr. Velshi also worked for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird when he was environment minister in 2008. He later left government to work as the executive director of EthicalOil.org, debating American actress Daryl Hannah on CBC television over the Keystone XL pipeline.
Mr. Velshi returned to government in late fall 2011 as the director of planning in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver announced the appointment of Ms. Velshi to a five-year part-time term with the national nuclear regulator on Dec. 20.
Ms. Velshi is a professional engineer who has held director-level roles with OPG, including in the new nuclear build and nuclear generation divisions. She is also a member of the board of directors of Scientists in School and was recently a board member of Women in Nuclear Canada.
She was named in 2010 to a similar job appointed by the governor general on the advice of Cabinet as a district chairperson of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees, which decides appeals.
“There are a lot of credible engineers out there, but there’s not a lot of credible engineers whose sons are closely tied to the prime minister, Jason Kenney, and their ethical oil campaign for the tar sands. This is another case of who you know in the PMO,” said NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus in an interview on Jan. 5.
“I’ve got nothing against this woman, but I’ve got no reason to believe she was chosen for her expertise because the pattern is—again and again and again—they use any positions that are appointees to favour people who support their party.”
The same week as Ms. Velshi’s appointment, days before Christmas and while Parliament was not sitting, the government announced a number of other Cabinet-recommended appointments to federal government bodies.
Mr. Angus outlined several in a statement as “patronage appointments.” He highlighted defeated Conservative Cabinet minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, dispatched to Paris as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as former Conservative MP Bernard Généreux, named to the Quebec Port Authority.
Ministers and their offices, supported by their departments, are typically responsible for managing the selection process of such appointments, according to the government. They may find suitable candidates through recruitment firms, as well as advertisements in newspapers and professional journals, for instance.
Mr. Velshi was reached by Embassy but referred comment to other government sources.
“The appointment of Ms. Velshi to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) was based on merit,” wrote John Penner, a spokesperson for Mr. Oliver’s office, in an emailed response to questions.
“Ms. Velshi has over 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry in Canada, including numerous senior level positions. She has the experience and expertise necessary to serve on the board of the CNSC.”
Colleen Sidford, president of Women in Nuclear Canada and a colleague of Ms. Velshi’s at OPG, also supported Ms. Velshi’s appointment based on her professional experience—not her political connections.
“She’s not the kind of person that builds on that kind of thing,” said Ms. Sidford.
“I think she is very well-qualified and will probably do a great job.”
Original Article
Source: Embassy
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