The list—which includes the names of no fewer than 22 military and veteran organizations, the conservative-oriented REAL Women of Canada and the lobby group Conference of Defence Associations—has given the nomination honour to a limited number of groups likely to be favourable to the Conservative government, MPs say.
Seven nominating groups under the heading “Multiculturalism” include the pro-Isreal B’Nai Brith Canada, International Christian Voice and a well-connected Chinese elderly care and school foundation in Toronto, but no Muslim umbrella associations or distinct Indo-Canadian councils or groups.
Animal protection groups, meanwhile, have two representatives among the non-governmental “partners” selected to take part in the nomination process for the 60,000 Diamond Jubilee medals to be awarded this year to deserving Canadians by a panel of judges under the auspices of Governor General David Johnston.
The five-member "Professional and Economic" group category is dominated by five large industrial and business organizations, leading off with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, and has the MacDonald Laurier Institute as its only other non-governmental participant.
The first 60 members to receive medals from Mr. Johnston and Mr. Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.), in a Rideau Hall ceremony on Monday, included Priscilla de Villiers, an anti-crime and victims advocate who ran for election unsuccessfully for the Ontario provincial Conservatives; Leslie Natynczyk, the wife of Canadian Forces Chief of Staff General Walter Natynczyk who established an aide program for wounded veterans of the Afghanistan war; and David Chalack, a prominent Calgary veterinarian and former chair of the Calgary Stampede.
The list of 76 groups also includes a range of dedicated charities and advocates of health and social or political causes—including the Assembly of First Nations and five societies devoted to fighting autism, AIDS, cancer, liver disease and multiple scleroris.
The “Youth” group of nominee groups consists of the Air Cadet League of Canada, the Army Cadet League of Canada, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Girl Guides of Canada and Scouts Canada.
“Why pick and choose?” said Liberal MP Mark Eyking (Sydney-Victoria, N.S.) “This is so Harper, right? They are picking and choosing their buddies, or their cheerleaders. Why would they even want to go there? They should just tell communities to come forward, and organizations. I bet you don’t see Doctors Without Borders on there.”
Mr. Eyking added: "You know what, they politicize everything they do, their fingerprints are on everything they do."
The panel of groups nominating individuals for recognition of “significant contributions and achievements” in service of their fellow citizens and their country in the area of “Justice” is notably influenced by the Harper government’s preoccupation with criminal law and the penal system.
The groups under the justice nomination list are the Canadian Coalition Against Terror, founded by a woman whose husband was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the Canadian Parents of Murdered Children and Survivors of Homicides Victims Inc. and the Canadian Crime Victim Foundation.
Liberal MP Massimo Pacetti (Saint Leonard-Saint Michel, Que.) said the list of groups in cultural areas is likewise limited, and argued the Prime Minister’s Office was involved in the selection of the nominating partner groups. A media official at the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General did not answer directly when asked whether the PMO was involved in the selection of nominating groups or adjudication.
“The Government of Canada has identified and invited partnering organizations, including non-governmental organizations at the national, provincial and community levels, to participate in the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal program,” Marie-Pierre Bélanger, media relations officer at the Secretary’s office, said in an email.
Mr. Pacetti noted, however, the groups are not comprehensive. “I’m sure the PMO is going to have a say, just look at all the categories who missed out,” said Mr. Pacetti. “Why would they have cultural organizations and not put some of the major conferences that are out there? If you look at the Muslim conferences or the Italian conferences, even the Chinese, there’s no Indo Canadian. Those are all major communities you have to look at.”
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro (Peterborough, Ont.) defended the process, particularly the large number of veteran groups, and pointed out that MPs and senators, as wells as the premiers of the provinces and territories and the provincial lieutenant-governors, may also nominate individuals for medals.
“I think it’s entirely appropriate,” Mr. Del Mastro told The Hill Times. “You’ve got to remember our veterans served under the Red Ensign, they all served in the Royal Canadian Armed Forces, whether it was the air force, navy or army, they were all under royal designation. ... For those that would seek to diminish this or quarrel with it, I think they’re missing the point, which is that this is an opportunity to celebrate the 60-year reign of an outstanding monarch, and to celebrate significant Canadians that have made Canada a better place.”
NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre, Man.), however, said in an email response to Hill Times questions: “Instead of a broad cross section of society, their list of NGOs reads more like a broad cross section of their friends. Some categories seem ridiculously narrow in scope.”
Original Article
Source: hill times
Author: Tim Naumetz
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