tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post2428493951542924122..comments2023-09-22T06:22:50.820-06:00Comments on Ken Chapman: Stelmach Accepts New Governance Recommendations for Agencies, Boards and Commissionskenchapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-59543809550492228892007-11-02T14:19:00.000-06:002007-11-02T14:19:00.000-06:00I recently learned that we have people making care...I recently learned that we have people making careers out of sitting on government boards like pdd. And since those boards are considered an arm of the government they cannot advocate or lobby. Is that true? Will that change now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-17876890180967393132007-11-02T12:15:00.000-06:002007-11-02T12:15:00.000-06:00There is a great deal of ignorance about how we go...There is a great deal of ignorance about how we go about governance in our society. I don't mean that as some kind of "shot" at people's capacity or intellectual ability.<BR/><BR/>I wish to merely point out that there is a whole bunch of stuff about how government works that is easy to access and to be better informed about - if we took the time and the interest to educate ourselves.<BR/><BR/>We seem to be very facile about politics because that mostly rests on opinion - and too often that opinion that is unburdened by any adherence to facts.<BR/><BR/>Governing is different than politics and that is where the lack of awareness seems to persist for many people. <BR/><BR/>It is a serious problem if we are to re-engage as citizens in our civic life. For those who only see the world as a political battleground of winner and losers - this education is unnecessary <BR/><BR/>For those interested in the larger processes of making collective decisions for the common good this education would be invaluable. <BR/><BR/>For those who are interested in how we deicide what values, principles and perceptions we bring to bear on policy decision and our governance task, this education would also be invaluable.kenchapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11384045981190810115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-51347202517760809822007-11-02T12:01:00.000-06:002007-11-02T12:01:00.000-06:00proud albertan,Thanks for brilliantly illustrating...proud albertan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for brilliantly illustrating my point. Task forces are there to give recommendations, not to implement policy. I can recommend you go to Hawaii this winter (and give all sorts of reason why e.g low US$), but you are not forced to go.<BR/><BR/>And to what "partisan" task force are you referring? These are all individual citizens, just like the Alberta Royalty Review Panel.<BR/><BR/>As I recall, the Alberta Liberals and the Alberta NDP pilloried the panel members for being in the pockets of big business ... that is, until they saw a political opportunity to back the recommendations the panel proposed (that would be the "panel in the pockets").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-84191393139799539912007-11-02T08:29:00.000-06:002007-11-02T08:29:00.000-06:00Another partisan task force which promotes a compr...Another partisan task force which promotes a compromise position. And Stelmach rejects some recommendations...again.<BR/><BR/>Why does Stelmach bother with these task forces if he rejects the recommendations? <BR/><BR/>Stelmach says he is putting quality people on these task forces. If that is true then why not repect their judgment?<BR/><BR/>I don't get this premier. And frankly, I don't want this premier.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31415271.post-87974403884405601892007-11-02T08:12:00.000-06:002007-11-02T08:12:00.000-06:00Typical media response to the story. Not "governm...Typical media response to the story. Not "government adopted essentially all of the recommendations" or "government adopted 14 of 15 recommendations", but instead "government rejected key recommendation to ..."<BR/><BR/>Sheesh.<BR/><BR/>Maybe Klein did have it right. Govern by decree without outside independent output. Or muscle an "independent" board to get the results you want. Stelmach sure doesn't seem to get credit for doing the right thing. From the spin the media puts on it, government should immediately implement ALL recommendations from independent panels... of course, the story would then be about how government abdicated its responsibility to make decisions.<BR/><BR/>See? Easy, I should work for the paper - this stuff writes itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com