Robbo sez, "In order to receive their negotiated raises and any holiday bonus, Parliament Hill staffers are being required to sign a lifetime confidentiality agreement, with hefty penalties for any breach, designed to thwart whistleblowers. So much for transparency in government."
(Not?) Coincidentally, the Harper government is embroiled in a potentially fatal scandal involving the Prime Minister's Office conspiring to cover up hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of expenses fraud by prominent Tory senators, and the only reason the PM is still in office is that none of his staffers have directly fingered him (yet?).
Hill journalists were sent a grainy photo of the new agreement last week from "Nanker Phelge," a pseudonymous email account that appears to have been set up by a Hill staffer unhappy over the change in policy.
"At a time when some parliamentarians are moving to create a more open and transparent Parliament, the [House of Commons'] Board of Internal Economy is putting measures in place to ensure parliamentary staff can't be whistleblowers on their employers," the email said.
The author highlights several provisions, including the lifetime application of the contract and the fact that any breach can result in immediate termination without pay or notice, as well as a new requirement to disclose all outside work, including volunteer gigs.
Hill staff asked to sign lifetime confidentiality agreements [Yahoo News/CBC Newswire]
(Thanks, Robbo!)
