Valeri's Big Deal V

Screw-update: corrected some gramatical errors below - that's what happens when you try to blog and listen to the Ipperwash Inquiry testimony at the same time.

In the January 17 CTV web cast with Mike Duffy - Mr. Kenney gives his rationale as to why Mr. Valeri should be investigated by the RCMP. It appears to be clear to Mr Kenney (and to some of us as well) that the adjacent property bought by Mr. Valeri was used as an investment tool and not as a recreational property that was identified to the Ethics Commission.

Mr. Valeri’s spokesperson sent Mr. Duffy an email as Valeri has refused to attend a sitting with CTV and be grilled on his responsibilities as a person in public office as has he done with reporters at the Hamilton Spectator.

The spokesperson states that Mr. Valeri was in “compliance with the Ethics Commissioner”. Was it the ethics Commissioner that he was in compliance with or with the Ethics Code?

If it’s the Commissioner Mr. Valeri is in compliance with then perhaps Mr. Valeri is following what he was told by asking the Commissioner questions based on what Mr. Valeri told him – not what the Code states.

The Hamilton Spectator gave a list of questions for Mr. Valeri to answer and so far, Mr. Valeri’s people have not responded to them. They did, however, get a response, which is more or less the same as was given to Mike Duffy.

One of them stated that legal action was going to be taken because: “This defamatory smear appeared anonymously on a website with the calculated intention that it would be picked up and amplified by the media and thereby hoping to negatively affect the campaign.”

Well…um…yes. Isn’t that what politics is all about Mr. Valeri? Isn’t it a public office holder’s responsibility to be accountable to the public when it appears that breaches of ethics have occurred?

Defamation is when a person is wrongly accused of doing something they didn’t. If Mr. Valeri was in breach of legislation – federal legislation – which means he is then accountable under s. 126 of Part IV of the Criminal Code of Canada. See Enabling Statute Bill C-4

Is it not up to Mr. Valeri to set straight publicly that he is above board due to the perceptions of conflict of interest?

Yet he refuses to respond to public pressure and the media who, supposedly, are the watchdogs of our democracy.

The Ham Spec sent a reporter to St. Joseph’s Healthcare yesterday where Valeri was scheduled to attend a $2 million donation to the hospital – but just before the announcement he contacted the Hospital saying he wouldn’t attend.

Ya know, when questioned, Mr. Valeri’s officials say that “he was in compliance”.

Fair enough – but allowing proper examination and answering questions to alleviate any misconceptions of facts if the person knows for sure they haven’t done anything wrong seems to be the best way of handling the situation – not running away and hiding.

It’s funny the Spec mentioned St. Joe’s with respect to Valeri.

When St. Joe's was questioned by an individual who advocates on behalf of mental health care recipients whether or not they were in compliance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act – they stated they “don’t do anything illegal”.

Why would their own Ethics Director state that what one of their researchers was doing was "illegal" when they didn't comply with the PHIPA with respect to disclosing their patient's name without consent for research?

Why would their own Ethics Director state that McMaster was worse when it came to violating research ethics laws than St. Joe's was?

And why is it that they are being investigated by the Privacy Commission for illegally collecting and disclosing personal health information with out consent?

The penalty for that is $25,000 just for the first count. There are a number of psychiatrists and nurses who were involved – approximately six not including the Executive Director and Privacy Officer Marie Lynch. That means $25,000 for each count.

I have also been informed by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan that the will be investigating one of this hospital’s researchers for health care fraud.

This isn’t to mention all the other health care legislation this hospital has violated such as the Health Care Consent Act, the Medicine Act, the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Mental Health Act, the Health Promotion and Protection Act, perhaps the Public Hospitals Act, the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights.

Seems that there is an “epidemic” in Hamilton’s “elite” in respecting their legislative responsibilities. But I guess they don’t have to. They are above the law and are accountable to no one.

And forget about launching a complaint with the College of Physicians and Surgeon's - their "investigators" are more interested in obstructing justice by withholding evidence or falsifying evidence (remember the Supreme Court decision in this post?).

And forget the Ministry of Health - they are well aware of obstruction of justice from the CPSO - but refuse to do anything about it. So does that make them complicit in it?

So it only seems fitting that Mr. Valeri should have been present at St. Joe’s for this event. As they say, birds of a feather...