{"id":1678,"date":"2013-10-09T16:10:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-09T16:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rf.podcastfixit.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/09\/racicot-government-secrecy-buster-joins\/"},"modified":"2015-06-01T19:41:34","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T19:41:34","slug":"racicot-government-secrecy-buster-joins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2013\/10\/09\/racicot-government-secrecy-buster-joins\/","title":{"rendered":"Racicot: Government-secrecy buster joins mayoralty race"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Robert Frank<\/b>
\nwww.thesuburban.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Giving taxpayers access to the information that they’ve paid for has been Marc-Aur\u00e8le Racicot’s life.<\/p>\n

The Laval lawyer worked in the federal Information Commissioner’s office, then moved to Edmonton where, for several years, he taught lawyers at University of Alberta how to develop access to information programs.<\/p>\n

Racicot believes that rot sets in when government officials can operate without public scrutiny. Now he is campaigning for mayor, so he can use his experience to lift the veil on Laval’s secrecy-prone city hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to disclose,\u201d he told The Suburban<\/i> in an interview. \u201cWe have to be proactive with information, rather than wait until someone comes along and asks. That way, there will be no backroom deals, just simplicity, honesty, integrity and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProviding all the reports\u2014even the ones that you’re uncomfortable showing\u2014makes it more difficult to make decisions,\u201d acknowledged Racicot, who coauthored a book on transparency with serial whistleblower, retired army Col. Michel Drapeau. \u201cIn the end, though, at least there will have been a debate on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nasty surprises lurking<\/b><\/p>\n

Racicot also intends to hire an independent review officer who will take citizens’ complaints, if he’s elected, Nov. 3. \u201cHe will be able to take action, if need be, to ensure that the city’s administrative machine remains clean,\u201d he said. \u201cI expect that there will be a lot of surprises awaiting whomever is elected mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racicot observed that Quebec’s access to information process has a long way to go to match the federal government’s relative openness.<\/p>\n

\n
\u201cPublic bodies have to interpret the law to make access to information their first priority,\u201d he explained, noting that cities fall under the province’s information freedom laws. \u201cHere, the initial reflex is to refuse [a request for information].\u201d<\/p>\n

Like his independent opponent for mayor, Jacques Foucher, Racicot is running an austere campaign that eschews a political party process that he believes ingratiates elected officials to their erstwhile backers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not collecting money,\u201d he declared, preferring to campaign through his facebook page rather than put up posters. \u201cPeople don’t support you for free. After you’re elected, they want something in return: Perhaps an appointment [to public office]. Perhaps a permit. As an independent, I answer only to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racicot concluded by citing former Washington Post<\/i> managing editor and United States ambassador to the United Nations James Russell Wiggins:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cBy whatever method a given people proceed, it is clear that the effectiveness by which citizens enjoy the right to know about their government, in the end, will depend not only on the laws but on the genius of the people, the climate of the times, and the extent that those who govern acknowledge that they are indeed the servants and not the masters of the governed.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nLast-minute candidate Marc-Aur\u00e8le Racicot wants city hall wide open to public scrutiny.<\/b> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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By Robert Frank www.thesuburban.com Giving taxpayers access to the information that they’ve paid for has been Marc-Aur\u00e8le Racicot’s life. The Laval lawyer worked in the federal Information Commissioner’s office, then moved to Edmonton where, for several years, he taught lawyers at University of Alberta how to develop access to information programs. 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