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09-19-2008

Clamour grows for Ritz's removal from cabinet

By David Akin and Meagan Fitzpatrick
Canwest News Service

Canada's Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz makes a statement to journalists on Parliament Hill in Ottawa September 17, 2008. (Mike Carroccetto/The Ottawa Citizen)

MONTREAL - A former Canadian Alliance party MP joined government scientists, opposition leaders and families of victims of the listeriosis crisis in calling for Gerry Ritz's job, even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper continued to defend his embattled agriculture minister and maintain that Canada's food inspection system is under review.

"Gerry Ritz should resign," Val Meredith, a former Alliance MP, said on CBC Newsworld. The Harper-led Canadian Alliance merged in 2003 with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada.

Meredith, who represented a British Columbia riding, did not say Harper should fire Ritz. Instead, she said Ritz should have immediately offered to quit.

"What should have happened is Gerry Ritz should have taken responsibility for what he did and resign on the spot, and that would have cleared the air," Meredith said Friday on Newsworld. A transcript of her remarks was provided to reporters travelling with the Harper campaign by the Liberals.

"It would have taken it out of the media attention, out of the election issue bag, and allowed this election to be run on the issues that seem to be looming."

After Ritz and Harper spoke on Wednesday night, a Harper spokesman said that, "No resignation was offered nor was one asked for."

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, the union representing about 1,800 scientists and inspectors, said Friday that Ritz should be fired for trivializing the listeriosis crisis, which has claimed 17 lives.

"Minister Ritz has repeatedly disappointed the professional scientists and inspectors who work for him during the listeria crisis," said union president Michele Demers. "The comments he apologized for yesterday are the last straw. Crisis requires real leadership and Mr. Ritz is clearly not fit to lead."

Ritz, in a conference call with bureaucrats held at the end of August to review progress dealing with the listeria crisis, said that, for the government, "it was like death by a thousand cuts - or, should I say, 'cold cuts?'"

Later, when told about another listeriosis case in P.E.I., he said, "Please tell me it's (Liberal agriculture critic) Wayne Easter."

Ritz apologized "unreservedly" for the comments late Wednesday night, but that hasn't stopped a chorus of calls for him to step down. The opposition parties have all called for the agriculture minister's removal, and several families of the victims of the listeriosis outbreak also want Ritz gone.

"I was very hurt," said Dennis Schroh, of Saskatoon, whose mother, Elizabeth, died on Aug. 24. "It's something that should never have been said. He's a grown man. He should know better. As far as I'm concerned, he should get fired."

Harper, campaigning in Quebec on Friday, expressed sympathy for the victims and stood by Ritz.

"These are terribly unfortunate cases (and) it's obviously why we're making sure, going forward, not just that we're investing more in the Canadian food inspection system, but we're going to do a thorough review of all the issues here, to make sure these kinds of things don't happen in the future," said Harper.

"Minister Ritz clearly did not intend to make any such comments publicly and has thoroughly apologized."

Just before the election, Harper announced he would launch an independent investigation into the listeriosis outbreak.

Following a minor policy announcement at a campaign event, Harper was asked about pending changes to the food inspection system and replied that no final decisions have been made.

"In terms of further regulatory changes to the food inspection system, no decisions have been taken on that but we've obviously invested additional monies and hired 200 new inspectors," he said.

"We are doing a thorough re-examination of the system to figure out where the gaps are. We have not finalized how we will proceed in that regard."

Some changes to food inspection were already brought in on March 31 at meat processing plants, including the Maple Leaf facility linked to the listeriosis outbreak.

The new compliance-verification system puts an emphasis on audits of company records, instead of direct visual inspections.

Veterinarians and inspectors are experiencing similar changes to their roles at abattoirs and are bracing for more if the government goes ahead with its plans.

The proposal, outlined in a cabinet document obtained by Canwest News Service in July, would shift from "full-time CFIA meat inspection presence (at slaughterhouses) to an oversight role, allowing industry to implement food-safety control programs and to manage key risks."

New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton took the prime minister to task on Friday over food safety, issuing a list of four demands to improve the system and accusing Harper of failing Canadians on the issue.

He repeated his call for Ritz to be fired, as did Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. "Stephen Harper refuses to fire Gerry Ritz. Well, let's elect a Liberal government and we'll do it for him," Dion said.

With files from Meagan Fitzpatrick

Posted by: aterry

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Ike says:

From what I observe when I use a public bathroom, I am surprised that we don't have even more serious outbreaks of health problems. I'm sure that if people don't wash their hands when they know that people see them, I would believe that it is a habit not to wash theit hands. Then if you have these same people working in the food industry, who knows how many times they get away without washing hands. Even if they wear rubber gloves, that have already contaminated them by touching the gloves. Someone else gets blamed for the problems that result.

Mike says:

This is one story that is not going to go away.

Harper stood by his minister for a third day - since news of the tasteless joke broke, stating the following:

"Minister Ritz clearly did not intend to make any such comments publicly and has thoroughly apologized," the prime minister said.

It does not matter one iota if Ritz did not intend to have his comments made publicly - they should never have been made privately either, no matter how much job stress he was under or the fact that he had a warped sense of humour. A public officer must hold himself to a much higher account. As the Minister of Agriculture, he should have had the good common sense not to say anything that might come back to haunt him. Perhaps he should be transferred to the Ministry of Land Mines. His resume would make him a shoe-in if such a position were to be created.

It portrays a man who lacks sensitivity. Harper was never known to possess this attribute either but he has forever displayed this fatal flaw to the families of the listerosis victims and to the people of Canada. Of course, Harper can't be seen to be firing one of his field generals at the insistence of opposition parties. He might view that as a sign of weakness on his part, not good leadership material. Better to continue with his cold, stony face and calmly brush the whole matter off as "unfortunate" in an effort to try and downplay the whole matter, to make it yesterday's news.

The name "Ritz" will be making newspaper headlines for some time to come. Better for Harper to accept Ritz's resignation (for the good of the Cons party) now and soon, rather than let this land mine re-explode all the way to the ballot boxes. But wait, that would be the sign of a good leader.

Some other news items:

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, the union representing about 1,800 scientists and inspectors, said Friday Ritz should be fired for trivializing the listeriosis crisis, which has claimed 18 lives - the latest being an elderly woman who died earlier this month in Kelowna, B.C.

Ralph Goodale, a former Liberal finance minister, said in Manitoba the controversial wisecracks are a natural offshoot of the Harper government's "thuggish" modus operandi.

Lord help us all if Harper ever gets a majority. Danny Williams was right in his assessment of such an event being a sad day for democracy.

jane says:

As an ex nurse who has worked in very stressful and emotional situations, jokes have always been used to relieve tension.( even if they could have been inapporpriate to someone looking in) If the remarks were as evil as is being portrade,why weren't they brought up straight after they were said? The real culprit is the person who leaked this information for political gains - please stand up and be counted you weazel. I was one who didn't agree with the puffin ad.the conservatives put out, but now after seeing what the liberals have put out,using the deaths of people for political gains, isn't this worse than the original comments? Shame on Dion having to use an ad. like this rather than stand up for the liberal platform.

George says:

Well said Jane. The Latest Ad by the Liberals trying to capitalize on this unfortunate incident using the death of the most vunerable to this vicious disease is even more dispicable in my mind that the orignal comments of Minister Ritz. If his comments made at the time were so offensive to some of the participants on the telecon meeting why did we not hear about it before the election. This incident took place nearly three weeks before we heard about it. Was it the union, the so called 'Proffesional' Institute of Public Service of Canada trying to make political hay?.

Again, on the Afghaniston issue and the outrage expressed by a father of a deceased soldier at Harper's statement made in a breakfast meeting with the media that we would cease combat operations in Afghanistan in 2011, how come this guy only spoke up after Harper made any comment. While I sympathise with anyone who looses a son, daughter or loved one I believe that this incident was politically motivated either by the father or the media, ie CTV News. Lets look at the facts and the time line,

1 Mr Davis is a Liberal party activist who worked on Ignatief's leadership campaign and is an active member and campaigner of the Liberal party in his riding.

2, Mr Davis made no public broadcast statement after the Parliament's decision to withdraw from combat operations in July 2011 made earlier this year and supported by Dion and the Liberal party in one of the few times thst they actually voted in the house.

3. He, nor the media, made any comment on Mr Dion's media scrum commitment made during his visit to Dawson College in Quebec, to withdraw unreserveably from the Afghan mission, the day before any comment was made by Harper. Harper was in fact responding to a question about Dion's statement.

4. How did Mr Davis get onto CTV News in the first place? Did he call CTV to get 'political' coverage or did they call him for an interview? In either case someone was using a soldiers death for political ends.

Mike says:

Get a grip, Jane and George. Nothing is being portrayed as evil.

Those in increasingly higher positions of government have to conduct themselves with increasingly higher standards in everything they say or do. Like it or not. Stress is rampant in a lot of jobs but that does not include invitations to tasteless, insensitive jokes.

Jane, you and Harper are both trying to show culpability on the part of the person who leaked the story to the media. That is a typical Harper technique - try to deflect attention away from the defamed person or issue. If it was a bureaucrat, you can be assured that he/she wants to remain unidentified. If located as the "leak", you can bet Harper will have that person fired in a nanosecond. Unlike Ritz who has been coated with Teflon - thus far. The further down the roster one goes in government, the more expendable one becomes. Although the "leaker" had a political reason for spilling the beans, I'll bet he/she was also very outraged at Mr. Ritz's conduct both as a Minister and with his comments. The families sure aren't.

George, who on earth is Mr. Davis? Does he have a first name or is he simply a blogger speaking against the Cons on the war issue? What on earth does the Afghan war have to do with the Ritz issue? You're just as bad as Jane in trying to deflect an issue in question by coming up with other issues. Go to an Afghan subject poll if you want to register your war statements. Finally, there are just as many pro-Cons activists appearing on TV (probably more) as there are from the other parties.

angela says:

YOU GET A GRIP MIKE.does not matter what position you hold in life. Everyone no matter government or otherwise should conduct themselves with higher standards in everything as a part of life. Enough of the bullying,cartoons,slanderous remarks. Is this what we teach our children. We should do well to remember the Government is employed by us the voter. They work for us, we don't work for them. The Ministers would do well to remember this.No one has got my vote. Nothing has changed just the faces and the rederick.

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