Canadian politics was yesterday dominated by 3 political show trials.   In actuality, only one was a formal trial, but in reality, all 3 were equally superficial. 

In the first, Terry Kilrea, the key witness in the corruption trial of Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien, faced his second day of questioning.   Larry O’Brien is accused of offering inducements to Kilrea, his chief opponent in the 2006 race for Mayor, to drop out of the race.

The second political exhibition of the day took place on Parliament Hill at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.   At the Committee, Ruby Dhalla, the former Liberal Party multiculturalism critic, defended herself against allegations that foreign caregivers working at her family’s home were mistreated. 

The third political spectacle of the day was the one that gained the most national attention.   Former Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, was forced to defend himself against allegations of misconduct stemming from his relationship with German arms dealer and lobbyist,Karlheinz Schreiber.

What do all three of these public spectacles have in common?   First, they all involve current or former public officials, and therefore have important implications for public sector accountability in Canada.   Secondly, in all three cases, the allegations made are serious enough to end the political careers of the two sitting elected officials, and sufficiently disgrace the reputation of a former Prime Minister of Canada.   And finally, in all three cases, the likelihood of discovering the truth behind the allegations is minimal. 

Yet perhaps more significantly, all three reinforce the already pervasive feeling amongst much of the general public in Canada that politicians look out solely for their own interests.   While all parties have the right to be considered innocent before proven guilty, these allegations do nothing to reverse the negative image of a profession that was once considered to be noble and about public service.