Despite government request, some Conservative appointees refuse to step down

The government of Canada has received a mixture of responses to a letter sent to 33 Conservative government appointees earlier this month asking them to voluntarily step down from their positions.

Global News made efforts to contact all of the letter recipients on Tuesday, and learned that some appointees have written back to government House leader Dominic Leblanc expressing their preference to remain in their jobs.

• Among these is Carolle Brabant, executive director of Telefilm Canada. A spokesperson said that “Ms. Brabant has communicated to The Honourable Dominic Leblanc’s office her intention to stay. We’re waiting for their reply.”
• Surinder Pal, another member of the payments in lieu of taxes dispute advisory panel, has publicly expressed his displeasure with the letter, saying he earned his appointment based on merit.

But others have said they’ll resign, as requested.

• Neil Kenneth Tedstone, a member of the payments in lieu of taxes dispute advisory panel, confirmed that he replied to his letter on Dec. 17, telling the government he will voluntarily resign with the intention of reapplying.
• Leanne M. Lewis, chairperson of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, will resign at the end of her current term on Feb. 6, 2016. She sent a notice to the Privy Council Office to that effect on Dec. 8, however, and had made the decision to resign before being formally asked to do so.

The question of merit-based appointments versus political ones is at the heart of the controversy surrounding the patronage spots, which were determined by the Harper government on the eve of the federal election.

The Liberals are calling the actions an “abuse of process.”

The federal positions included jobs with the Immigration and Refugee Board and the National Energy Board, plus a top spot at Via Rail and another at Canada Post. The positions didn’t need to be filled until weeks or even months after the Conservatives were defeated.

Several of the appointees reached by Global News confirmed they had received the letter, but declined to say what they have decided to do in response, citing privacy concerns or a discomfort making their choice public. Out of the 33 people contacted, about a third responded to Global News in some fashion. The recipients were given until Dec. 18 to write back to the government.

George Hungerford of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission was reportedly on the list of recipients, but said he had not received a letter at all.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office would not say how many responses were received by the deadline, or how many appointees agreed to step down.

“We will not be talking about next steps and confirming details until we have the chance to review carefully all the responses.” said Olivier Duchesneau.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We will not be talking about next steps and confirming details until we have the chance to review carefully all the responses." said Olivier Duchesneau.

Calls to Leblanc’s office were not immediately returned on Tuesday.