Defence Department computers in Ottawa have been used to vandalize information on a Wikipedia site critical of the Conservative government’s decision to spend billions on a new stealth fighter.
Nine attempts have been made to alter the online encyclopedia’s entry on the Joint Strike Fighter, including the removal of any information critical of the Harper government’s plan to spend at least $16 billion on the new fighter aircraft.
Defence Department computers were also used to insert insults, aimed at Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, into the Wikipedia Joint Strike Fighter page. Ignatieff has questioned the proposed purchase.
Quotes from news articles outlining opposition to the arms sale by University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers, a former NDP candidate, were also removed.
Wikipedia traced the alterations to three computers owned by Defence Research and Development Canada’s Ottawa offices. The online site has labelled the July 20-21 alterations as vandalism.
The attempts to change the web page, made during work hours, stopped when Wikipedia administrators locked down the entry on the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF. That allowed only recognized editors to work on the page. That particular Wikipedia site is popular, with more than 78,000 page views in the first three weeks of July.
The Conservative government’s decision in mid-July to spend an estimated $16 billion on the Joint Strike Fighter has sparked controversy, with opposition parties questioning whether the purchase is needed at a time when the country’s deficit has ballooned to $50 billion.
A spokesman for Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) said the attempts to alter the Wikipedia page were not part of a concerted effort to stifle debate on the proposed JSF purchase but inappropriate use of government computers by, as yet, an unidentified individual or individuals.
"It sounds to me like someone was freelancing," said Martin Champoux, DRDC’s manager of public affairs. "This is not behaviour we commonly condone."
He noted the government authorizes some personal use by employees on work computers but that it has to be limited and reasonable. In addition, federal employees are required by the public service code of ethics to be non-partisan.
Champoux said information technology specialists are attempting to track down those users associated with the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used to access the Wikipedia site.
He noted that while the IP addresses of the computers are registered to DRDC Ottawa, the addresses also include other Defence Department computers.
Champoux said reminders will be sent to employees about government regulations regarding personal computer use.
The proposed purchase of the JSF, the most expensive military equipment procurement in Canadian history, is supported by Canadian air force officers. But Ignatieff, concerned that no competition was held to select the fighter plane, has vowed to review the deal if his party forms the next government.
The NDP and Bloc Quebecois have also spoken out about the planned purchase.
Canada won’t be required to sign a contract committing it to purchasing the stealth fighters until 2013, according to aerospace industry representatives. That has opened the door for any future government to back away from the proposed deal if needed.
Byers, who recently wrote a Toronto Star commentary criticizing the JSF purchase, said the Harper government is particularly sensitive about any opposition towards the JSF purchase, a situation reflected by the attempts to alter the Wikipedia page.
"It indicates to me they are concerned about the fact the announcement has been contested," he said. "I think that sensitivity reflects the realization on their part that they stand on weak ground, particularly on the lack of a competitive process."
Earlier this week, Conservative senator Pamela Wallin sent letters to the National Post and the Toronto Star, complaining that in his commentary, Byers was not identified as a member of the board of the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute.
Wallin, chairwoman of the senate’s defence committee, described the institute as a left-wing peace and social policy think-tank that criticizes military spending and seems to favour peacekeeping.
But Byers called Wallin’s stance hypocritical, noting that in her letters to newspapers she did not reveal that she is an honorary Canadian air force colonel, as well as being on the board of directors of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, a pro-military organization closely aligned with DND.
The Harper government wants to purchase 65 JSF.
But opposition members of Parliament point out that the military just months ago received the last of the modernized CF-18 fighters which can keep flying until at least 2017 or 2020. They question why the Harper government is rushing now to spend billions on new fighters.
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