Ted Menzies, the new chief executive officer for Crop Life
Canada, is under fire from the Sierra Club for taking the job after serving in
cabinet.
The Sierra Club says that Menzies work in the Finance
Department ought to exclude him from lobbying on behalf of Crop Life Canada
which was created by pesticide companies to lobby on their behalf.
The Sierra Club has asked the federal
ethics commissioner to investigate, yet Crop Life Canada says Menzies did check
with the commissioner before he accepted the job.
The Sierra Club, in a letter to Mary Dawson, points out the
former minister of state and parliamentary secretary for the Finance Department
became director of Crop Life Canada almost immediately after leaving politics
last November.
"This raises serious issues
about the rules," said Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, which prepared
the request for the Sierra Club.
Crop Life spokeswoman Nadine Sisk said
"we are confident the commissioner will accept the conclusion that there
is no conflict of interest.”
In its letter, the Sierre Club points
out that Crop Life was registered to lobby the Finance Department when Menzies
was in politics and still is. Federal legislation says politicians are
forbidden to use confidential information acquired during their time in government
to advise clients or employers.
"People must be prohibited in
every case from participating in discussions and decisions when they have a
private interest, and must be prohibited from giving advice to others when they
know inside information that could give others there an advantage," says
the letter.
"This means a former public
officeholder must be prohibited from being an adviser to any client, business
associate or employer that has an interest in federal government
operations."
Conacher said even if Menzies isn't
lobbying himself, he may be advising his employer based on what he learned in
cabinet.
"How does he 'unlearn' what he
learned and not use the secret information he knows when he gives advice?"
asked Conacher.
