Better yet:
PhantomLiberals.com
$1:
OTTAWA - Two former Liberal ministerial aides who landed ''phantom'' jobs that gave them free rides into the public service had their appointments revoked by Canada's staffing watchdogs.
The aides weren't named, but one worked for then-public works minister Scott Brison and the other for former health minister Ujjal Dosanjh.
According to a report by the Public Service Commission, they were given the positions without waiting on the priority list for an opening. They had lost their jobs as aides after last January's federal election.
Maria Barrados, president of the Public Service Commission, said the discovery of the two cases raises worrisome questions about political interference in the staffing of Canada's public service.
''My worry here is protecting a non-partisan public service,'' she said in an interview after releasing her annual report into the staffing of the public service.
''We have the appearance here of political influence in creating positions...''
Barrados said an investigation showed both aides were public servants who, years earlier, had taken a leave without pay to work in ministers' offices. Their public service jobs were eventually filled by others, but, with an election looming, they arranged for their departments to create new positions for them under a special program used by deputy ministers to fill jobs for special assignments or projects.
But, Barrados said the jobs were ''phantom positions'' that only existed on paper and there was never any intention of sending them on special assignments. She said the move gave them a direct landing into the public service without having to go on the priority list to wait without pay for a job they qualified for.
Barrados said the two were allowed to go on the priority list after the appointments to the ''phantom jobs'' were revoked. Only one chose that route and returned to the public service.
Barrados is calling for a new policy or legislation that will ensure these movements between the public service and ministers offices are monitored and the duration of appointments are restricted.
The commission also conducted an audit into the growing number of public servants who are appointed into ''acting'' executive jobs. The audit confirmed a long-standing complaint that landing an acting position can be a ticket to a promotion.
The study found that 38 per cent of those appointed to temporarily fill in more senior positions ended with a promotion shortly after.
Ottawa Citizen
Now that the candidate elections are comming to an end is the perfect time to rat-out some folks who were given jobs simply because they are Liberals. Jobs like: Immigration judges, Quebec media firms, Quebec bridge inspectors, etc...
