To the Editor:

Judging by the uproar over Prime Minister Stephen Harper proroguing parliament, it is apparent that a great many Canadians are still deluded into believing that the majority of MPs they elect serve any other purpose than to create the illusion that power lies with the common people.

The reality is that if MPs controlled Parliament, Canada’s wealthy corporate elite would not be able to use tax havens and loopholes to get away without paying their fair share of taxes, foreign takeover of Canadian enterprises would be banned, international petroleum corporations would not be getting away with scandalously low oil and gas royalties, the export of military hardware would not be a major industry in Canada, Canadian troops would not be playing a combat role in a futile war, social programs and infrastructure replacement would be adequately funded, and the list goes on and on.

The real power in Ottawa lies with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), an organization made up of about 150 chief executive officers of leading Canadian enterprises. They maintain a force of several thousand lobbyists in Ottawa who like to call themselves “government affairs consultants.” Their function is to influence government policy in favour of their clients and to maintain a constant vigil to ensure that the power and interests of the corporate elite are not infringed. They accomplish this by arranging “information” meetings with government representatives, their aides, senior civil servants and their advisors. They may also “entertain” their targets in various ways with a view to achieving their co-operation.

It is my conviction that the major decisions in Ottawa originate in private corporate boardrooms. Parliament serves merely to rubber stamp them.

William Dascavich

Edmonton