[world] sharp practice in high places in canada
I love this one, not so much for the shenanigans it uncovers, which appear to be the same the world over but for the way Daniel Leblanc, of the Globe and Mail [Toronto] writes it up:
When two-high ranking federal advisers left Ottawa for London in June, the stated purpose was to learn about British experiments in public-private partnerships. But the outcome was far less clear-cut, leaving officials scrambling for damage control.
“A number of London people who are important to Canada were not at all pleased,” a federal source said of the visit.
In particular, the trip by Public Works advisers David Rotor and Douglas Tipple was marred by a series of cancelled meetings, forcing Canadian diplomats and senior officials to send six letters of apology to their British counterparts.
There are also questions over the “trip notes” that were circulated by the pair upon their return, given that a large portion of the document was copied from British websites without any attribution. (The government said the document is still a draft, although the copy obtained by The Globe and Mail was not marked as such.)
In addition, Mr. Rotor wrote in his post-trip report that he “attended a speech by Laura D. Tyson, Dean of the London Business School, on the convergence of the Canadian, American and English economy.”
She made no such speech. “Dean Tyson has never spoken on the Canadian economy. I ran this by her and she said, ‘It must be another Tyson,'” said Ms. Tyson's assistant, Meera Rochford, in an interview.
A spokesman for the Department of Public Works and Government Services, Mario Baril, later confirmed that the speech was not related to the Canadian economy, but that it was rather entitled: Globalization: Impact on European and U.S. workers.
Both Mr. Rotor and Mr. Tipple were accompanied by their spouses on the trip to London, and one of the couples extended the visit for personal purposes. The cost to taxpayers for the trip has yet to be made public.
Over all, the week-long trip caused headaches for federal officials after meetings with three organizations were cancelled. Canada's deputy high commissioner to Britain, Guy Saint-Jacques, and the deputy minister of Public Works, David Marshall, each sent three letters of apology to the affected agencies. Mr. Marshall also sent a letter of apology to Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs.
“In the case of this trip, scheduling conflicts occurred. As a result, some of the meetings had to be cancelled and replaced by other meetings. It is a matter of protocol and courtesy that when such cancellations occur the department sends formal letters of apology,” Mr. Baril said.
Public Works refused to name the organizations that were rankled by the missed meetings. However, sources said letters were sent to the following British organizations: the Ministry of Defence, the National Health Service and the National Audit Office.
There was particular anger in London over a cancelled meeting involving the Ministry of Defence. Canadian officials had worked hard to arrange the visit even as the Ministry of Defence was heavily involved in planning for the Farnborough International Airshow.
“There was a scheduling conflict due to meetings being booked on the same morning in two cities,” Mr. Baril said.
Upon their return to Canada, Mr. Rotor and Mr. Tipple prepared a 10-page document under the heading “U.K. Trip Notes — June 2006,” which has started circulating throughout the government.
The 4,500-word document provides a summary of the information gathered overseas by the two special advisers. About 1,800 words of the document — or 40 per cent of the total trip report — consists of direct and edited excerpts from outside reports available at two British websites: www.amaresearch.co.uk and www.adamsmith.org.
However, there is no indication in the report that some of the material comes directly from either website.
Mr. Baril said the final version will contain proper attribution.
However, expressions that are more widely used in England — such as “Whilst” and “What is more,” were removed from the Canadian trip report and replaced with the expressions “While” and “In addition. “ Some of the numbers have also been changed in the Canadian report.
Mr. Baril said the information in the final report will be accurate. “The numbers are still being verified and validated,” he said.
Daniel Leblanc From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
When two-high ranking federal advisers left Ottawa for London in June, the stated purpose was to learn about British experiments in public-private partnerships. But the outcome was far less clear-cut, leaving officials scrambling for damage control.
“A number of London people who are important to Canada were not at all pleased,” a federal source said of the visit.
In particular, the trip by Public Works advisers David Rotor and Douglas Tipple was marred by a series of cancelled meetings, forcing Canadian diplomats and senior officials to send six letters of apology to their British counterparts.
There are also questions over the “trip notes” that were circulated by the pair upon their return, given that a large portion of the document was copied from British websites without any attribution. (The government said the document is still a draft, although the copy obtained by The Globe and Mail was not marked as such.)
In addition, Mr. Rotor wrote in his post-trip report that he “attended a speech by Laura D. Tyson, Dean of the London Business School, on the convergence of the Canadian, American and English economy.”
She made no such speech. “Dean Tyson has never spoken on the Canadian economy. I ran this by her and she said, ‘It must be another Tyson,'” said Ms. Tyson's assistant, Meera Rochford, in an interview.
A spokesman for the Department of Public Works and Government Services, Mario Baril, later confirmed that the speech was not related to the Canadian economy, but that it was rather entitled: Globalization: Impact on European and U.S. workers.
Both Mr. Rotor and Mr. Tipple were accompanied by their spouses on the trip to London, and one of the couples extended the visit for personal purposes. The cost to taxpayers for the trip has yet to be made public.
Over all, the week-long trip caused headaches for federal officials after meetings with three organizations were cancelled. Canada's deputy high commissioner to Britain, Guy Saint-Jacques, and the deputy minister of Public Works, David Marshall, each sent three letters of apology to the affected agencies. Mr. Marshall also sent a letter of apology to Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs.
“In the case of this trip, scheduling conflicts occurred. As a result, some of the meetings had to be cancelled and replaced by other meetings. It is a matter of protocol and courtesy that when such cancellations occur the department sends formal letters of apology,” Mr. Baril said.
Public Works refused to name the organizations that were rankled by the missed meetings. However, sources said letters were sent to the following British organizations: the Ministry of Defence, the National Health Service and the National Audit Office.
There was particular anger in London over a cancelled meeting involving the Ministry of Defence. Canadian officials had worked hard to arrange the visit even as the Ministry of Defence was heavily involved in planning for the Farnborough International Airshow.
“There was a scheduling conflict due to meetings being booked on the same morning in two cities,” Mr. Baril said.
Upon their return to Canada, Mr. Rotor and Mr. Tipple prepared a 10-page document under the heading “U.K. Trip Notes — June 2006,” which has started circulating throughout the government.
The 4,500-word document provides a summary of the information gathered overseas by the two special advisers. About 1,800 words of the document — or 40 per cent of the total trip report — consists of direct and edited excerpts from outside reports available at two British websites: www.amaresearch.co.uk and www.adamsmith.org.
However, there is no indication in the report that some of the material comes directly from either website.
Mr. Baril said the final version will contain proper attribution.
However, expressions that are more widely used in England — such as “Whilst” and “What is more,” were removed from the Canadian trip report and replaced with the expressions “While” and “In addition. “ Some of the numbers have also been changed in the Canadian report.
Mr. Baril said the information in the final report will be accurate. “The numbers are still being verified and validated,” he said.
Daniel Leblanc From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
posted by James Higham @ 18:14
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