I think this is more heinous actually. To be sure, the public loses and unfairness reigns when a government assigns a contract to complete a project to a company they're associated with (e.g., owned by a friend of the political leader/minister) without a proper competition. But this - consultancy on major policy projects - undermines things to a much higher degree in my eyes. I think 'democracy' is on life support, and this is yet another example of it. Quality piece from the Walrus, except the line that suggesting that Trudeau's "vowing" to end something unpopular after the public learns about it has any meaning whatsoever. I'll believe it when I see it, because of course we still haven't seen the proportional representation he promised.

Something that's really alarming is that while public-facing politics has become far more about marketing than policy, this article shows that politics 'happens' without the public but with - or perhaps by - these unscrupulous corporate-minded consultancy firms.

Unless the LPC can show that they actually have working Canadians' interests in minds - which this story and the idea of Mark Carney leading the party are very far removed from - they're going to lose a LOT of seats to the Conservatives come next election. I don't have many positive feelings about the Liberals because shit like this is so on-brand for them, but they sure are less destructive than the Conservatives. Here's hoping the LPC gets their heads out of their asses some time soon