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The first chapter of the Conservatives’ 2006 election platform was titled Stand Up For Accountability.

Back then, the party needed to convince Canadians they had a plan to clean the stables, so they made specific, detailed promises about political reforms, some of which they kept. They limited political donations, toughened lobbying rules, created a parliamentary budget officer and strengthened the office of the ethics commissioner.

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They didn’t create a public appointments commission, as promised, and they did many things that went against the spirit of their platform: denying information to the parliamentary budget officer, weakening access-to-information rules, smearing critics and treating Parliament like a rubber stamp for omnibus bills cooked up in the backrooms.

But they never stopped promoting accountability. They are enthusiastic advocates for accountability for first nations, environmental organizations and labour unions.