Article content

The Conservative government made more than 70 patronage appointments over two days last month, filling up federal boards, tribunals and panels in advance of the October election.

On June 18 and 19, cabinet approved the long list of appointees and reappointees to bodies such as the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Capital Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Conservative government made more than 70 patronage appointments over two days in June Back to video

It also made 40 judicial appointments, elevating some sitting judges and adding new names to the bench at various levels of courts.

The blizzard of patronage will, no doubt, have some recalling the preamble to the 1984 election campaign, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau approved a similar orgy of appointments of mostly Liberal supporters.

Left to pick up the mess after Trudeau resigned, Prime Minister John Turner claimed during the televised leaders debate that he had no option when he sat at the cabinet table when the appointments rubber stamped.