George Radwanski
Encyclopedia
George Radwanski is a former public servant, policy adviser, journalist and author. He is most recently known for having served as Privacy Commissioner of Canada
until he resigned amid a controversy over allegedly too high-spending expense claims, maintaining that he was the victim of a political attack that resulted from antagonizing politicians and officials by his vigorous opposition to privacy-invasive government initiatives; he was later charged with fraud and breach of trust by the RCMP and acquitted of all charges. Prior to his appointment as Privacy Commissioner, Radwanski had had a twenty year career in journalism
followed by a career as a policy adviser and consultant.
where he served as editorial page editor and then editor-in-chief.
In his journalism career, Radwanski won two National Newspaper Awards for editorial writing. In 1971, he published No Mandate But Terror with Kendal Windeyer, an account of the October Crisis
. In 1978, he published Trudeau, a best-selling political biography of then-Prime Minister
Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
David Peterson
to head up an inquiry for the Ministry of Education into Ontario's drop-out report.
Radwanski's findings were published in 1987 as the Ontario Study of the Relevance of Education, and the Issue of Dropouts commonly known as the Radwanski Report. Radwanski concluded that the education system had become irrelevant due to the economy's shift from manufacturing to services. He found that students were uninterested in what they were being taught and did not gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a modern economy.
He issued a series of recommendations including the implementation of early childhood education
, standardized testing, "destreaming" of high schools, an "outcome-based" education and the replacement of the credit system with a common core curriculum.
Several of his recommendations were taken up by subsequent governments including destreaming in grade nine (though not later), an outcomes-based curriculum in grades 1 to 9 and standardized testing at various levels.http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/abcs/rcom/full/volume1/chapter2.html#note13
Following his study, Radwanski became a public policy and communications consultant in both the public and private sectors. In 1996 he was appointed by the federal government to conduct a review of Canada Post Corporation's mandate.
Radwanski also served as a speech writer to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
, who later appointed him Privacy Commissioner.
attacks early in his tenure and the subsequent "War on Terror
". In his annual report in the months following 9-11, he asserted:
Radwanski successfully campaigned against and brought an end to major federal government intrusions on privacy rights, including provisions of Bill C-36 that would have undermined the Privacy Act; the opening of letter mail by Customs agents; and the creation of a comprehensive, all-purpose seven-year Canada Customs and Revenue Agency data base on the foreign travel activities of all Canadians. He initiated a Charter challenge, later aborted by his successor, against RCMP video surveillance of public streets as a municipal police force in Kelowna, B.C., and gave 93 speeches in less than three years across Canada and abroad, along with hundreds of media interviews, to raise public awareness about privacy issues in the post-9/11 environment. He also oversaw the smooth implementation of the new federal private sector privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, that came into effect begiining in 2001.
Radwanski resigned in June 2003, less than half way into his seven year term, while under attack by a parliamentary committee. An "investigation" by the parliamentary committee alleged that he racked up $500,000 in travel and hospitality expenses and misled the Canadian House of Commons
over lax spending practices in his office. The committee also accused Radwanski of falsifying a document sent to it. The committee insisted on meeting with him behind closed doors, for less than an hour, despite his demand to be heard in public as he was a public official and had nothing to hide, and it subjected him to a sweeping gag order that prevented him from publicly defending himself. In resigning, Radwanski said that the committee's behaviour had made it impossible for him to do his job. Subsequent to his resignation, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser
criticized Radwanski's spending habits without ever meeting with him personally to hear his side of the story.
On March 15, 2006 he was charged with fraud
and breach of trust following a 26-month long Royal Canadian Mounted Police
investigation into his expense claims while a public servant that was prompted by the Auditor General's report. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1142420587696&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home]
He was fully acquitted on February 13, 2009, although his former chief of staff Art Lamarche was convicted for breach of trust by an Ontario Court judge. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/02/13/radwanski-trial.htmlhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090214.RADWANSKI14/TPStory
.
His son, Adam Radwanski
, is a political affairs columnist for the Globe and Mail.
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is a special ombudsman and an officer of parliament who reports directly to the House of Commons and the Senate....
until he resigned amid a controversy over allegedly too high-spending expense claims, maintaining that he was the victim of a political attack that resulted from antagonizing politicians and officials by his vigorous opposition to privacy-invasive government initiatives; he was later charged with fraud and breach of trust by the RCMP and acquitted of all charges. Prior to his appointment as Privacy Commissioner, Radwanski had had a twenty year career in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
followed by a career as a policy adviser and consultant.
Journalism
In 1965 he began working as a reporter for the Montreal Gazette subsequently becoming a columnist, associate editor and national affairs columnist for the paper. He then moved to the Financial Times of Canada where he worked as the national affairs columnist and Ottawa editor. In the late 1970s he went to the Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
where he served as editorial page editor and then editor-in-chief.
In his journalism career, Radwanski won two National Newspaper Awards for editorial writing. In 1971, he published No Mandate But Terror with Kendal Windeyer, an account of the October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
. In 1978, he published Trudeau, a best-selling political biography of then-Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
Radwanski Report
Radwanski resigned from the Star in 1985 and accepted an appointment by Ontario PremierPremier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
to head up an inquiry for the Ministry of Education into Ontario's drop-out report.
Radwanski's findings were published in 1987 as the Ontario Study of the Relevance of Education, and the Issue of Dropouts commonly known as the Radwanski Report. Radwanski concluded that the education system had become irrelevant due to the economy's shift from manufacturing to services. He found that students were uninterested in what they were being taught and did not gain the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a modern economy.
He issued a series of recommendations including the implementation of early childhood education
Early childhood education
Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
, standardized testing, "destreaming" of high schools, an "outcome-based" education and the replacement of the credit system with a common core curriculum.
Several of his recommendations were taken up by subsequent governments including destreaming in grade nine (though not later), an outcomes-based curriculum in grades 1 to 9 and standardized testing at various levels.http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/abcs/rcom/full/volume1/chapter2.html#note13
Following his study, Radwanski became a public policy and communications consultant in both the public and private sectors. In 1996 he was appointed by the federal government to conduct a review of Canada Post Corporation's mandate.
Radwanski also served as a speech writer to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, who later appointed him Privacy Commissioner.
Privacy Commissioner
As Privacy Commissioner, Radwanski was outspoken in his criticism of increased surveillance by the state in the wake of the 9-11September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
attacks early in his tenure and the subsequent "War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
". In his annual report in the months following 9-11, he asserted:
- "The fundamental human right of privacy in Canada is under assault as never before. Unless the Government of Canada is quickly dissuaded from its present course by Parliamentary action and public insistence, we are on a path that may well lead to the permanent loss not only of privacy rights but also important elements of freedom as we now know it..."
- "The Government is, quite simply, using September 11 as an excuse for new [surveillance databases] that cannot be justified by the requirements of anti-terrorism and that, indeed, have no place in a free and democratic society..." http://www.privcom.gc.ca/information/ar/02_04_10_e.asp
Radwanski successfully campaigned against and brought an end to major federal government intrusions on privacy rights, including provisions of Bill C-36 that would have undermined the Privacy Act; the opening of letter mail by Customs agents; and the creation of a comprehensive, all-purpose seven-year Canada Customs and Revenue Agency data base on the foreign travel activities of all Canadians. He initiated a Charter challenge, later aborted by his successor, against RCMP video surveillance of public streets as a municipal police force in Kelowna, B.C., and gave 93 speeches in less than three years across Canada and abroad, along with hundreds of media interviews, to raise public awareness about privacy issues in the post-9/11 environment. He also oversaw the smooth implementation of the new federal private sector privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, that came into effect begiining in 2001.
Radwanski resigned in June 2003, less than half way into his seven year term, while under attack by a parliamentary committee. An "investigation" by the parliamentary committee alleged that he racked up $500,000 in travel and hospitality expenses and misled the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
over lax spending practices in his office. The committee also accused Radwanski of falsifying a document sent to it. The committee insisted on meeting with him behind closed doors, for less than an hour, despite his demand to be heard in public as he was a public official and had nothing to hide, and it subjected him to a sweeping gag order that prevented him from publicly defending himself. In resigning, Radwanski said that the committee's behaviour had made it impossible for him to do his job. Subsequent to his resignation, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser
Sheila Fraser
Sheila Fraser served as Auditor General of Canada from 2001 to 2011.Ms. Fraser was born in Dundee, Quebec, Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in 1972. She then became a chartered accountant in 1974 and FCA in 1994...
criticized Radwanski's spending habits without ever meeting with him personally to hear his side of the story.
On March 15, 2006 he was charged with fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and breach of trust following a 26-month long Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
investigation into his expense claims while a public servant that was prompted by the Auditor General's report. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1142420587696&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home]
He was fully acquitted on February 13, 2009, although his former chief of staff Art Lamarche was convicted for breach of trust by an Ontario Court judge. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/02/13/radwanski-trial.htmlhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090214.RADWANSKI14/TPStory
Personal
Radwanski earned degrees in political science and law from McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
His son, Adam Radwanski
Adam Radwanski
Adam Radwanski is a Canadian journalist. He is currently The Globe and Mail's Ontario Legislature columnist, based out of Queen's Park, and writes a political blog for that newspaper's website. He was formerly a member of the Globe's Editorial Board...
, is a political affairs columnist for the Globe and Mail.
External links
- Radwanski charged with fraud Canadian PressCanadian PressCanadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
, March 15, 2006. - Privacy, Autonomy, and the Limits of Technology text of a March 26, 2001 lecture by Radwanski while he was Privacy Commissioner. Prefaced by a short biography.
- Former privacy czar Radwanski acquitted of fraud charges CBC Feb.13, 2009
- Acquittal ends 'nightmare' for Radwanski Globe and Mail Feb.14, 2009