Prince George,  B.C. –   An effort to  change the way  Federal Government watch dogs,   such as the Auditor General,  are chosen,  has failed.

The NDP  had  brought forth a motion  that   called for only non-partisan candidates be appointed to  be independent watch dog posts.  The motion was defeated  in the House.

“This was a reasonable measure that would have restored trust in who is chosen to scrutinize how elections are run, how tax dollars are spent, and investigate ethical violations of elected officials,” said Nathan Cullen, the NDP’s Critic for Democratic Reform. “These watchdogs are in place to give Canadians some insight into how our government is being run, and by definition they must be independent and non-partisan.”

The proposal  called for the  establishment of an all-party vetting committee for nominations.

Even though the motion was revised to  address concerns  raised by Liberal M.Ps,  the motion was  defeated.

In the coming months several other watchdog positions and Officers of Parliament will need to  be filled, including the Chief Electoral Officer, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Lobbying Commissioner, Information Commissioner, the Parliamentary Budget Officer and Clerk of the House.