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Corruption in Canada is getting worse

If I look back through the 40 years of my business career, the lowest points are those times when I betrayed my values. My biggest regret was something that happened 30 years ago.
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If I look back through the 40 years of my business career, the lowest points are those times when I betrayed my values. My biggest regret was something that happened 30 years ago. 

I was told of a business opportunity that would be of great benefit to me if I could only prove that I had certain experience which I did not. Encouraged by another, I stepped over the line and asked a business acquaintance if they would be willing to say that I worked for their company in order that I could qualify for this opportunity. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, as I looked into the face of my acquaintance, I regretted them and realized I had sunk to an all-time low. Thankfully my request was denied immediately, but the weight of my stupidity has remained with me for years. 

As I think back on that time and imagine what would have happened had I qualified as a result of a lie. Would I go on to justify that dishonesty and grow a business based on that foundation?  It’s quite possible that I could have gone on to make hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars by seizing that deceitful opportunity. I know however the celebration of that success would never be the same as the taste of honesty. 

I also know that lying begets more lying. 

So what does any of this have to do with corruption in Canada?

Firstly, when people get inspired by greed and fail to see the errors of their ways because they have been able to get away with making money dishonestly and have built upon that opportunity, their moral compasses fail. Not only is there an addiction that comes with making large amounts of money but there are lifestyles that become dependent on the cash flow.  

Whether it’s a government or company official that is on the receiving end of gifts, a politician taking free trips, leaders enjoying benefits for their family members, or a company that is benefiting from contracts as a result of the liberating of cash at a high level to enjoy the inside edge, corruption is alive and well in Canada.  Yet the middle class is turning a blind eye to it. 

Secondly, I know I can’t be the only one who thinks that something is wrong in this country of ours when I hear comments like, “That is how business is done now. We have to pay an insider fee."  

“The Prime Minister is a good guy and probably doesn’t know what is happening around him.”

“Dave, xyz company told me that it would be good for me personally if I awarded them this contract."

Maybe I am naïve, in thinking that this type of corruption and under the table transfers of cash and benefits have been going on since time eternal. However, I can’t recall when the Prime Minister of our country has been openly found guilty of multiple transgressions by the ethics committees and commissioners and nothing has happened.  The recent scandals make one wonder how many other companies besides SNC Lavalin or charities such as WE are trading money for favors to the political parties or politicians and their families and haven’t been exposed.   

Over a decade ago, travelling in Africa, it was the norm to pay an official a cash supplement to get to the front of a line, have paperwork completed in a timely manner or get the permit you needed. I have no doubt that this level of corruption is only a few years away in Canada if we continue down the current path. 

When we forget as people that we value honesty, that the truth, as hard as it might be to swallow, is important, and that the rights of the poor and middle class surpass those of companies to make huge profits, we start sliding down the slippery slope toward daily corruption in our society.  

Yes, we all have regrets and make mistakes; however, we need to admit our errors and turn back to our intrinsic nature of goodness.  We can do this as individuals, but collectively we need to stand up and tell our leaders that we demand an end to corruption at all levels and just punishment for the offenders, whomever they may be. 

- Dave Fuller, MBA, is an award-winning business coach and the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy.  Send an honest email to dave@pivotleader.com