Bernier not alone

It appears that former minister Maxime Bernier is not the only government official who has been careless with classified documents. Our friends across the pond have an issue of security that dwarfs Mr. Bernier's gaffe.

Yesterday, it was reported that two batches of secret government documents were found on trains in Great Britain. These documents included strategies for tackling the drug trade, money laundering and the global financing of terrorism in addition to strategic assessments of al Qaeda and Iraqi forces. These two sets of documents were delivered to the BBC and The Independent news sources but fortunately for the government, neither of the organizations published any of the details found in the reports.

Troublesome as this may be, these two "misplaced" reports are just the tip of the iceberg. The British government has suffered from a recent streak of carelessness and poor security with important government records. Government computers have been stolen, discs misplaced and personal information lost. The information that has been lost has ranged from military recruits, patient records, driving records and worst of all, financial information (including banking info) for over half of the population of Great Britain.

The thing about all these lost documents that surprises me the most is the fact that my school's library has a better record at tracking the whereabouts of its materials than the government. If I return a course reserve past the time it is due I receive multiple emails about it, fines and a stern reminder from the circulation staff to return documents on time. As simple as this sounds, it has been generally effective in forcing myself and my fellow students to be wary of the sources we borrow.

So why, then, is it so hard for governments to keep track of their classified information? I would think that these documents deserve more attention than a library book or course reserve.

If I was still living in England and a current constituent, I would be raising hell in my government officials' ears about this because these are only the mishaps that have been caught. Who knows what else has been misplaced and hasn't been noticed yet!

As for Mr. Bernier, at least you only left the documents at your girlfriend's place and not laying around on public transportation.

- blenCOWe