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Tuesday February 09, 2010
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Editorials
Editorials
Roy McGregor, also in the Globe (Oct. 15) thought that the old Tory knives now buried, would be dug up in the not too distant future. Sheila Copps in the Hill Times, (Oct.13) saw the loss of the “coveted majority” as “truly self-inflicted.” And Jeffery Simpson noted that “Harper’s standing declined – big trouble for a party whose entire campaign revolved around the PM” (“It was all about him,” Globe, Oct. 14). In general the commentators emphasized similar failures in analyzing why Stephen Harper did not get his majority. As the only spokesman for the Conservatives, all other MPs having been silenced once more, the blame, they said, falls squarely on him, mostly because of his autocratic personality. There were the personal “faux pas” in denigrating Quebeckers’ interest in culture, his stiff indifference with Wall Street’s financial collapse when many Canadians already felt personally besieged, and his contrived attempt to mask personal aloofness with TV clips of him being a family man in fancy sweaters. These all contributed to his failure to appeal to the voters in the centre. Conrad Black, however, thought that Stephen Harper “should be safe for four years,” now that he has “extended his lead over the Official Opposition from 32 MPs to 67. (“An important PM in the making,” NP, Oct. 18) Apparently, Mr. Black does not think being short 12 votes from the necessary 155 votes for a majority is much of a problem. Presumably, the others will fall in line to give Harper whatever he wants. It is this point we would like to address. It is highly undesirable that Stephen Harper continue to hold the Prime Ministership for very much longer for a number of reasons. — First, he has made the mistake of coming to believe that his persona is the personification of Conservatism. Thus he tolerates no views other than his own, is suspicious of others in the party, bullies his MPs, and cannot delegate tasks without giving up personal control. — Under his regime the PM’s Office (PMO) with over 100 people has consolidated the vices introduced under previous prime ministers. For example, during preparations for elections, candidates are parachuted in, ignoring the wishes of riding associations which increasingly tend to be bypassed anyway. — The democratic character of the party organization is set aside whenever it is deemed desirable. Even the local handling of candidates is taken away, as was the case with Diane Haskett, a former mayor of London, whose efforts were thwarted by direct interference from Ottawa (which did not like her Christian convictions). — Also, Harper seems to have turned his back on what he himself understood in earlier days to be threats to the nation, such as the electoral gag laws silencing third parties, as well as the ever more unsavoury actions of Human Rights Commissions which, instead of bringing equality to Canadians, are pitting groups against one another while extinguishing freedom of speech. Yes, the Harper government has made some improvements, such as the abolition of the Court Challenges Program, the appointment of judges opposed to judicial activism, and extending child support directly to families instead of spending billions on centralized daycare. However, none of this makes up for the most grievous flaw of all, Harper’s outright and brutal rejection of the pro-life ethic in defence of the dignity of all persons, newly re-iterated in the most blatant way possible. To tell Canadians not only that his government has no intention to ever revisit the “abortion” issue, but that he will see to it that none of “his” MPs will be allowed to introduce Private Member’s bills, or to take any other action, is unconscionable. No self-respecting pro-life MP should put up with this dictatorial nonsense. MPs should revolt over this “trained-seal” scenario by quietly but aggressively organizing a bloc of members who will, if necessary, break away to form a new Reform party and do what our Prime Minister will not do but what must be done to save Canada. That is the beauty, and opportunity, of Harper having failed to win his coveted majority. © Copyright 1997-2006 Catholic Insight
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