This submission was sent to the Powell River Peak and copied to The Chief for publication.
Canadians don't want another election so soon after the last one. But Stephen Harper has left the country no choice. The House of Commons has been dysfunctional since Harper promised civility and gave Canadians that Molotov cocktail disguised as an "economic statement" last November. It's been downhill ever since.
For three and a half years, Stephen Harper has debased his office. The heart of the matter is trust and competence. He promises one thing and does exactly the opposite. It's a recurring pattern.
Harper proposed and parliament passed a fixed election date law. He then proceeded to ignore it. He proposed and passed the "Federal Accountability Act" and then systematically ignored the spirit and intent of that law by allowing lobbyists free reign over policy decisions. Harper promised that he wouldn't touch income trusts. Then did just that, and cost investors dearly. The GST was rolled back the GST, something that no respected economist supported. Harper cut the wrong tax for the wrong reasons. He promised fiscal responsibility. We've got the largest deficit in our history. He promised an end to pork barrel politics. Today, he's handing out our money like a drunken sailor. No plan. No strategy. All in the name of "stimulus".
In June, Harper lectured G8 and other world leaders about the importance of keeping their commitments on aid to Africa, and said: "we undercut our credibility when we make promises we don't keep".
Precisely.
After promising increased civility in parliament, Harper's November Economic Statement provoked a parliamentary crisis without precedent in Canada.
Harper called the non-partisan parliamentary budget officer, Kevin Page, "dumb" for having the audacity to articulate some basic truths: that structural deficits will be a fact of life without spending reductions or tax increases. This is the guy who, in the midst of the most dramatic economic meltdown since the Great Depression, advised the country that this is a "buying opportunity". And he calls himself an "economist".
True to form, the Harper Conservatives smear Michael Ignatieff, suggesting that a distinguished scholar and globally respected intellectual is somehow "un-Canadian" because of his time abroad. This from a man who took his first trip out of North America - ever - after he became Leader of the Opposition at age 46.
Harper has taken a gargantuan leap backwards in Canada's foreign policy. He insulted China, a major trading partner, and ignored it for three years. He is now trying to reverse course, but it's too little, too late. The damage is done.
Can anyone point to three - just three - things that the Harper Conservatives have accomplished for Canada? I can't think of a single one.
The culture of Ottawa and the tone of the House of Commons are manufactured by the man in charge, Stephen Harper. The morale of the public service is badly damaged, our national institutions are weaker, our standing in the world has been compromised, and the trust Canadians need to have in our Government has been profoundly undermined.
A lot needs to change in Canada and it's time to get on with it with leadership we can trust. We need a prime minister we can be proud of, not just tolerate because we don't want another election.
Daniel D. Veniez
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country Liberal Candidate nominee
