I hear by the advertisements on radio and television that Stephen Harper has stopped rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic with his “don’t worry, be happy, everything’s rosy economically in Canada” attitude and acknowledged that perhaps, with the rest of the world struggling with economic meltdown, Canadians should have some concerns about the economy.
How have Mr. Harper and his Conservatives addressed Canadian’s concerns about the economy and the future? Have Mr. Harper and his Conservative Party laid out their plans and policies for dealing with what is happening around the world economically? No.
Mr. Harper, rather than say what his plans (if any) are for guiding Canada through this period of economical turmoil are, has continued his practice of scare tactics about why Canadians should not vote for his opponents as opposed to telling Canadians why they should vote Conservative.
This approach leaves one to conclude that the economy is one more area that Mr. Harper and his Conservatives have no vision and thus no plans for dealing with economic challenges.
What did Mr. Harper and his Conservatives, beneficiaries of a booming economy, accomplish economically during their period in office?
They oversaw the increased transfer of wealth from most Canadians to the wealthiest 10% of Canadians, making the rich richer and increasing the economic unfairness or lack of balance in the economy.
Despite their claims to have run what Mr. Harper calls “surpluses”, when you factor in the cost of the war in Afghanistan those surpluses disappear. How can Mr. Harper claim to be fiscally responsible when he chose to ignore the billions of dollars spent on Afghanistan in reporting on the state of the Canadian economy? It was totally irresponsible to be cutting taxes and claiming surpluses without taking the billions being spent on Afghanistan into their calculations.
Mr. Harper and his Conservatives policies resulted in significant increases in homelessness, poverty and working poor; managing to bring about these increases during a time of economic boom. The mind boggles at the thought of how much more homelessness, poverty and working poor, how much more misery Mr. Harper and his Conservatives can cause in a faltering economy.
Sorry Mr. Harper, but considering your performance on the economy over your term in office and in light of the faltering Canadian and worldwide economy, there is no scarier economic prospect than you in charge of the economy and Canada’s economic future in this time of challenge.
Category Archives: Federal
Do we really live in a Democracy? la deuxieme partie
Do we really live in a Democracy? la deuxième partie
Listening to the Elections Canada radio ads had me pondering the state of democracy in Canada – assuming Canada can still be referred to as a democracy. A claim that strikes me as highly questionable when you give some thought to the matter.
Democracy is one of those either/or states, either it is or it isn’t. There is no such thing as a partial democracy. Either all the people have the right and ability to vote, the right and ability to run for office and the right and ability to vote for candidates of their choice – or you don’t have a democratic system.
The economic policies, actions, inactions and failure to address poverty and homelessness by the federal government have driven tens of thousands, perhaps even a hundred thousand plus Canadians onto the streets in an ever increasing tide of homelessness and poverty. Unknowable further tens of thousands (or again a hundred thousand plus) find themselves couch surfing etc. from place to place and are not in stable housing.
None of these thousands of dispossessed will be receiving voter information cards in the mail to tell them where to vote. If you go to your local polling station on Election Day they will want proof of address and proof of identity.
How do you provide proof you are living under a bridge, in a tent, in a park, in a field, under a tree et al?
We take having ID for granted, but for many of the disposed ID has long been lost and the only record of their ID is photocopies at Income Assistance. Others lack even that for proof of identity.
One person denied their right to vote is too many.
Our current Federal Election will see thousands, tens of thousands perhaps hundred(s) of thousands of the disposed disenfranchised.
How can Canada be called a Democracy when it has disenfranchised so many of its citizens?
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If you visit the Elections Canada website you will find the following statements:
“The right to be a candidate in a federal election is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The procedures and responsibilities are spelled out in the Canada Elections Act.”
“Unless specifically declared to be ineligible under section 65 of the Canada Elections Act, any person qualified as an elector may run for election.”
And yet the Canada Elections Act proceeds to do exactly that – deny me and others the right to run for Parliament.
The requirement that a $1,000.00 deposit be posted by all candidates denies those who are not wealthy enough to be able to spare $1,000.00 or backed by political parties their Charter right to run for election to Parliament. The requirement of an onerous deposit particularly discriminates against the dispossessed and poor, denying them their right to seek federal office.
The violation of rights does not end there. By denying a candidate the right to run for election, all those who would have voted for the candidate are denied their right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Democracy is suppose to be about voting for the candidate of your choice, not being forced to vote for the candidate you dislike the least.
How can Canada be called a Democracy when citizens are denied their right to seek federal office, denying other citizens their right to vote for candidates they may want to choose by limiting those who can run for federal office?
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When we accept and allow thousands upon thousands of Canadian citizens to be disenfranchised;
When we accept and allow a significant portion of Canadian citizens to be denied the ability to exercise their right to seek office through imposed financial barriers;
When we accept and allow the choice of Canadian citizens as to who will represent them to be limited to a chosen few, the choice becoming that of who is least objectionable dislike;
We no longer have a democracy.
“The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.”
Robert Maynard Hutchins
Do we really live in a Democracy? part one
Do we really live in a Democracy?
The one thing you can say about our current election is it is indisputable proof that if we want to live in a Democracy and have good governance addressing the important issues and challenges facing Canada and Canadians, we must have Federal Electoral Reform.
OK – the one thing you can say beside the facts it is an unnecessary waste of taxpayers dollars (what else would expect from politicians than to fail to consider the effect of their actions on the people they are suppose to represent?) and in violation of the fixed election date law passed by the government that called the election (what else would you expect from politicians than to consider themselves above the laws of Canada?)
Citizens are being served garbage on a silver platter by all the federal parties. With apologies to anyone who makes silver platters, this is as apt a description of what politicians are trying to pass off as debate and discourse on which any semi-intelligent, semi-rational person could make an effective decision on who should be sent to Parliament to form a government.
At a time citizens need to decide who could (not would but could possibly) provide good government and effectively begin to clean up the mess our current and recent crops of politicians have strewn across all parts of Canada and abroad federal parties and politicians seem bent on demonstrating their complete lack of ability.
The very foundation of Democracy is informed consent of the governed. If citizens cannot make an informed choice and thus cannot give informed consent, the government is not democratically elected and the country (Canada) is not truly a democracy, even if politicians choose to label it a democracy in order to make ruling the population easier.
Slick – yes. Loud – yes. Full of empty promises, of politicians avoiding important issues and questions, of misleading statements, smoke and mirrors, half-truths, lack of debate and examination of reasoning/explanations, of sound bites – yes.
Substance to be able to make an informed judgment and thus grant informed consent – NO.
We look at China and decry the lack of democracy in China. But is there really any difference between Canada and China; between Canadians having to decide among 5 bad/unacceptable choices and Chinese having only one bad/unacceptable choice? Not in any meaningful way.
The choice Canadians need to focus on, should be struggling with, is not who will form the next government but how do we take back our country and turn it into a democracy in fact and function – not just in name.
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”
John F. Kennedy
Tuesdays Abby Times Editorial.
I agree with Tuesday’s editorial commentary on elections.
We need “to demand more honesty” from politicians and government. We also need to demand responsible behaviour and our right to know what is going on without the need to file numerous Freedom of Information requests.
Downloading costs to lower levels of government or avoiding dealing with the problems is not the actions of a responsible government.
Politicians need to be reminded that the dollars they spend on big raises or building public monuments to themselves and their egos are not monopoly money but dollars earned by taxpayers through hard work.
We need to remind our local MPs and MLAs that they are not there to serve the best interests of the political parties they belong to, but to serve the best interests of the people who elected them to look after their (the citizen’s) best interests.
No federal Conservative in BC should be re-elected, because of their failure to stand up for their constituents and tell Stephen Harper “NO!” on calling an election that is distracting and so interfering with “November’s municipal campaign, loaded with close-to-home issues that really matter this time.”
Citizens need to join in the (particularly local municipal) debates on issues; priorities; fiscal responsibility; thinking problems, proposed actions and the effects of the actions through; integrity and the fact politicians are there as our representatives and to act in citizens best interests – not their own or a political party’s interests/agenda.
Perhaps it is also time for citizens to remember that we are not limited to voting for the poor and limited choices offered by political parties or politicians.
We have the right to encourage people we think would make good city councillors, mayors, MLAs or MPs to put their names forward for office, to work to elect them and to vote for them. It is not nearly as easy as just going with whatever is offered. But it will/would ensure we get people who represent us, send a loud message to all public officials and “…reclaim the power at the polls.”
“enough is enough.”
Parliment not working?
So Stephen Harper does not feel parliament is working.
Perhaps it would work better if Harper and his Conservatives did not publish and use instructions on how to obstruct the workings of parliament. Or perhaps it would work better if Harper and his Conservatives paid attention to the laws of the land (and the spirit behind those laws) … like the fixed election date.
Perhaps it is simply that when Mr. Harper said parliament is not working he neglected to finish his sentence: parliament is not working to the benefit of the Conservative party and the PMO (prime minister’s office).
Without a majority Mr. Harper cannot run amok but is forced to consult and work with the other parties. Worse the lack of a majority means he does not control parliamentary committees and thus will have to answer for and face the consequences of the conservative party’s actions such as “in-and-out” campaign financing and the government’s role in the listeriosis outbreak.
Despite Mr. Harper’s condemnation of the behaviour of the previous Liberal governments it would appear Mr. Harper is calling an election in hopes that he can behave in the manor that, when in opposition, he condemned in the majority government of the day. Proof that at heart and in his soul Mr. Harper is truly a politician; that it is about him and not about Canada or Canadians.
I have never been a fan of proportional representation because it tends to produce minority governments. Seeing how well, how much better, the parliamentary committee system seems to work in the interests of Canadians when not controlled by the government; seeing how the need to work with the other parties moderates the behaviour of the government; given the lack of ideas, ideals, vision, leadership and integrity in our major political parties; a system that results in minority governments is looking very good.
Given our current choices on the federal political scene is it any wonder that most Canadians do not want an election, preferring the current state of Parliament with its minority government?