Traditional Canadian conservative values have been well established in our political culture since there was a Canada. Those traditional values of respect for authority, traditions and institutions, accountability by way of personal responsibility, living within our means and avoiding intergenerational debt, loyalty to ones community and nation can be part of reducing societal dysfunction if practiced.
By his actions, Stephen Harper has proved that he is definitely not a traditional Canadian Conservative.
Our established ways of doing things include our Westminster Parliamentary system. Canada has the only Westminster Parliament that does not have written rules that limit the powers of the Prime Minister. Britain, Australia and New Zealand have written rules. Canada only has unwritten conventions- basically, be a gentleman and play fair. Not the Harper style. To be fair, Trudeau and Chretien also took too much power, but not on the scale of Stephen Harper. We elect a Parliament, not a Prime Minister and a one man government. We now have huge omnibus budget bills that get little debate. We have a bloated Prime Ministers Office with unelected people who actually run the country, giving M.P.s their talking points in Parliament and tell civil servants what to do. The Constitution of Canada says that M.P.s represent their constituencies. Working for political parties is never mentioned because political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution at all. M.P.s become messengers from the PMO rather than messengers from their constituents to the PMO. M.P.s do not bother to even read the bills that they vote on, receiving their daily voting instructions via pages. Sober first thought, real debate and amendments? No more. Our Speaker tells us it is Question Period, not Answer Period. Government members do not even have to answer Opposition questions if they choose not to do so. This despite the Commons procedural manual stating that “ answers must deal with the subject matter raised and be phrased in language that does not provoke disorder in the House.” Behind the scenes and in Committees, publicly scrappy M.P.s used to work together to frame legislation with some degree of collective approval. No more. Now it is strictly what our one man government wants. Period.
Our Constitution and Charter of Rights and Supreme Court are the only barriers at present to his total control. He knowingly pushes through legislation that will likely be challenged constitutionally and spends large amounts of OUR money on legal fees to try get his way. Respect for authority?
It has been a Canadian tradition since the time of Conservative Prime Minister Borden that Canada has a duty to look after its returning military personnel. Now Stephen Harper uses OUR money to argue in court that he does not have such a duty. Respect for traditions and our military?
Accountability was the big Harper slogan in Opposition, but once in power we have the most secretive government ever. Parliament has difficulty in finding out how money is being spent. Personal responsibility? Every one else in the PMO knew about the cheque Mr. Wright wrote to bail out Duffy, but not Mr. Harper. Really?
We have the largest national debt in our history and a large ecological debt to future generations thanks to a one track focus on expanding bitumen extraction while demolishing our environmental laws..
The China- Canada “trade” deal gives state owned Chinese corporations the power to challenge and be compensated for loss of expectation of profit if any elected level of government enacts laws that will limit their ability to possibly make a profit. Any challenges will be judged by a secret tribunal outside of Canada. We are stuck with this deal for 31 years. Loyalty to Canadian sovereignty?
The excessive partisanship, win by any means and no cooperation with other parties is an American Republican construct, not a traditional Canadian conservative one. Arthur Finkelstein- attack ad, dirty trick and communications guru for the Republicans, has also been an advisor to Stephen Harper even before he was Conservative leader.
Speak up traditional conservatives...wherever you are. Our country needs you.
Mike Bay
Indian Head
