Friday, December 05, 2008

A Few Simple Issues for Conservatives to Ponder

It's pretty clear that Conservative supporters who claim to be patriotic Canadians and yet support the vile machinations of Stephen Harper are anything but. If they're genuinely ignorant of our government and our parliamentary democracy they may believe they're patriotic but, if they want to be patriotic, it's their responsibility to learn what this country is about, how it's supposed to work and why their leader is subverting that.

Or, they can just take a few tips from Ed Broadbent who wrote this in today's Globe & Mail:

"...for the first time in our history, we have a prime minister prepared to set a fire that we may not be able to put out, for the paltry purpose of saving himself from a confidence vote on Monday. In almost every sentence, paragraph and page coming from Mr. Harper, his ministers and Conservative MPs, we're getting distortions intended to delegitimize a democratically formed coalition, proposed in accordance with normal parliamentary practices, between the Liberals and the NDP.
The Conservatives have tried to link the coalition with a demonized Bloc Québécois and Quebec. Mr. Harper wants to buy time in order to stir up support from a majority in English Canada. He is turning a serious constitutional and legal issue, on which he knows he cannot win a confidence vote, into a political battle of national unity, calculating that the numbers are on his side.


Instead of focusing on accommodation, on the need for early action on the economy, Mr. Harper is launching hypocritical attacks that can lead to a national disaster, and, with the time prorogation has granted him, he will no doubt continue to promote disunity. Consider the following falsehoods that he, his ministers and their party are spreading:

1. The Bloc is part of the Liberal-NDP coalition. It's not. But it is providing needed stability by signing an agreement not to bring down the coalition during its first 18 months. Mr. Harper has relied on the Bloc 14 times in votes, and twice on budget ones.

2. The Bloc was promised six Senate seats. The Bloc, of course, is opposed to the Senate. No such offer exists.

3. According to Mr. Harper, the Canadian flag did not appear behind Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe during their press conference. This is false. The flag was visibly there.

4. The Bloc would have a veto on all the actions of the coalition government. False. The Bloc did not ask for, and was not given, such a veto. In fact, its agreement not to bring down the coalition means the opposite is true.

5. Mr. Harper and his supporters are calling all "sovereigntists" in Quebec "separatists." Although a great number of Quebeckers would call themselves "sovereigntists," a large majority of them are certainly not separatists.

Mr. Harper has failed to provide the stimulus that Canada needs as pensioners suffer and jobs bleed. The coalition would provide the stimulus, part of it immediately, if given the chance. Virtually all elements of the Liberal-NDP stimulus package were designed to appeal to all of Canada (including EI, bankruptcy, housing and infrastructure, child care, reforms to protect workers and pensioners). A few had a regional focus (the Wheat Board, forestry and the concerns of senior workers). None were designed to give Quebec preferential treatment. The central objective was to quickly follow the lead of the 19 other G20 countries and stimulate the economy to protect Canadians and promote early economic growth.

Instead of following constitutional precedent and allowing a democratic confidence vote to take place when it should, we have a power-hungry man who will be recorded as the first prime minister in Canada's history to deliberately create a political crisis and set the fire of national disunity.

Now, don't take Ed's word for it. But here's what you can do. Take every one of his claims and look into it. Take every one of the despicable lies Harper and his ilk have been feeding the Canadian people and look into it. This stuff is as plain as day.

Then, if you want to believe this jerk and support Harper, at least don't come around here boasting of your patriotism.

16 comments:

wilson said...

Getting cozy with the Bloc will never be accepted by patriotic Canadians.

It's just that simple,
trying to over come that fact with complicated reasoning
means you are out of touch with common folk.

Anonymous said...

Shutting down democracy to so Harper can keep his job is unCanadian. Having Bloc support is okay, though, when Harper seeks it out.

The Mound of Sound said...

Spot on, Anon. Wilson's notion of intellectual honesty tends to bury inconvenient truths such as his own party's involvement with the BQ when it suited them and the abject silence of Tory supporters at the time.

And, Wilson, there's nothing complicated in that reasoning. That's just an excuse for the wilfully ignorant.

Mike said...

"Getting cozy with the Bloc will never be accepted by patriotic Canadians."

Just as Harper did in September 2004 Wilson?

You are such a lying hypocrite. Harper was cozy with the Bloc quite a bit in 2004 and 2005 and it didn't seem to bother you guys then.

And I'm pretty sure the "common folk" get that...

Anonymous said...

Conservatives don't take tips from socialists and Liberals will get in bed with anybody.

Stowe the rhetoric, your coalition is dead.

Anonymous said...

If you on the left think you have a morale right to govern, then prove it. Let's have an election over it.

Anonymous said...

If you on the right think you have a divine right that supersedes parliamentary rules then why didn't you ASK for an election from the GG, instead of SHUTTING DOWN DEMOCRACY?

Anonymous said...

Funny how liberals and Dion can not see Duceppes separatist hand on the throat of Dion. Canadians seem to be able to see it, yet power hungry leftist eyes will look past it for the big prize, power at any cost.

Anonymous said...

Or keeping power by shutting down Canadian democracy. If you lose your job this winter remember Stephen Harper kept his by preventing the Coalition's economic stimulus.

Anonymous said...

Conservatives are not patriotic Canadians and if anything are traitorous. They have ignored our constitution and parliamentary system in favour populist jingoism's related to the American system.. Wilson should be locked up for supporting Harper and being completely fucking ignorant of the country it resides in. Maybe we can deport the works of them to the country in which they think the are living, the US.

The Rat said...

1. The Bloc is part of the Liberal-NDP coalition. It's not. But it is providing needed stability by signing an agreement not to bring down the coalition during its first 18 months. Mr. Harper has relied on the Bloc 14 times in votes, and twice on budget ones.

Sure, but didn't we see Duceppe up at the podium with you guys? Didn't he sign the paper with your guys? Yeah, he's not "part" of the "coalition", nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

2. The Bloc was promised six Senate seats. The Bloc, of course, is opposed to the Senate. No such offer exists.

And no offer was made to Stronach before she floor crossed. I'm sure you guys just explained all about the concept of "comfy fur" to Duceppe and he took your word for it that it would be comfy, indeed! Oh, by the way,has anyone actually denied Marois' Billion dollar claim or the 500 million in post secondary education transfers?

3. According to Mr. Harper, the Canadian flag did not appear behind Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe during their press conference. This is false. The flag was visibly there.

You got me there. Either Harper made a mistake or he lied about an easily provable thing. Yup, he's a bastard all right. By the way, didn't all three (sorry, two and an admirer) of your coalition leaders promise NOT to join a coalition during the the campaign?

4. The Bloc would have a veto on all the actions of the coalition government. False. The Bloc did not ask for, and was not given, such a veto. In fact, its agreement not to bring down the coalition means the opposite is true.

Basic math isn't your strong suit, is it? The veto is the simple fact that the Bloc can pull out and vote down anything they want, whenever they want. That's a de-facto veto. And you trust that promise from Duceppe and I'll tell you a story about a frog and a scorpion.

5. Mr. Harper and his supporters are calling all "sovereigntists" in Quebec "separatists." Although a great number of Quebeckers would call themselves "sovereigntists," a large majority of them are certainly not separatists.

Tomato(e), tomato. I know you guys are pretty sensitive to the feelings of "sovereigntists" right now but I remember a Liberal party that actually argued against "sovereigntists", and didn't consider helping their cause through "non-coalition"-coalition building. And the difference between a "separatist" and a "sovereigntists" is that a separatist actually tries to leave while a sovereigntist just threatens to in order to extort money from the ROC.

Anonymous said...

Sovereigntist or separatist - you choose. But, Harper says one thing in French to Quebecers and another thing to English to the rest of Canada. But we've seen Harper has been more than prepared to lie to Canadians so that he can shut down democracy.

The Mound of Sound said...

Okay, where to begin. We just had an election and the 62 per cent of Canadians who didn't want Harper voted in a majority opposition. Those opposition parties are entitled to form a government. If you don't like Canadian parliamentary democracy I'm very sorry for your disappointment.

Rat, true to form you've squirmed your way out from under every point that's been made. Trying to parry these points isn't your forte, it really isn't.

saskHomeboy - Duceppe isn't pursuing a separatist agenda. He merely recognizes that Canada is on the brink of a real crisis, Quebec included. Actually it's pretty arrogant of you to make such inane statements.

Who is "power hungry" here? The majority of the opposition members elected by the 62% of Canadians who didn't want Harper? You're borderline delusional when you prattle on about power hungry pols. Try the control freak who joins the ranks of Musharraf and Mussolini by shutting down non-compliant legislatures.

And Anon 12:15, grow up and stop railing from abject ignorance. When a majority of duly elected members of parliament wish to form a coalition, that is democracy and it is entirely in keeping with parliamentary rules. And, as for shutting down democracy, genius, who threw a padlock on the House of Commons? That would be your very own control freak leader. C'mon, use your head and give your mouth a rest.

And Anon 11:58, last I checked, Stowe was a resort in Vermont.

Anonymous said...

Re-read some of the Conservative attacks on the coalition substituting Democrats for Liberals and terrorists for separatists. Haven't we seen this movie before?

Mike said...

And there you have it, and admission that Conservatives are fascist goons.

Excellent.

Gosh he sounds like Richard Evans...

The Rat said...

"Rat, true to form you've squirmed your way out from under every point that's been made. Trying to parry these points isn't your forte, it really isn't."

Gee, I thought I did a rather masterful job of pointing out your massive hypocrisies. I know you guys frown on Biblical references but I just can't help but pointing out the log in your eye.