I don’t like Stephen Harper. But why, you ask?
Ever since the 2006 federal election, I have been creeped out by Stephen Harper’s attempts to smile and I know I’m not the only one. Aside from suspicions about his diet of babies and/or kittens, or the rumour that he is a robot (both literally AND figuratively) with a thirst for oil, I really don’t think that Harper is a good representative for Canada.
I hope that Canadians won’t forget the things Harper and his minority governments have said and done. I also hope that the youth will show up to vote on May 2nd and elect Members of Parliament (MPs) from parties that represent our values. In my opinion, Harper has been systemically attacking and/or ignoring things that many Canadians value (such as equality for women and same-sex couples, and climate change). Regardless of his creepy smile and robotic demeanor, I don’t like Harper’s policies or approaches to pretty much anything. Here’s a reminder of what Harper represents:
Harper is anti-same sex marriage
Harper proposed re-opening the debate on same sex marriage after being elected in 2006. The legislation legalizing same-sex marriage passed in 2006 and the debate was not re-opened. Score one for equality.
Here is a short clip of Stephen Harper speaking at a heteropatriarchal rally:
Harper shows disregard for democracy
Harper and his party have not only shown contempt for parliament. Over the past five years, and even in the current election campaign, the anti-democratic sentiment has been prevalent. Harper has prorogued parliament twice, and more recently has further limited the media’s access to him, allowing only a handful of questions from journalists. And in 1984 fashion, people have been denied access/removed from Harper’s campaign events because they were on lists related to their private activities. Additionally, the conservative smear campaign of coalitions is just ridiculous; he just doesn’t want to cooperate. Although no coalition exists between Canadian political parties, coalitions are totally legitimate forms of government. Ever heard of Europe?
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| from Impolitical |
The Conservatives have been systematic in their avoidance of committing to environmental action. This is not very surprising considering their ties to the oil-producing province of Alberta. By not purchasing carbon off-sets for their campaign travel, they are not even pretending to care. Still, the fact is they barely acknowledge anything related to the environment in their platform, just as they barely acknowledge Copenhagen (except when Obama was involved). Finally, in 2007, Harper claimed that the “Kyoto [Accord] is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations."
Harper dislikes socialism
Despite having led our notoriously socialist country for five years, Harper said in 2005 that he believed that “all taxes are bad.” So according to Harper, redistribution of wealth, which aims to ensure access to health care and other services for all Canadians, is bad? Well, Harper did say that “Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it.” Jack Layton and Michael Ignatieff are both warning Canadians that Harper’s budget does NOT include funding for health care past 2014. Isn’t universal health care a source of pride for Canadians? When did socialism become a bad thing?
Harper doesn’t like women
There have been a number of anti-women policy changes and legislation introduced during Harper’s reign, including (but not limited to): cutting funding to the Status of Women and eliminating women’s right to pay equity. You can read more about the systematic attack on women in this great post from The F Word.
Harper doesn’t want marijuana legalized
Awkward performance of a Beatles song about getting high aside, Harper’s Conservatives are the only major party which “strongly agrees” that possession of marijuana should be a criminal offence. This is obviously not the most important issue, but it reflects the values of this party. Less people in jail for smoking a joint, taking power away from drug cartels, eventually being able to regulate and tax marijuana: these are possibilities with all of the other parties.
Militarizing Canada
Additionally, Harper seems to subscribe to the FOX News style fear mongering typically associated with the Right in the USA, such as the Tea Party. The Conservative platform clearly expressed their worldview and their vision for Canada. There are many more issues that trouble me about the Conservative party. According to them, Canadians should be more afraid of both terrorists and of each other. We should re-implement terrorism legislation and counter-terrorism legislation. Also, we need to build $10 billion worth of mega-prisons. We should further militarize Canada, at home (G20, anyone?) and abroad (billions on fighter jets).
Declaration for Change
Recently, Canadians have contributed their opinions to a people powered movement for political change in Canada. Lead Now compiled the top priorities of thousands of participants into a single Declaration for Change which is summarized on their website as a “call for political cooperation to build a stronger democracy that protects our environment, creates economic opportunity while increasing equality, and guarantees that everyone receives the care they need.”
Although Canadian society is certainly not perfect, I believe that many Canadians fundamentally desire to have an accepting, diverse, peaceful nation. I seriously doubt that Stephen Harper is going to lead Canada towards any of the goals stated in the Declaration of Change. I encourage all Canadians to read the non-partisan declaration and sign it if you think it represents what you want for Canada.
I’ll concede that the Conservative platform for the 2011 election includes “Invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and home retrofits.” The only other objective that the Conservatives have seriously pursued in the past was to “Create an open government plan to increase transparency and accountability.” They’ve had several shots at openness. And they’ve consistently missed.
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