Will it never end? Yet again, Prime Minister Harper is engaging in "Do as I say, not as I do" antics.
Today, Prime Minister Harper announced that he intends to appoint 18 (Conservative) Senators to the "House of sober second thought." Yet, even before he was elected two and half years ago, he's been on the platform of reforming Senate by having them elected, and working to that end. The reason for this quite transparent...he faces losing a non-confidence vote in the House at the end of January, when MPs return from their unscheduled vacation (i.e. the PM requested proroguement ends). So, why not stack the Senate with as many Conservatives as possible before he leaves? His enduring legacy.
Another example of Prime Minister Harper saying one thing, then doing another to suit his purposes. As always, there's plenty of spin. Apparently, these newly appointed Senators are going to be asked if they would step down, should an elected Senate come into being. I'll believe that when I see it.
If I can paraphrase that famous quote that's been bantied about Parliament Hill over the past several days (with apologies to Mackenzie King):
Senate elections, but not necessarily an elected Senate.
Prime Minister Harper's mother is quick to admonish people for calling him Steve, but has anybody told her about Stephen's fibbing?
Wings Over The World
December 11, 2008
December 09, 2008
You Can't Lead From Behind
There are two basic tenets of Leadership (I made it upper case "L" on purpose) that I learned many years ago:
1. Lead by example, and
2. You can't Lead from behind.
In the political mess that is happening in Canada these days, there has been little of either lately...until today!
Let me start with the top. Prime Minister Harper has shown little of either even before election day in October 2008. During the election campaign, he denied Canada was going into recession and that there was no need for Canada to go into deficit to get the country moving again. The Conservatives formed a minority government and Canadians heard from their Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, that there will be a "technical" recession, but that Canada will have a small surplus. Prime Minister Harper stated on election night, and again in the Throne Speech, that he was reaching out to the opposition parties to work with them to help Canada through these tough economic times. Instead, Mr. Harper came out with an economic statement that was widely regarded as regressive to Canadian rights and a blatant attack on the finances of the opposition parties, yet had nothing that would stimulate the Canadian economy. He had his head in the sand.
The independent Parliamentary Budget Chief confirmed that there will be a deficit this year. The Bank of Canada reduced their prime rate by 75 points (0.75%), which was 25 points more than economists expected, because of the Bank of Canada's fear of a deepening recession. Yet, the Conservatives have not introduced any significant economic stimulus (aside from their "tax breaks" since becoming the governing party in 2006), and Parliament has been suspended until the end of January 2009, when the Conservatives are expected to introduce their budget, albeit two months early.
Cap all of this off with an economic crisis that turned into a political crisis, because the opposition parties formed a coalition to counter the Conservatives, with Prime Minister Harper getting proroguement of Parliament from the Governor General. And Prime Minister Harper raising the rhetoric by making all of this a unity crisis because the coalition includes the Bloc Quebecois, a Quebec sovereignty party.
One last thing about Prime Minister Harper, if he was really concerned about the economy. If he really wanted reduce the cost the political parties were exacting from the public purse, then why did he appoint 38 cabinet ministers, six more than he had prior to the election, with their higher salaries, additional staff and perks like limos for their use? These are not the actions of someone who Leads from the front, or by example.
But let us not forget the Liberal Party. Their divisions go back to when Paul Martin was making his bid to replace Jean Chretien as leader several years ago. There was bitterness between both camps that went beyond Mr. Martin's ascension to Prime Minister, until at least his downfall, if not after. And it appears as if more of this was going on as supporters tried to get Mr. Ignatieff elected as leader during the last leadership race that Stephane Dion won, and possibly again as the race heated up to replace Mr. Dion.
Canadians only have to look to their neighbours south of the border to see a real example of Leadership. President-elect Obama suffered many political attacks from within the Democratic party, as he sought to be the Democratic candidate for the 2008 election. Mr. Obama suffered further attacks as he faced off against the Republican candidate John McCain, to win the election. Did President-elect Obama show vindictiveness towards his political foes? Is he waiting to be inaugurated to tackle the economic crisis in America?
President-elect Obama has reached out to his opponents, in order to work with them to do what's best for Americans. He made his Democratic Party leadership foe Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State. The President's representative to foreign nations. He retained Mr. Gates as the Secretary of Defence, a Republican, to ensure continuity while America fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has invited Mr. McCain for discussions, to work with him. He has announced his planning of an economic stimulus package to get the American economy moving again. Something he can't actually implement until he is inaugurated on January 20th. These are the actions of a Leader.
What a sorry state Canadian politics are in at this time. The one bright spot is Bob Rae. Today he announced that he was withdrawing from the Liberal Leadership race and is putting his full support behind Mr. Ignatieff to become the new Liberal leader, so that the party (and coalition) can prepare for the resumption of Parliament. This is a man who has had many years in political life. He lead the Ontario NDP, became premier and went into federal politics with the obvious intention of becoming the Liberal leader, and possibly Prime Minister, which would have been the crowning achievement of his political career. In the best interests of the party, the country and the Canadian people, he has stepped down, thus potentially ending the possibility for him to become the leader of the party (because of his age).
Bob Rae is a man who not only Leads from the front, he leads by example!
Many politicians can learn from Mr. Rae...including Prime Minister Harper.
Wings Over The World
1. Lead by example, and
2. You can't Lead from behind.
In the political mess that is happening in Canada these days, there has been little of either lately...until today!
Let me start with the top. Prime Minister Harper has shown little of either even before election day in October 2008. During the election campaign, he denied Canada was going into recession and that there was no need for Canada to go into deficit to get the country moving again. The Conservatives formed a minority government and Canadians heard from their Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, that there will be a "technical" recession, but that Canada will have a small surplus. Prime Minister Harper stated on election night, and again in the Throne Speech, that he was reaching out to the opposition parties to work with them to help Canada through these tough economic times. Instead, Mr. Harper came out with an economic statement that was widely regarded as regressive to Canadian rights and a blatant attack on the finances of the opposition parties, yet had nothing that would stimulate the Canadian economy. He had his head in the sand.
The independent Parliamentary Budget Chief confirmed that there will be a deficit this year. The Bank of Canada reduced their prime rate by 75 points (0.75%), which was 25 points more than economists expected, because of the Bank of Canada's fear of a deepening recession. Yet, the Conservatives have not introduced any significant economic stimulus (aside from their "tax breaks" since becoming the governing party in 2006), and Parliament has been suspended until the end of January 2009, when the Conservatives are expected to introduce their budget, albeit two months early.
Cap all of this off with an economic crisis that turned into a political crisis, because the opposition parties formed a coalition to counter the Conservatives, with Prime Minister Harper getting proroguement of Parliament from the Governor General. And Prime Minister Harper raising the rhetoric by making all of this a unity crisis because the coalition includes the Bloc Quebecois, a Quebec sovereignty party.
One last thing about Prime Minister Harper, if he was really concerned about the economy. If he really wanted reduce the cost the political parties were exacting from the public purse, then why did he appoint 38 cabinet ministers, six more than he had prior to the election, with their higher salaries, additional staff and perks like limos for their use? These are not the actions of someone who Leads from the front, or by example.
But let us not forget the Liberal Party. Their divisions go back to when Paul Martin was making his bid to replace Jean Chretien as leader several years ago. There was bitterness between both camps that went beyond Mr. Martin's ascension to Prime Minister, until at least his downfall, if not after. And it appears as if more of this was going on as supporters tried to get Mr. Ignatieff elected as leader during the last leadership race that Stephane Dion won, and possibly again as the race heated up to replace Mr. Dion.
Canadians only have to look to their neighbours south of the border to see a real example of Leadership. President-elect Obama suffered many political attacks from within the Democratic party, as he sought to be the Democratic candidate for the 2008 election. Mr. Obama suffered further attacks as he faced off against the Republican candidate John McCain, to win the election. Did President-elect Obama show vindictiveness towards his political foes? Is he waiting to be inaugurated to tackle the economic crisis in America?
President-elect Obama has reached out to his opponents, in order to work with them to do what's best for Americans. He made his Democratic Party leadership foe Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State. The President's representative to foreign nations. He retained Mr. Gates as the Secretary of Defence, a Republican, to ensure continuity while America fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has invited Mr. McCain for discussions, to work with him. He has announced his planning of an economic stimulus package to get the American economy moving again. Something he can't actually implement until he is inaugurated on January 20th. These are the actions of a Leader.
What a sorry state Canadian politics are in at this time. The one bright spot is Bob Rae. Today he announced that he was withdrawing from the Liberal Leadership race and is putting his full support behind Mr. Ignatieff to become the new Liberal leader, so that the party (and coalition) can prepare for the resumption of Parliament. This is a man who has had many years in political life. He lead the Ontario NDP, became premier and went into federal politics with the obvious intention of becoming the Liberal leader, and possibly Prime Minister, which would have been the crowning achievement of his political career. In the best interests of the party, the country and the Canadian people, he has stepped down, thus potentially ending the possibility for him to become the leader of the party (because of his age).
Bob Rae is a man who not only Leads from the front, he leads by example!
Many politicians can learn from Mr. Rae...including Prime Minister Harper.
Wings Over The World
December 07, 2008
Canadians to Decide: Coup or Dictatorship
What's happening in Canadian politics these days is very disconcerting. It seems as if Canadians must decide between a coup d'etat...or a dictatorship.
Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative minority government was supposed to provide the Canadian public with an economic statement that would allay fears Canadians had about the economy. Instead, they made a blatant attack on public funding of the opposition parties that would effectively bankrupt them. They also intended to roll back pay equity and suspend the right to strike for public service employees.
In response, the opposition parties (Liberals, NDP'rs, and the Bloc) banded together and came to a coalition agreement to oppose the Conservative government. This caused the Conservatives to back off on their plans. In addition, the possibility of a non-confidence vote in the House prompted Prime Minister Harper to request of Governor General Michaelle Jean to prorogue Parliament until January 26th. That means no debate in the House until then. As strange as it may seem, experts have said that all of these actions are perfectly legal within the Canadian Constitution.
Some people (including the Conservative government) have called the coalition of opposition parties an attempt at a coup d'etat over the democratically elected government. If that's true, then Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative government have become a dictatorship. Because the opposition parties individually could not mount an effective defence to the Conservatives, the parties banding together and forming a coalition has scared the Conservatives into thinking their government could fall. By closing Parliament until the end of January, they have effectively taken away the right of the Canadian voters' representatives from being heard in the House. This sounds too much like the actions of a leader of a small African country trying to tenuously hold onto power. The difference being there aren't any tanks around Parliament Hill or the Prime Minister's residence...yet!
The black humour in all of this is that Canadians have fought and died in foreign lands to combat coups and dictatorships. Canada has a long history of supporting democracy and ensuring the people of a country retain their right to choose those that would represent them in government. But the actions of the current Canadian government does not provide leadership by example.
In this time of economic instability, Canadians need to know that their political leaders are responsible and doing what is needed to ensure the best outcome for the country. Now is not the time for pettiness. At first, I thought proroguement was a bad idea. And from the standpoint of democracy, it is. However, it gives the chance for everyone to step back and take a deep breath. It also gives the Liberals the opportunity to change leaders. It's obvious the Canadian people could not stomach Mr. Dion leading the country, especially during these times. Whether the Liberals appoint an interim leader (such as the Liberal House Leader, Ralph Goodale) in advance of the leadership convention in May, or quickly choose from the leadership candidates, that needs to happen as soon as possible so that they can prepare for the resumption of the sitting of the House.
Proroguement of the House also gives the Conservative government the opportunity to put partisanship aside and come out with a budget that helps Canadians. That will be something the opposition coalition could support, and allow the Conservatives to continue to govern.
What Canada needs right now is political leadership (not partisanship) and stability. If the Conservatives can't provide it, then the opposition coalition should be given the opportunity.
Wings Over The World
Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative minority government was supposed to provide the Canadian public with an economic statement that would allay fears Canadians had about the economy. Instead, they made a blatant attack on public funding of the opposition parties that would effectively bankrupt them. They also intended to roll back pay equity and suspend the right to strike for public service employees.
In response, the opposition parties (Liberals, NDP'rs, and the Bloc) banded together and came to a coalition agreement to oppose the Conservative government. This caused the Conservatives to back off on their plans. In addition, the possibility of a non-confidence vote in the House prompted Prime Minister Harper to request of Governor General Michaelle Jean to prorogue Parliament until January 26th. That means no debate in the House until then. As strange as it may seem, experts have said that all of these actions are perfectly legal within the Canadian Constitution.
Some people (including the Conservative government) have called the coalition of opposition parties an attempt at a coup d'etat over the democratically elected government. If that's true, then Prime Minister Harper and his Conservative government have become a dictatorship. Because the opposition parties individually could not mount an effective defence to the Conservatives, the parties banding together and forming a coalition has scared the Conservatives into thinking their government could fall. By closing Parliament until the end of January, they have effectively taken away the right of the Canadian voters' representatives from being heard in the House. This sounds too much like the actions of a leader of a small African country trying to tenuously hold onto power. The difference being there aren't any tanks around Parliament Hill or the Prime Minister's residence...yet!
The black humour in all of this is that Canadians have fought and died in foreign lands to combat coups and dictatorships. Canada has a long history of supporting democracy and ensuring the people of a country retain their right to choose those that would represent them in government. But the actions of the current Canadian government does not provide leadership by example.
In this time of economic instability, Canadians need to know that their political leaders are responsible and doing what is needed to ensure the best outcome for the country. Now is not the time for pettiness. At first, I thought proroguement was a bad idea. And from the standpoint of democracy, it is. However, it gives the chance for everyone to step back and take a deep breath. It also gives the Liberals the opportunity to change leaders. It's obvious the Canadian people could not stomach Mr. Dion leading the country, especially during these times. Whether the Liberals appoint an interim leader (such as the Liberal House Leader, Ralph Goodale) in advance of the leadership convention in May, or quickly choose from the leadership candidates, that needs to happen as soon as possible so that they can prepare for the resumption of the sitting of the House.
Proroguement of the House also gives the Conservative government the opportunity to put partisanship aside and come out with a budget that helps Canadians. That will be something the opposition coalition could support, and allow the Conservatives to continue to govern.
What Canada needs right now is political leadership (not partisanship) and stability. If the Conservatives can't provide it, then the opposition coalition should be given the opportunity.
Wings Over The World
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