Go, Quebec! Run!
I've never been a fan of Quebec separatism. Not in the least. There's no logic in it... it'll be bad for both Canada and for Quebec. But after this week I am actually starting to feel some sympathy towards sovereigntists.
Watching more and more people, including friends, come out with foaming-at-the-mouth, hate-filled rants and slurs, not just against separatists but against the Quebecois in general too, it's really no wonder they want nothing to do with the rest of us.
But more than that, watching the way things are going, I think Quebec is smart to get as far away from Canada as possible. This country is headed in bad directions and there's no reason they should want to follow us there.
This whole political mess is boiling down to Harper versus the evil Bloc Quebecois. "Oh how dare those Libs and NDP strike a deal with the Devil! We're better to stay with Harper!"
Here are just a few of the things I've seen from Harper over the past few years:
- The Conservatives find out I'm a Liberal, so they punish the entire organization I work for
- The group I work for disagrees with the government on a policy issue, so they punish again and in so doing sabotage one of the most advanced on-farm food safety systems in the world
- Farmers oppose the government on the Wheat Board, so the Ag Minister abuses his authority, gets their private business info, and publicly releases it in Parliament
- The Conservatives launch their campaign to destroy the Wheat Board, giving funding to groups that oppose the CWB, but slapping a Ministerial gag order on the CWB itself to prevent the agency from presenting its side. The head of the CWB is fired. When a vote on the CWB is held, the Conservatives jury-rig the ballot with additional misleading questions to confuse and divide the vote and ensure victory.
- Tobacco farmers get mad because Harper and Diane Finley broke their promise to help them get out of the industry. Finley threatens them that if they vote against her, they'll never get another penny from government
- In a private email an independent scientist complains about being forced to say "Canada's New Government" and is dumped from a the federal "Scientist Emeritus Program"
- The head of the nuclear safety commission does her job and stops a hugely unsafe situation, but since it caused embarassment for Harper, she's accused of being a Liberal and is fired
- A library invites a Liberal MP to a charity event. The local Conservative MP tells them they'll lose all federal money if they don't un-invite him
- The father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan criticizes the government, so a Conservative MP accuses him of being a Liberal
- Elections Canada uncovers the fact the Conservatives more or less engaged in money laundering during the 2006 election (you remember that election - the one where the Cons ran on a platform of accountability?) so Harper sues them. This after previous head of Elections Canada suddenly and mysteriously resigns shortly after having begun his own investigation into Tory misdeeds.
- It's revealed the Cons tried to bribe a dying ex-Con MP to get his vote in Parliament. So Harper sues the leader of the opposition to try and kill the story
- The Conservatives release a manual to Committee Chairs advising them how to stop the committees from working properly if they should start looking at issues the Cons don't want them to
- Harper makes a law to stop Prime Ministers from calling an election whenever is most politically convenient. He breaks his own law the very next election.
- The Conservatives promise greater accountability, but under their watch the time it takes to get documents under the Access to Information Act more than doubles. And if you make to many requests for info, you get red-flagged. The Conservatives also shut down a web site where you can see all the Access to Info requests that have been made.
- Many federal bureaucrats are now afraid to talk to non-government organizations for fear of being punished.
- And of course, the incident that set all this off, Harper tried to use a financial trick to basically wipe out all opposing political parties.
And really I can just keep going. The list just goes on of Harper's assaults and undermining of Canadian democracy. Yet somehow people think better him than the Bloc. Given the choice I'll take the Bloc. They may want to separate but at least they for the most part stick to democratic means to achieve their ends.
This will sound like hyperbole to some, but I really believe it. I've been to Zimbabwe, and frankly the only difference I see between Stephen Harper and Robert Mugabe is that Harper has not yet actually employed physical violence to oppress opposition. For now he's sticking to things that don't leave a mark.
SO you know what? I say go Quebec separatism! Get your province as far away from this country as you can before Harper drags you down with the rest of us, because Canadians are too blind to see what the real threat is.
Watching more and more people, including friends, come out with foaming-at-the-mouth, hate-filled rants and slurs, not just against separatists but against the Quebecois in general too, it's really no wonder they want nothing to do with the rest of us.
But more than that, watching the way things are going, I think Quebec is smart to get as far away from Canada as possible. This country is headed in bad directions and there's no reason they should want to follow us there.
This whole political mess is boiling down to Harper versus the evil Bloc Quebecois. "Oh how dare those Libs and NDP strike a deal with the Devil! We're better to stay with Harper!"
Here are just a few of the things I've seen from Harper over the past few years:
- The Conservatives find out I'm a Liberal, so they punish the entire organization I work for
- The group I work for disagrees with the government on a policy issue, so they punish again and in so doing sabotage one of the most advanced on-farm food safety systems in the world
- Farmers oppose the government on the Wheat Board, so the Ag Minister abuses his authority, gets their private business info, and publicly releases it in Parliament
- The Conservatives launch their campaign to destroy the Wheat Board, giving funding to groups that oppose the CWB, but slapping a Ministerial gag order on the CWB itself to prevent the agency from presenting its side. The head of the CWB is fired. When a vote on the CWB is held, the Conservatives jury-rig the ballot with additional misleading questions to confuse and divide the vote and ensure victory.
- Tobacco farmers get mad because Harper and Diane Finley broke their promise to help them get out of the industry. Finley threatens them that if they vote against her, they'll never get another penny from government
- In a private email an independent scientist complains about being forced to say "Canada's New Government" and is dumped from a the federal "Scientist Emeritus Program"
- The head of the nuclear safety commission does her job and stops a hugely unsafe situation, but since it caused embarassment for Harper, she's accused of being a Liberal and is fired
- A library invites a Liberal MP to a charity event. The local Conservative MP tells them they'll lose all federal money if they don't un-invite him
- The father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan criticizes the government, so a Conservative MP accuses him of being a Liberal
- Elections Canada uncovers the fact the Conservatives more or less engaged in money laundering during the 2006 election (you remember that election - the one where the Cons ran on a platform of accountability?) so Harper sues them. This after previous head of Elections Canada suddenly and mysteriously resigns shortly after having begun his own investigation into Tory misdeeds.
- It's revealed the Cons tried to bribe a dying ex-Con MP to get his vote in Parliament. So Harper sues the leader of the opposition to try and kill the story
- The Conservatives release a manual to Committee Chairs advising them how to stop the committees from working properly if they should start looking at issues the Cons don't want them to
- Harper makes a law to stop Prime Ministers from calling an election whenever is most politically convenient. He breaks his own law the very next election.
- The Conservatives promise greater accountability, but under their watch the time it takes to get documents under the Access to Information Act more than doubles. And if you make to many requests for info, you get red-flagged. The Conservatives also shut down a web site where you can see all the Access to Info requests that have been made.
- Many federal bureaucrats are now afraid to talk to non-government organizations for fear of being punished.
- And of course, the incident that set all this off, Harper tried to use a financial trick to basically wipe out all opposing political parties.
And really I can just keep going. The list just goes on of Harper's assaults and undermining of Canadian democracy. Yet somehow people think better him than the Bloc. Given the choice I'll take the Bloc. They may want to separate but at least they for the most part stick to democratic means to achieve their ends.
This will sound like hyperbole to some, but I really believe it. I've been to Zimbabwe, and frankly the only difference I see between Stephen Harper and Robert Mugabe is that Harper has not yet actually employed physical violence to oppress opposition. For now he's sticking to things that don't leave a mark.
SO you know what? I say go Quebec separatism! Get your province as far away from this country as you can before Harper drags you down with the rest of us, because Canadians are too blind to see what the real threat is.