Harper on the Ropes

Boy, it’s been a ride these past few weeks for Steve Harper and his Conservative/Reform/PC/Alliance party. A quick scan of news articles and commentaries from across Canada has begun to paint a picture of a government on the ropes, and rightfully so. Here are just a few examples of what’s being said.

…The Harper government denied intimidation of whistleblowers in the civil service after the RCMP arrested an Environment Canada employee. "The government has been highly criticized for its environmental policies and instead of strengthening them, it has gone on a witch hunt," said Andrew Dumbrille, a spokesperson for Climate Action Network.

…The Harper government's commitment to the French language has come under fire following the appointment of unilingual anglophones to several top jobs and a decision to shut down public hearings on the abolition of a program that helped francophones fight for their rights in court.

…On the international trade front, relations between Ottawa and Beijing have steadily deteriorated since Harper came to power.

…I don’t know why Stephen Harper lets Loyola Hearn get away with it. Hearn is trying to bring socialism back to the East Coast fishery. Or at least he’s trying to control fishing licences and quotas in a way that erodes efficiency, curbs competitiveness, and foments factiousness. And if Hearn succeeds, the industry fails.

…Stephen Harper’s government continues to erode the Canadian universal public healthcare system - The integrity of Canada's Medicare system is being challenged on several clear and pressing fronts, say leading experts gathering for a two-day conference to fix Medicare.

…Prime Minister Stephen Harper is perilously close to becoming the biggest political casualty the Canadian mission in Afghanistan has produced so far. His centralized approach to governing has left ministers sidelined or swinging in the wind.

…Stephen Harper's invoking Parliamentary privilege, to avoid testifying in a defamation suit brought against him and the party by long-time Conservative Alan Riddell, exposes serious contradictions between Harper's sanctimonious stated positions and his actual practices in the realm of cleaning up politics.

…The federal government's blatantly obvious strategy is to bamboozle Canadians into thinking it's on the ball when it comes to the environment by presenting plans that have one flashy element, which everyone remembers, and then essentially supporting the status quo in everything else.

…The Van Doos regiment based in Val Cartier, Quebec is scheduled to ship out to Afghanistan in August. Recently Col. Michel Drapeau, a respected military analyst, was asked for his thoughts on why the Quebec regiment hadn’t already been deployed. His response was that he was, “…surprised by it.” Drapeau went on to say, “Either they weren't ready for it, or it could simply be a political decision for whatever reason one could imagine."

…The removal of interest deductibility would make it more difficult for Canadian companies to compete and to expand internationally. … The outcry from the opposition, economic nationalists and some business leaders over the recent wave of foreign takeovers increased this week following U.S. Alcoa’s hostile bid for Montreal-based Alcan.

…Dozens of regulations are being quietly altered to help integrate Canada with our neighbors to the south. The problem is, almost no one knows about it and no one has been consulted. Up for grabs is the Canadian energy grid, Canadian drug laws and federal food regulations.

…Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay is getting a second invitation to appear before the legislature’s public accounts committee. The committee wants the Central Nova MP to testify about Ottawa’s treatment of the Atlantic accord, and chair woman Maureen MacDonald said it has the power to subpoena him when he is in the province.

...Harper's refusal to divulge the names of the donors to his pivotal Canadian Alliance race also plays into some voters' lingering fears he has a hidden agenda. It opens up questions like: Is there a hidden agenda? Who are his financiers? What are their agendas? ...Is there gun lobby money? ...Is there anti-women's equity money? Is there foreign money?

Yes indeed. It’s a tough time to be a federal Tory. The list goes on of course but I’m sure you get the general idea. Personally I could cite many more major problems with the Harper government. Everything from increased ferry rates to canceling literacy programs, from a lack of support for women’s groups to a failure to support a UN moratorium on bottom trawling. The list is practically endless.

How many more can you folks add to this list?