Stephen Harper Found in Bed With Separatists

I still find it mind boggling that the Conservative caucus was allowed to get away with their horrendous attack on Quebec and Francophones during the Parliamentary crisis.

Their shrill battle cries empowered the crazies and some of the comments seen around message boards, were astounding. I remember one from Alberta claiming a desire to 'lay waste' to Quebec on the way to do battle with 'Ontario'. Another suggested it was time to get rid of the 'Frenchies' once and for all, and even Diane Finlay sent out an email calling Gilles Duceppe 'a citizen of France' (that contained three spelling mistakes).

It is the duty of a Prime Minister to keep a country united, but instead Stephen Harper played on old hostilities to divide the country, just to save his job.

Of course, he's never really been a federalist and in a speech he made to the National Citizens Coalition, when he was the Reform Party MP for Calgary West, reveals that he would much rather see a loose federal government, than a united Canada. “Whether Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion.”

Now in his defense Paul Martin made the same accusations against Harper when he formed his coalition in 2004, to reverse the results of the election. The non-confidence-mania that defined Martin's tenure became talking points that Stephen Harper was in bed with the separatists to bring down the Liberals.

I never really liked Paul Martin as a Prime Minister. I think he was and still is a brilliant financier, and many of the initiatives he put in place are helping Canada today to stay on solid footing during this economic crisis. But he ran too many attack ads and I hate attack ads.

But what I do find horrendous is the way that Stephen Harper will defy some legislation based on the support of 'separatists', (he once claimed that the gay marriage law lacked legitimacy because it was sailing through with the support of the Bloc) but has used that same 'separatist' support to push his own bills.

And then of course there was Stockwell Day's proposed Coalition with the Bloc to become an unelected Prime Minister in 2000, until a Liberal majority put an end to the notion.

But despite the horrendous display throughout much of December and January, we've learned recently that Harper may once again try to schmooze the 'separatists' and 'socialists' to hold onto power. He really wants to be in charge when the Olympics takes place, to see how his new NAFTA on steroids security plan will play out.

Tories court Bloc and NDP in bid to hold onto power
April 29, 2009
CTV.ca News Staff

Tory insiders say the party is hatching a survival plan to keep the surging Liberals at bay and delay any potential election long enough to enjoy the international limelight at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

A major plank of the plan would see the Tories delay next year's budget and deliver it in late March -- two months later than when the budget was handed down in 2009.

That would deprive the Grits of an important confidence vote before the Olympic flame arrives in Vancouver next February, at which point the Conservatives hope the economy will have turned around.

Over the past months, the recession has provided much grist for the Grit mill, and allowed the official opposition to attack the government as insensitive and incompetent.

"We intend to be there (for the Olympics)," one senior Tory told The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

A second part of the plan will see the Tories launch a series of attack ads this summer focusing on the Liberal's popular new chief, Michael Ignatieff. (so this was not in response to the Grit Girl ads, as they suggest)

However, the Tories will need the NDP and the Bloc to play ball if they hope to stave off a non-confidence vote before the 2010 Winter Games, to be held from Feb. 12 to 28.
So far, it appears the NDP and the Bloc are willing to back up the Tories -- at a price.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe has been pushing for a tax-harmonization deal with Ottawa and wants improvements to the EI system. It's expected that Duceppe will lay out his formal demands on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Parliament witnessed a bizarre move when the Conservatives voted in favour of a Bloc motion that transfers $2.6 billion to Quebec and allows the province to administer its own sales tax.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton appears open to the idea of working with the Tories. However, his support is contingent on the condition that Ottawa deliver EI reform, provide stricter credit card regulations and increase pension protection.

Personally, I'm hoping this government is gone by the time the Olympics rolls around. I want my country back.