If you want to know what that agenda looks like, read anything written on the Reformers from 1987-1999. Stephen Harper drafted their policy, 2/3 of it cribbed from the National Citizens Coalition handbook.
If you don't want to read the books, watch the Tea Party debates. Mass deregulation, attacks on the poor, attacks on women's rights and gay rights, religious fundamentalism, law and order for corporate America, everyone packing heat in the name of vigilante justice .... it's all there and then some.
What Harper may not have anticipated, however, was Canadians fighting back.
We are not taking the demolishing of gun control lightly, especially given the mean spirit in which it is being forced on us. The Reformers are not only going against the wishes of the police, and the Canadian public who fought so hard to keep it, but they are also stifling debate in future governments, by destroying all records.
The environment is now back in the news, and climate change once again a key issue. The Harperites don't believe in the science of climate change, so instead have spent the last five years and millions of our dollars, launching a denial campaign. I heard a Tea Party politician recently suggest that we shouldn't worry about it because God promised Noah that there would be no more floods.
I feel better already.
Wheat farmers in the West have launched a campaign to raise awareness to the devastation that the abolishment of the Canadian Wheat Board will have on their farms.
In Brandon Manitoba, they dumped a pile of grain in front of Conservative MP Merv Tweed's constituency office. In Saskatchewan they straddled a railway crossing, symbolic of Harper telling farmers to get on his multinational corporation train.
The Canadian Wheat Board Alliance was formed to fight back, and demand the democratic rights of farmers.
After suggesting that "Bilingualism" was "the god that failed", Canadians instead have recently told our little dictator, that bilingualism is vital to Canada's future. "47.5 per cent feel that bilingualism is “important” and 22.3 per cent feel it is “somewhat important”. A total of 8.1 per cent think it is “somewhat unimportant” and 19.2 per cent think it is “unimportant”." Pushing English speaking only appointments is not a smart move.
The Liberals were right to stage a walkout in protest.
Canadians rejected the Reformers at the ballot box, and the Conservative Party of Canada is still the same old Reform Party. They are now in a position where they no longer have to pretend to be anything other than Reform, so look for a continued assault on Canadian values.
Jim Flaherty and Mike Duffy have been in Kingston Ontario recently, leading ghost walks, a popular attraction. Both brought up Sir John A. MacDonald, as if they had something to do with their party.
Sir John A. would have hated these guys, because they are the antithesis of everything he stood for. A strong central government and independence from the United States. Kingstonians are smart enough to know that. We have a Liberal MP, Ted Hsu; a Liberal MPP, John Gerretson; and our progressive and foreword thinking mayor, Mark Gerretson, is the MPP's son.
Nanos did a poll recap for October and under leadership scores, Harper is down 17 points, Bob Rae up 10.8. Nycole Turmel is down slightly (by 3 points) and Elizabeth May up almost 9.
Harper might want to rethink his agenda. Not that he will. The arguments of American conservatism are iron clad. He couldn't change course now even if he wanted to.
very nice emily..a good summary of what i have been trying to tell my friends..who all turned to vote NDP this year based on TV commercials and put Harper into his majority...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they left out implementing the good parts of the Reform agenda, like improving democracy and accountability.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the writer could post actual Reform party policies and agenda, or would that be too much to ask. - Right - because they are not the same.
ReplyDeleteOther than reform of the Senate there's not much of anything taken from Reform policy - would that we had more referenda and grassroots participation.
Neither did Reform take over the conservatives, that's only the left wing mantra and don't forget, your lesson for today - Reform party members where actually conservatives prior to that, so really, it was conservatives going back to their conservative roots !!