Harper's Mean Streak Was a Perfect Fit for the NCC

It would be difficult to sum up Stephen Harper in a word, though 'mean' would definitely come to mind.

Sure he has his good points, which sadly are almost immediately overshadowed by his bad.

He loves his family, but is not above exploiting them in the same way that Brian Mulroney did.

He has a profound admiration for our military, but seems stuck at Vimy Ridge, not really understanding actual warfare. (I suppose some of that comes from the fact that his father was an avid military memorabilia collector, who would view war from a turbo-charged patriotism perspective, and not see the human suffering involved in armed conflict).

He believes passionately in the things he believes in, but that passion often overrides common sense and common decency.

However, it's his mean streak that really defines him, guides him, and makes him vindictive, petty and down right cruel.

Preston Manning describes several incidents involving Harper, that paint a picture of an ambitious young man, who is not above poking his friends in the eye. If he didn't get his own way, he'd withdraw and plan his revenge, but it is the horrendous personal manner in which he exacted that revenge that would turn your stomach.

For instance, when he butted heads with Mr. Manning over the direction the party was going, instead of calling a meeting to clear the air, he aired their dirty laundry in the press.

When there was some question over expenses claimed by the Reform Party leader, Harper went right to the media, not settling for simply slamming his boss, but also disgraced Preston's wife, causing a temporary rift in the Manning marriage. Harper did this without proof, and made no apologies. Another personality flaw that would follow him throughout his career.

So when he took a hiatus from federal politics to join the NCC executive, what were personality flaws became assets to this attack group. It also gave him an opportunity to promote his agenda through the Reform Party, by working behind the scenes at the NCC, without the constraints of party politics.

This gave him important ties to some very influential people and groups, who would become instrumental in his rise to the PMO, including Conrad Black, who had already made several sizable donations to the Reform Party. (He may have also been introduced to Karlheinz Schreiber at that time, though that is still speculative)

In 1996 Black had purchased the Southam chain of newspapers and two years later created the National Post, determined to replace what he referred to as a 'soft left bias', with a right wing hammering of his own ideology. Harper already had a reputation as an ideologue so he was always given a platform at the Post.

This was the period when he began his infamous and long running assault on the Canadian Wheat Board; but not before using his new office to influence the 1997 election.

Through the NCC, Stephen Harper spent $ 200,000.00 in attack ads that ran on radio stations, coinciding with print ads and massive billboard visuals, in what he dubbed "Operation Pork Chop".

The theme was the 'gold plated' pension plans that MPs enjoyed, and since Preston Manning had declared that his Party would opt out of the plan (they didn't), it provided fodder for career destroying personal assaults. Harper's VP at the NCC, Gerry Nicholls, described it as guerrilla warfare.

In Edmonton where Liberal candidates Judy Bethel and Anne McLellan were running for re-election, he ran a newspaper ad featuring two pigs drinking champagne, while frolicking in a trough filled with cash. The pig's heads were replaced by those of the two women, and the caption read "On June 2, Chop the Pork. Re-electing these two MPs will cost you 1.7 million."

The ads worked, and though McLellan did squeak out a victory, Bethel was pummelled and never returned to politics.

What does that say about a man who would put a woman's head on a pig's body in an almost sensual depiction of lust?

However, Operation Pork Chop, that didn't stop at these two women, but went after all Liberal MPs in the West; was a resounding success.

Polls at the outset had the Liberals at 40%, and the Reform at 25%, but on election day the latter took 60 of the West's 88 seats. The NCC had secured Harper's victory in 1993, and had now managed to steal an election for his clan, giving him an opportunity to return later as a conquering hero. As an in your face to Preston Manning, he had accomplished what the current leader could not. Political success and all he had to do was play dirty.

And of course we know that nothing's changed. The Conservative attack ads are always personal. We're seeing it with Michael Ignatieff and we saw it with Stephane Dion.

It's not enough to run heel grinding, 'kick 'em when their down' campaigns, but they must be 'kick 'em 'til they're dead', before Harper will call it quits.

Ironically, in his book, Preston Manning never mentions the influence of the NCC, despite the fact that they were so instrumental in his own rise to power. In fact, his father was on the advisory board of the NCC and it was he who suggested that they register as a non-profit organization, to take advantage of the tax breaks.

Harper never mentions the NCC, either. Enough said.

More Postings on Harper and the NCC:

1. Harper and the NCC Step Up Their Battle For the Wheat Fields

2. Harper, the NCC and the Initial Assault on the Canadian Wheat Board.

Harper, the NCC and the Initial Assault on the Canadian Wheat Board.

When investigating Stephen Harper's political career with the Conservative/Reform/Alliance Party (C.R.A.P.), all roads ultimately lead to the National Citizens Coalition, and his decades long battles with the Canadian Wheat Board, are no exception.

It started when the NCC launched a heavily financed campaign against the board, supposedly on the behalf of Western farmers.

Straight Goods believe that the campaign may have been funded in part by Karlheinz Schreiber, because of a reference he made to pasta machines (pasta, wheat?), but it seems more likely that the American based National Association of Wheat Growers, were the driving force. They were the ones who would benefit the most, and indeed even today are praising Harper's initiatives.

Clearly somebody was providing a lot of money for Stephen Harper and the NCC to fight the government agency tooth and nail.

When trying to uncover the truth, it helps to know their MO. First they choose a cause, usually on behalf of some industry, who no doubt provide a lot of the funding, (though it doesn't stop the NCC from soliciting contributions. In fact they are still milking it today), then start up 'grassroots' groups to simultaneously launch their own campaigns, which are also professionally run and well funded. These groups then back up the Conservative/Reform/Alliance, who naturally take the side of the 'little guy'.

We've seen this recently with Ridley Terminals Inc. and the 'grassroots' groups that sprang up overnight, all represented by the same lobby group, to maintain the heavily government subsidized operation, on behalf of the coal industry. In fact a staffer immediately left John Baird's office to lobby for the largest beneficiary of the subsidies.

Now back to the Canadian Wheat Board, the National Citizen's Coalition and Stephen Harper.

In 1987 the president of the NCC, David Sommerville, while attending a policy meeting of the Reform Party, asked those at the table, including Harper, if any of them belonged to the National Citizens Coalition. Everyone raised their hand, (Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada Pg. 76) so we know that our current PM has been involved with the organization for more than two decades.

Harper had drafted policy for the Reform Party, and Somerville says that most of it was cribbed from the NCC handbook.

In 1993, when Stephen Harper was running against his former boss, Jim Hawkes, the NCC spent $ 50,000.00 to run attack ads against Hawkes, over his Bill C-114, the amendment to the Elections Canada Act to limit the amount of money spent by third parties during an election campaign; dubbing it the "election gag bill".

It worked and Stephen Harper became the Reform Member of Parliament for Calgary West.

Then four years later, he stunned the media when he announced that he would be resigning and joining the National Citizen's Coalition as Vice-President. Seen as the heir apparent to Preston Manning, many people wondered why he would instead work for a contentious right-wing advocacy group.

When asked if he was just stepping aside until Manning retired, he made it known that he had no interest in running for the party leadership (certainly not his last lie).

He would soon get his feet wet in the first of many attacks on the Canadian Wheat Board.

At the time there was a strong sentiment coming from the West about what they deemed to be the arbitrary nature of the CWB. The recent trial of prairie farmer Andy McMechan, who was jailed for 'border jumping', (unlawfully selling his grain in the U.S. for more money than he could here), had people hopping mad.

A new legitimate grassroots group, Canadian Farmers for Justice, had taken up his cause, and Mr. McMechan received a great deal of community support.

From the Canadian Farmer's newsletter: "Late September saw a huge turnout for an old fashioned farm bee on the McMechan farm. Organized by friends of the McMechan family, people turned out from all around to help combine the fields and bring in the harvest. Still others were helping out on the garden, mowing the lawn and trimming trees. Even CTV's W-5 turned out with some cameras to record the event. And to make me wish I was there even more, there was a "huge table of food, baking, sandwiches and pickled preserves."

I love that story.

The resulting media attention peaked the interest of the National Citizen's Coalition, and obviously one Stephen Harper, because it wasn't long before they got involved. With the emotional backing of the Canadian Farmers for Justice and a victim, Andy McMechan, they were good to go.

In July 1997, the NCC started running attack ads against Ralph Goodale in Saskatchewan, and beginning September 22, 1997, also in Ottawa. According to Somerville: "Our plan is to run a radio ad blitz in the West where Goodale lives and in Ottawa where he works. One way or another he will get the message."

Goodale had proposed changes to the CWB that allowed it to be run by a board of directors, 10 elected by the prairie farmers themselves, and the other five appointed by the government; but the Reform Party MPs would have none of it. They wanted the Wheat Board gone and Jay Hill promised that they would try to delay the vote on the bill, though it did pass.

The July 1997 newsletter of the Canadian Farmers for Justice let their supporters know: 'Who Speaks for the Western Farmer? Prairie farmers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are now represented almost entirely by Reform MPs who stand for farmers' choice in grain marketing.'

The stage was set.

Was Stephen Harper an Early Beneficiary of Karlheinz Schreiber's Generosity?

Anyone following the Karlheinz Schreiber saga knows that there has to be more to the story than what has been revealed so far.

Apparently his 'kind hearted' benevolence was to the tune of some ten million dollars, and since Brian Mulroney only received a small portion of that, where did the rest go?

Did he pay off Peter MacKay's half million dollar debt so that he wouldn't challenge Stephen Harper's leadership bid for the new party? He was tight with Mackay's dad.

Stephen Harper only agreed to an inquiry when he learned that he was mentioned in court documents, so what was he afraid would be revealed? Was it simply the allegations that he agreed to help Mulroney cover up the mess, or was there something more damaging?

Straight Goods, believes that the Harper/Schreiber relationship may have started much earlier than that, back in the days when our current Prime Minister was an attack dog for the National Citizens Coalition.

But first a bit of background on Harper and the NCC, from Wikipedia:

The NCC claims a membership of between 40,000 to 45,000 individuals, but has not released members' names. Stephen Harper, the current Prime Minister of Canada, served as President of the organization from 1998 to 2002.

The NCC holds no annual general membership meetings and provides no financial statements to its members. The organization's constitution distinguishes between 'voting' and 'public' members. Public members pay dues but do not have formal mechanisms for influencing the organization's policies or priorities. Public members are not entitled to be notified of or to attend any meetings, and they are not entitled to vote at any such meetings.

Harper NCC Timeline:

1993 – The NCC successfully supports Stephen Harper's bid to become a Reform Party Member of Parliament for Calgary West.

1997 – Harper resigns as Member of Parliament to join the NCC. (he had been a member for at least a decade before that, but was now an actual employee)

1997 – Stephen Harper becomes Vice-President of the NCC.

1998 – Stephen Harper becomes President of the NCC, Gerry Nicholls becomes Vice-President.

2002 – Stephen Harper resigns as President of the NCC to seek the leadership of the Canadian Alliance.

But did he resign? When U.S. Republican pollster John McLaughlin posted a congratulatory letter to Stephen Harper after winning the 2006 election, he stated that he had worked with Harper and the NCC for many years. On his resume he boasts that he was responsible for our PM's rise to the top and on the McLaughlin & Associates website, they still list the NCC as one of their clients.

I think he just saw a better way of advancing the NCC's agenda from the inside, and his battles against the same institutions he fought when he was with the group, including Elections Canada and the Wheat Board, certainly suggest that.

Now to the Straight Goods' story involving pasta, the NCC and the Canadian Wheat Board. (I know there's a joke in there somewhere ... pasta, the NCC and CWB were in a bar see ... nah, never mind)

Who funded Harper's Wheat Board vendetta?
PM has been after Wheat Board since he was at National Citizens' Coalition
Ken Larsen , Southern Alberta
February 12, 2008

"Follow the money"

Brian Mulroney's former chief of staff Norman Spector advised the Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. He suggested the committee's most important work was to find where and to whom Karlheinz Schreiber distributed around $10 million in so-called commissions.

In December Schreiber told the same committee, "So forget the pasta thing. That came much later." At the time, many thought he was just talking about a machine. However, Mr Schreiber went on to testify that he and Mulroney discussed what to do about pasta in 1994, and he then went on to say "it started somehow in 1996 or 1997." Perhaps it was entirely coincidental, but less than a year later Steven Harper's National Citizens Coalition had generous funds to attack the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).

For Mr Harper it seems it was all about the pasta. He justified his attacks on the CWB with help from a couple of small groups, by claiming the CWB was preventing investors from opening pasta plants. For those who understand food processing, and the overbuilt pasta industry, these proposals were about as credible as a kindergarten class announcing they could build a working nuclear reactor if only Federal regulations were removed. However they did serve as a convenient stick for Harper to use on the CWB.

Indeed, Harper became infamous for attacking the CWB using lavish electronic and print advertising. In spite of repeated demands from farmers, Mr Harper is not interested in transparency and accountability when it applies to divulging the source of this anti-CWB funding.

Urban Canadians have only recently become aware of Prime Minister Harper's methods of sabotaging important Canadian institutions like the Nuclear Safety Commission. However farmers have been subjected to Harper's obsession with the CWB and pasta for years.

Mr Szabo, the chair of the Ethics Committee, said they are looking for more documentation from Mr Mulroney about his consulting business and reports of business he conducted for Mr Schreiber. When will Mr Harper explain his long and expensive fixation with the Canadian Wheat Board and pasta?

Although the Commons Committee has unearthed some information, many knowlegeable people have stated it does not have the structure and resources suited for the task. A full public inquiry with all the resources and power to subpoena documents and witnesses is required. Only then will Canadians be able to follow the Schreiber-Mulroney money trail and learn if it includes the pasta thing that Mr Harper was so obsessed with when he was spending big dollars on CWB attack ads.