Revisiting Harper's Bid For the UN Security Seat

When Louis St. Laurent was acting as secretary of state for external affairs, he held a dinner party in honour of Ernest Bevin, who was then Great Britain's foreign secretary. At the end of the meal, Bevin got up and made a speech, praising Canada for standing beside Britain in her hour of need. 'His compatriots, he said, would never forget the way their cousins across the Atlantic had come to their assistance during the darkest days of World War 11.'

St Laurent was not impressed by the implication that Canada had entered the war out of loyalty to the mother country, rather than for reasons of principle.

In his reply to Bevin he went out of his way to emphasize that Canada's declaration of war had been an independent decision made by the country's elected representatives, that it was prompted by the nation's determination to fight Nazism and had nothing whatever to do with helping Britain. (1)

That was an important stand, because Canada's foreign policy was based on what we felt was right at the time. And that same independence kept us out of Vietnam and Iraq, despite the fact that they were wars waged by our powerful neighbours. And St. Laurent wanted his guest to understand that, in no uncertain terms. 'St Laurent believed that most Canadians wanted their country to contribute to world peace and better understanding among nations. ' (1)

And I firmly believe that most Canadians still want "their country to contribute to world peace and better understanding among nations." Unfortunately our current government does not.

And for that reason more and more people are lending their voice, protesting a seat on the UN Security Council for a man so committed to war.

Harper wants this seat for a reason, and it has nothing to do with his phony reiteration of UN "values" -- none of which has he ever paid even lip service to. No, Stephen Harper wants the seat so that he can assist the U.S. in whatever imperial adventures and world domination plans it rolls out. Seeing Harper shaking hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was truly repugnant, given Harper's unmatched and singular support for whatever Israel does. (Remember his "measured response" comment regarding Israel's laying waste to Lebanon? A more grotesquely disingenuous gesture is hard to imagine.) If Harper gets his wish, it will give him more opportunities to back Israel and support whatever action against Iran that the U.S. and Israel want, including bombing its nuclear sites. (2)

When Jean Chretien decided not to go to Iraq, Stephen Harper was livid. Not because he had studied the situation and weighed his options. What he said was: "I don't know all the facts on Iraq, but I think we should work closely with the Americans." (3)

He would have been quite willing to send us to war without knowing the facts. 'Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition' and to hell with what Canadians want.

Is this really a person who should be on a "security" council?

Canada’s formerly expansive foreign policy has narrowed into three tunnels at the end of which lie Washington, Kabul and Tel Aviv. Those faced with a choice between Canada and Portugal might well consider what Canada’s platform is, and whether we are the same Canada that once worked so hard for peace in the world.

In terms of actually winning votes, the Harper government seems to have it backwards. Shortly before announcing our candidacy, the government cancelled its bilateral aid programs in eight African countries, along with Cambodia and Sri Lanka. It then sent its hapless CIDA Minister, Bev Oda, to Colombo to harangue the Sri Lankan government on human rights abuse. Salt may cure some wounds, but it tends not to win votes.

The second question is, Does Canada deserve a seat in the Security Council? Bob Fowler, Canada’s longest-serving UN ambassador, says no: “The world doesn’t need more of the Canada it has been getting.” Narrow or non-existent policies on key issues, an ineffectual aid program based on the shifting sands of political opportunism, UN peacekeeping operations languishing at rock bottom, and cynical opportunism in the Middle East suggest that Canada may not have much to offer. More than half of the Security Council’s time is spent on African issues, a continent that the Harper government has deliberately pulled away from. And we seem not to be very interested in the UN anyway. (4)

"The world doesn’t need more of the Canada it has been getting.” Wow. This is our country guys and this is what he has done to it. How incredibly sad.

When Canada stayed out of Iraq, a group calling themselves 'Canadians for George Bush' began holding rallies. In Ontario speakers included Jim Flaherty and Stockwell Day. Out West, Jason Kenney led the charge.

At one of these rallies, a group of war protesters showed up, and the George Bush fans, Canadians all, began to chant "USA! USA!"

I guess we'd better get used to it.

Sources:

1. The Making of a Peacemonger: The Memoirs of George Ignatieff, By Sonja Sinclair, University of Toronto Press, ISBN: 0-8020-2556-0, Pg. 108

2. Don't Give Canada a Security Council Seat: Despite the PM's high-minded rhetoric, we haven't earned the spot, By Murray Dobbin, The Tyee, September 27, 2010

3. Report Newsmagazine, March 25, 2002

4. Canada and the UN Security Council: Not Ready for Prime Time? The McLeod Group, September 2010

Canadians are Now Receptive to a Progressive Coalition to Get Rid of Harper

Australia's election results reveal the desire for a coalition government. David Cameron came to power on a coalition in Britain. We can do this. Harper lied about the legitimacy of such a move, despite the fact that he tried to do the same thing himself in 2004.

This is not a merging of parties, only a pre-election agreement that they will join forces, after the election.

Can you imagine being able to select a dream cabinet from the best of the House. There are many in all parties who could do so much for this country, and without the toxic partisanship, we might have some hope in moving forward with such things as climate change.

I think we are ready.

People who may have been persuaded by the first blast of the Tory Rage Machine's hysterical response to the coalition idea have now had a little time to think about how our Parliamentary democracy really works, and how they've observed it working elsewhere. Moreover, they’ve also had nearly two additional years to see Harper in action. It's been -- and continues to be -- an educational experience.

As a result, going into the next federal general election, Canadians have had their consciousness raised about Parliamentary coalitions. Sure, lots of folks will still be opposed. And the Rage Machine will still scream at us that coalitions are an outrage. But Canadians have had a couple of years to ponder what really happened 2008, and what could have. It seems likely, in these circumstances alone, that many more voters than not will have moved from the anti-coalition camp to the group that is at least prepared to consider the idea.

What's more, going into an election that could result in a coalition from the get-go is different from being surprised by the idea a few days after what you'd thought was a foregone conclusion.

Canadian Veterans Ready to do Battle With Stephen Harper Again

No one knows for sure why Stephen Harper hates Veterans. If he actually spoke to Canadians I'm sure he'd give us an explanation, right?

But these men and women were soldiers and they know a thing or two or two about fighting for something you believe in.

That's why they are prepared to go into battle with a prime minister who is trying to tell them they are no longer needed. Out of sight out of mind.

But just as they fought for us, now we have to fight for them. Writing to Harper or any member of his party is useless. They chuckle and then burn the letters.

Write to the media. Letters to the editor in local papers is a good place to start. We can't allow this to continue. Veterans planned a news conference for Tuesday in Ottawa to protest the Conservative government's decision not to appoint Pat Stogran to a second term as the voice of injured soldiers and RCMP members.

Dennis Manuge, who has fought the clawback of long-term disability benefits all of the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, said veterans will not let Stogran go without a fight. "It just seems everybody in Ottawa that tries to do their job and let the government officials and bureaucrats know what's failing and what's wrong and what needs improvement, are being canned," said Manuge, a former army corporal who suffered a debilitating back injury in 2000.

He and others plan to speak out for Stogran, a former ground commander in Afghanistan. His appointment three years ago as the first-ever veterans' ombudsman was hailed by Conservatives as the beginning of new era in the treatment of retired soldiers. Stogran, who will be part of news conference, was notified early last week that his appointment will not be renewed, according to federal government sources. Word of his anticipated removal leaked late Friday.

This is totally unacceptable.

Kingston's Brian Abrams' Campaign Posters Unveiled

The headline on the front page of our local paper today read: A Sad Day for Canada and it was a sad day for Canada indeed.

Without justification, explanation, or even consultation; the Harper dictatorship closed down Canada's prison farms, as part of an ideological pattern of behaviour.

They had no interest in listening to experts, dismissing them as 'university types', and refused to even meet with stakeholders. They were going to do what they wanted to do, come hell or high water.

Kingston activists have spent 18 futile months trying to arrange a meeting with those involved, but in true Harper pattern, he refused to listen. However, turn about is fair play.

The end of the blockade is the beginning of another battle, say organizers of a dramatic two-day standoff between police and protesters outside a federal prison in Kingston. Police crushed the protest Monday, bringing in a riot squad of about 40 provincial police officers to clear demonstrators who were preventing cattle trucks from ferrying cows out of Frontenac Institution so they can be sold at auction.

"The resolve of everyone who's been there has been hardened by this," said organizer Aric McBay, who operates a farm on Howe Island.

He said many people who got involved in the issue, not just the two-day blockade, have a new appreciation for justice issues and the notion of prisoner rehabilitation. "These events will help people to transition into another kind of struggle," he said. "Our argument is that the government is ignoring people and taking an authoritarian approach."

Word is that the Reformers really wanted the riding of Kingston and with the retirement of the Liberal Peter Milliken, thought they had a chance. But they underestimated the people of Kingston and the pride we take in our community. And part of that community was the 100-year-old prison farms.

This will not only be an election issue but it will be the election issue in this city. Because this represents more than just those farms, but defines the Reform movement. Brian Abrams, the local candidate for Harper's party from the bowels of hell, never showed his face to one single event. Not one.

And why?

Because he wasn't allowed.

And this is how he would represent Kingston and the Islands. Photo-ops, ribbon cuttings and pre-scripted press releases. Kingston deserves better. Canada deserves better.

I'm afraid Mr. Abrams hopes drove away with those cattle trucks.

Because we will remember this brave 87-year-old woman being carried away by three police officers.

And we will remember this wonderful donkey who worked so hard to save his friends.

And we will remember all of those who were arrested simply because they disagreed with the Harper regime, including a 14 year-old girl and several professors from the Royal Military College.

And we will remember all the local farmers who stood in solidarity with the inmates, and learned about human dignity and the value of rehabilitation.

But mostly we will remember a government that abandoned them all.

Please Answer This Poll. Harper's Hatred For Farmers is Palpable

His hatred for human beings even more so.

The CBC has a poll: Should the prison farms remain open?

Please take it. That SOB is the most inhumane monster on the planet.

My husband just came from the demonstration as they were hauling the cattle away, many are going to slaughter. The gutless police are arresting anyone trying to take a stand, including an elderly woman who could take that spineless Harper down with her bare hands, she was so angry with him.

All of the farmers there today to show their support, said that Stephen Harper will never get elected again. They are going to make sure of it. And when my husband asked about our local neocon candidate, Brian Abrams, They asked "Brian who?"

Another spineless jerk who has not shown his face even once. I am so angry.

I know know what evil looks like.

And cowardice looks like this.

More than 150 police officers faced off against several hundred protesters at the entrance to the Frontenac Prison in Kingston, Ont., Monday morning, as the demonstrators tried to prevent trucks from removing a herd of cattle from the prison farm there.The protesters oppose the federal government's decision to close all six of Canada's prison farms, which provided work for inmates.

Protesters gathered at the entrance of Frontenac Prison on Sunday in an attempt to prevent several trucks from picking up a dairy herd.

The demonstrators voluntarily withdrew Sunday evening after receiving a promise from police that no cows would be removed overnight, according to a statement issued by the Save Our Prison Farms group.Police charged nine people, including a woman in her 80s, with mischief following the protest Sunday. A 10th protester was arrested Monday morning.

A woman in her 80's. Brian Abrams should be ashamed. As to Harper, he has no soul. And what bothers me the most is that that bastard is probably laughing somewhere, enjoying himself.

We're counting the days Stevie. You're OUT!

Canada's Unemployment Situation at it's Worst Since the Recession Started

Despite claims that Harper has led out of the recession, the employment situation is worse than ever.

The performance of the labour market in July 2010 was catastrophic. The unemployment rate is back up to 8.0%. The number of full-time jobs in Canada decreased very rapidly in July, when 139,000 full-time jobs were eliminated. The number of permanent employees fell by even more, by 144,400.

Full-time job losses were offset by a shift to part-time work (+129,700). One worker out of 5 now works part-time, the highest proportion ever recorded since
data have been collected (1976).

Overall, a total of 9,300 jobs were eliminated in July, the first decrease in employment since the beginning of 2010. There are still more than 250,000 fewer full-time jobs today than at the beginning of this “Great Recession” in October 2008 (-266,200). The long term unemployment rate remains high. The percentage of Canadians who have been unemployed for more than 6 months was 22.5% in July, the highest level of long term unemployment observed since the jobs crisis started in October 2008. Before the crisis, the long term unemployment rate was around 12%

And yet we are giving away billions of dollars to an American firm for fighter jets and Stephen Harper is planning to send even more jobs south.

I'd like to say it's been nice knowing you Steve, but the truth is, it's been pure hell!

Harper's Plan to Ship Jobs South Meeting With Opposition

In one of the most lop-sided NAFTA deals, Canada stands to lose thousands of jobs, but there is is a large group protesting his move.

An unlikely coalition of Calgary oil workers, Nebraska farmers, Michigan mothers, Greenpeace shock troops and a powerful U.S. congressman have a chance to achieve what many thought impossible — bring a Canada-U.S. oil pipeline project to a screeching halt.

The pipeline they are trying to stop is a 9,600-kilometre monster designed to ferry black bitumen from the Canadian tar sands due south to planned refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.

... The thousands of kilometres of new pipeline being proposed reveal a radical restructuring of the way oil and gas are being delivered on this continent. For Canadians, the consequences have been crushing.

Rammed through despite serious opposition, the first Keystone, built by TransCanada Corp., cost Canada thousands of jobs. An analysis by the Informetrica think-tank demonstrated that besides exporting 400,000 barrels of heavy crude a day, it also shipped out 18,000 high-paying Canadian jobs. Twice the size of TransCanada’s first Keystone is the new project, Keystone XL. It will shoot out 900,000 barrels of heavy crude in a one-way ride to the U.S. The number of jobs lost is expected to be more than double the 18,000 already gone.

These pipelines are sending our raw, unprocessed bitumen from Canadian tarsands to spanking new oil refineries in the U.S. It is the equivalent of shipping millions of raw logs for others to cut the two-by-fours and create the wood furniture. Like forestry, the best jobs are in processing. We are left with the tarsands’ massive mess. The Americans get the good jobs.

"The Americans get the good jobs." Harper would pee in his pants if he had to do something for Canadians.

We need an election NOW!

Invoke Article V and Remove Harper for Negligence

Sign the petition and get this mad man out of office. He's an absolute beast.

And join Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper. I've had it with this man.

Join the We Want an Election Group. It's Time Harper ... It's Time!

Another new group. Yes!

Don't you love social media?

Stephen Harper is suggesting that the economy is too fragile for an election. This translates to:

"I'm afraid that during the campaign the auditor general will find out why I gave an untendered 453 million dollar contract to an American firm to beat up Canadian citizens. I'm afraid she'll discover that we have no idea where the stimulus money went. I'm afraid that the predicted 40% of my sub-prime mortgages will fail and taxpayers will be upset when they get the bill for 50 billion dollars"

Be afraid Stephen Harper. Be very afraid.

Reformers to Spend 25 Million of OUR Money on a Problem THEY Created!

Stephen Harper once wrote in an op-ed piece that he was for Alberta first, and the rest of Canada a distant second.

Rich coming from a man born and raised in Toronto.

But if he had made Alberta his home and felt a sense of pride in the province, I can understand that. But the rest of Canada "a distant second"?

Nice to know that our current prime minister holds us in such esteem.

So should we be surprised to learn that he going to spend 25 million dollars of our money to convince us that his latest horrendous decision is good for us?

An aide to Mr. Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.) confirmed what a source told The Hill Times—that $25-million of the $30-million Mr. Clement referred to as advertising money to promote the long questionnaire is actually for additional follow-up once the short census, which by law is mandatory to complete and return to government, is mailed to all Canadian households. The government is aware, without saying so publicly, that its decision to replace the 40-year-old mandatory version of the long census will likely result in confusion among Canadians over which of the forms they must fill out by law, the source said.

And they are preaching austerity?

Understandably, this is lowering morale at StatsCan.

The fallout from the Conservative government's decision to axe the mandatory long form census, which led Canada's chief statistician to resign in protest, is affecting morale in a "major way" within Statistics Canada, say sources close to the department. On July 21 the head of Statistics Canada, Munir Sheikh, resigned his post, and when he appeared before the House of Commons Industry Committee on July 27 he said it was the perception in the media, possibly caused by comments made by Industry Minister Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), that he was in support of the Harper government's decision to scrap the mandatory long form census that caused him to quit.

"The fact that in the media and in the public that there was this perception that Statistics Canada was supporting a decision that no statistician would, it really casts doubt on the integrity of that agency, and I as head of that agency cannot survive in that job," he told the committee on Tuesday.

Herr Harper must be thrilled. He hates civil servants almost as much as he hates women, facts, Liberals, Red Tories, the media, children, the poor, Canadians, scientists ...

And speaking of scientists:

Rob Granatstein Says That Stephen Harper is Not a Leader

I agree of course, but Granatstein is one of the most right-wing journalists in the country. If he says that Harper is not a leader, believe me ... he is NOT a leader!

And while the journalist goes into the old nonsense about there not being an opposition, he clearly believes that there is no government either. Harper's disappearing act is leaving him a little puzzled, because while he is nowhere to be found:

...he’s having a summer of implosions ... Too many fumbles on too many non-issues is not the sign of a strong leader. Canadians want to enjoy their summer, want the economy to roll on strongly and don’t want to be bothered by questions about the strength of our PM. By staying in the news, Harper has looked confused and weak, and he’s done it to himself.

Maybe he's at the circus school he built with our infrastructure money.

Judging by the latest fundraising letter, this is a government that has run out of ideas.

There are two other recent columns that I want to talk about though.

One was James Travers, who is one of my favourite columnists. But in his most recent, he suggests that Harper is poised to win another election. Based on what? 31% in the polls, where Alberta always places him higher than warranted? Weird comment for Travers.

The other was Tom Walkom's. As expected it was pretty anti-Liberal, though he does almost, sorta' kinda' say something quite possibly not unflattering to Michael Ignatieff.

But then he went down a strange road. When discussing Ignatieff's education, he makes a point of saying that he attended "high school at Toronto’s elite and privately funded Upper Canada College".

Is there a point to that? Stockwell Day attended private school, Stephen Harper went to school in what his biographer William Johnson describes as a 'WASP' (whites only) neighbourhood and Jason Kenney attended a private Catholic school run by his father. Was Walkom trying to again paint the Liberal leader as an 'elitist'? A little weird.

Michael Ignatieff's father was a high ranking diplomat and he comes from one of the oldest families in Canada. His great-grandfather was George Munro Grant:

In 1867, Nova Scotia was greatly apposed to joining Confederation, until a popular scholar and theologian, George Monro Grant stepped in. It is said that without his involvement, there may not have been a Dominion of Canada, at least not at that time. (Elections Canada: A History of the Vote in Canada, British North America, 1758–1866)

I would not have expected him to attend public school, if for no other reason than security. Besides Upper Canada is a renowned school, so again, Since when is a good education a liability?

But the most bone-headed comment came on Lloyd Mainsbridge when the panel got around to talking about 'Harper's base'. One panelist, I can't remember his name, suggested that since the Libertarians were not large in number, Harper had no base.

Whaaaaaat?

The Libertarians gave up on Harper long ago and are actually now running attack ads against him. Do journalists even try anymore?

Why is Stephen Harper Abandoning Our Veterans?

After learning that the Harper government is planning on closing the Veterans Affairs office, no doubt the reason for Greg Thompson's resignation, the story just keeps getting worse.

The way John Sheardown and other veterans in need of long-term care are being treated in their twilight years amounts to a national embarrassment, critics of the Conservative government say. Sheardown, 85, is a former bomber pilot and a Canadian hero who, along with former ambassador Ken Taylor, played a key role in the rescue of six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis 30 years ago.

Suffering from Alzheimer’s and recovering from a broken hip, the long-time Canadian diplomat is languishing in hospital and faces a wait of up to 18 months for a bed in a veterans’ long-term home in Ottawa, the Star revealed Friday. “I simply cannot understand how Veterans Affairs is dragging its feet here,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Friday while touring the Niagara Region. “This is a man who did something heroic for Canada. . . . We shouldn’t even be having this conversation. And I appeal to the minister to act immediately on this. It is just causing anguish to a good woman and it’s treating a man who served our country well in a poor way.”

The Harper government has responded with "No comment". I'm responding with "No more Harper government."

Stephen Harper Has Offered an Alternative Census Form

Stephen Harper outlines above how census information will now be gathered. I like the old way.

Munir Sheikh is scheduled to appear Monday on a panel at the conference where he will explain how government statistics make a difference. He will also be glad-handed by his peers for resigning from government over the decision to make the long-form census voluntary. “You have to admire the head of Statistics Canada for sticking to his principles,” said Mr. Thompson, who retired from public service and now works in the private sector. “It’s emblematic of how serious many people take their responsibility to be independent and objective.”

Even Michael Den Tandt is critical, saying that it is "among the dumbest things Harper has done..."

That’s because this move, and the government’s obduracy in the face of criticism from just about everyone, is among the dumbest things Harper has done as PM. Already the Tories have slipped measurably in the polls. Pollster Alan Gregg says we mustn’t attribute this to the census fight because most Canadians aren’t really engaged. True, as far as it goes. Many of us were lounging dockside when we began to notice headlines about an obscure controversy involving statistics.Only in summer, we said, and went back to our beach books.

But then the critics started to pile in. They now include every Canadian municipality; a clear majority of provinces, including Ontario and Quebec; current and past senior bureaucrats at Statistics Canada, including the recently resigned deputy minister, Munir Sheikh; the Conference Board of Canada; the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, among many others. So far Harper himself has said nothing. He’s on holiday. So Maxime Bernier, Jim Flaherty and the increasingly woebegone Tony Clement have been left to spin the party line.

Here it is: Canadians shouldn’t be threatened with jail if they don’t complete the form. And, some of its questions are too intrusive. The wrinkle: No one has ever gone to jail for non-completion of the census in the 340 years since it was first taken in 1666, in what was then New France.

Defense Department Vandalism Traced to Cold Lake Alberta

I posted about the defense department trying to hack into Wikipedia to change a story on the jets the Reformers want to buy. They not only tried to change the story but they hurled insults at Michael Ignatieff.

Harper has just ruined everything we once respected. The RCMP, the police and now the military, all for partisan politics.

The Ottawa Citizen has traced the vandalism to Cold Lake Alberta. Some people need to be fired over this, including Peter Mackay.

The mystery of who at the Defence Department has been vandalizing information on a Wikipedia website critical of the Conservative government’s decision to spend billions on a new stealth jet is now centred on the busiest fighter base in the country.

Defence Department information technology specialists haven’t yet been able to determine where the computers being used to alter the Wikipedia site are located, according to department officials in Ottawa. But using a readily available search engine on the Internet, the Citizen has tracked the locations of the three computers to CFB Cold Lake, Alta. The base is expected to be a major centre for the Joint Strike Fighter (or JSF) the Harper government wants to buy.

Authoritative and Bossy. Oh really? I Hadn't Noticed.

Susan Riley has a great column today about Stephen Harper and his handling of the RCMP controversy.

By the way, you can buy the T-Shirt here. It is part of Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper, so be sure to join and show your support.

Apparently Stephen Harper is on vacation. Poor boy is tired out from watching replays of the mess he made in Toronto. Too much excitement watching innocent civilians being pounded to the ground.

But Riley is speaking of the mess he made of the RCMP.

Is it too late for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make an emergency booking at that Arizona company that provided troubled RCMP commissioner William Elliott with leadership coaching a couple of years ago?

Canadian taxpayers would probably be happy to pay the $44,000 fee, if the prime minister would sacrifice some well-earned holiday time. It would be a bargain, if it produced mature and effective national leadership -- instead of the petulant style on display in recent weeks.

... But he is not the central problem in Harper's Ottawa; Harper is. Anyone even vaguely familiar with the vast literature of management studies will recognize the prime ministerial style: bossy, bullying, cold -- or, in academic jargon, "exploitative-authoritative."

This kind of leader, say the experts, "has low concern for people and uses threats and other fear-based methods to achieve conformity. Communication is almost entirely downward ..." Examples abound.

Thank you Susan. That was awe inspiring.

Harper's Incredible Shrinking Image

Lawrence Martin had a great column yesterday about Harper and his shrinking tent.

Martin is also laying much of the blame on Guy Giorno, a man more power hungry than Harper himself. However, he is forgetting that there was a reason for Harper alienating his supporters and choosing a master of image politics.

His image was tarnished and he knew it.

For five years Giorno made Mike Harris look like a premier by choreographing his every move, until Harris may have just got tired of it all and quit.

Because underneath the image presented to Ontarians through photo-ops and scripted press releases, was a government in trouble. Bad decision after bad decision was wearing them down.

But while Martin may believe that Stephen Harper is being given bad advice, he forgets how much Stephen Harper loves this stuff. He feeds off it. Giorno has made him a king.


They used to call Giorno Rasputin, but I think a more apt name would be Dr. Frankenstein, because the only thing Giorno creates is monsters.

Let's Get the Party Started: Good-Bye Stephen Harper

Sing this every time you see his picture, and believe me you'll see his picture a lot. And I mean a lot.

Dave Bennett wrote on the Canadian Dimension: Now is the Hour: Say Goodbye to Stephen Harper

I've ordered the party favours and we have the music. The day that man and his sidekick Guy Giorno walk off the Hill the cheering will be deafening. Hands down the worst government we've ever had.

Whether you saw him as a scheming megalomaniac or as an ill-advised puppet, the effect is the same ... Harper and his team must go. More and more Canadians are moved to gather the evidence, and I offer a sample in this article. York Prof. James Laxer wrote in his blog, “Reducing the normally vibrant city of Toronto to a comatose vegetable has not been a pretty sight. We have been treated to the methods of police state where there is no connect between the people and their supposed leaders. This must never be allowed to happen in our country again.”

James Laxer again: “Now the Harper government is back to putting ideology ahead of economic thinking. The Conservatives plan to continue lowering tax rates for corporations and the wealthy and they are determined to slash government spending, except for military outlays. Bash public servants, hold down their incomes, and cut social spending — that’s the recipe. If adopted by a large part of the world, it’s a recipe for depression.”

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na ... hey, hey.. GOODBYE!!!

Now everybody sing: "I don't like Stephen Harper .. I wish that he'd just go away" These guys are definitely invited to the party.

Harper to Civil Servants: Tell Someone Who Cares

In another move suggesting that Herr Harper just can't stand people, he is also cancelling the civil servant survey because they simply have too many good ideas.

Harper hates good ideas.

The government solicits voluntary feedback from its workers every three years to improve programs and services. The survey gives a snapshot of workers' demographics, skills, career expectations and concerns. The union that represents civil servants accused the Tories of turning a deaf ear to the bureaucracy. "In eliminating this survey, I think government is quite clearly saying to their workforce that they're not interested," said Patty Ducharme, executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. "They're not interested in hearing their ideas, they're not interested in hearing what's actually going on in the workplace.

And as Tim Naumetz suggests, it's part of a broader narrative.

The uproar over Prime Minister Stephen Harper's political interference in the 2011 mandatory census has "legs" and a deeper impact than the government expected that could influence an election if one is held this fall, pollsters and opposition MPs say.

For Harper to be a t 31% in the poll, is very troubling for him, considering that Alberta always distorts the figures in the first place. Statistically, he's about 27-28.

Will this be his curtain call? We can only hope.

Stephen Harper Can Sure Pick 'em. Another Embarrassment as RCMP Boss Bombs

So two of Harper's choices to head up important agencies have turned out to be duds. And true to form, Stephen Harper is not talking.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to the Star’s request for comment Monday. The RCMP told the CBC that a workplace assessment is being commissioned. The protest against Elliott, who became the first civilian to head the Mounties in July 2007, comes a month after controversial comments made by Canada’s top spy, CSIS director Richard Fadden.

Fadden said the Canadian Security intelligence Service had two provincial cabinet ministers and a number of municipal politicians under surveillance for their relationships with foreign governments. Both Elliott and Fadden were appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But Vic Toews is deeply troubled. He should be.

Stephen Harper and His Reformers at 31% in the Polls. Yikes!

Boy when he falls he falls hard. The headline suggests that voters are turning away from the Liberals, but I don't see it that way.

Harper is now below his threshold.

He has spent 10 million dollars running Ignatieff "Just Visiting" ads and spent almost 100 million dollars, approved by Guy Giorno, on tax payer funded self-promotion.

What is he going to campaign on?

31%?

Maybe he shouldn't have had Canadians beat up while he lounged at "fake lake". And Maybe he shouldn't be giving corporate tax cuts when we need all the money we can get.

Or maybe, just maybe, Canadians are finally waking up. Dare I dream?