Ignorance is Bliss - not in this case - the Real Stephen Harper

Important information - please read before voting:

If you are from Atlantic Canada, Quebec, a member of the Canadian Labour Congress, a woman, ethnic, a supporter of choice, or a liberal minded Canadian, or a Canadian period - please read. I have highlighted for emphasis.


Below - please take the time to read quotes from a speech Stephen Harper delivered as, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, to a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing U.S. think tank, and taken from the council's website:

Let's take the New Democratic Party, the NDP, which won 21 seats. The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it's actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men.

Some people point out that there is a small element of clergy in the NDP. Yes, this is true. But these are clergy who, while very committed to the church, believe that it made a historic error in adopting Christian theology.

The NDP is also explicitly a branch of the Canadian Labour Congress, which is by far our largest labour group, and explicitly radical.

However, our executive is the Queen, who doesn't live here. Her representative is the Governor General, who is an appointed buddy of the Prime Minister.

First, facts about Canada. Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States.

In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.

But the important point is that Canada is not a bilingual country. It is a country with two languages. And there is a big difference.

In fact, before the Reform Party really became a force in the late '80s, early '90s, the leadership of the Conservative party was running the largest deficits in Canadian history. They were in favour of gay rights officially, officially for abortion on demand. Officially -- what else can I say about them? Officially for the entrenchment of our universal, collectivized, health-care system and multicultural policies in the constitution of the country. At the leadership level anyway, this was a pretty liberal group. This explains one of the reasons why the Reform party has become such a power.

If you look at the surviving PC support, it's very much concentrated in Atlantic Canada, in the provinces to the east of Quebec. These are very much equivalent to the United States border states. They're weak economically. They have very grim prospects if Quebec separates. These people want a solution at almost any cost. And some of the solutions they propose would be exactly that.

For years, we elected Quebec prime ministers to deal with that, Quebec prime ministers who were committed federalists who would lead us out of the wilderness. For years, we have given concessions of various kinds of the province of Quebec, political and economic, to make them happier.

As long as there are exams, there will always be prayer in schools. 

The complete speech found here CTV

Harper's 20 messages of Fear - Be very afraid Canada

Stephen Harper to Canadians

1. You do not want an election,

2. You really do not want an election,

3. Be afraid of them (all other political parties) - they are and always have been plotting a coalition,

4. Be afraid of a Liberal lead coalition with the Bloc,

5. Be afraid of the Bloc (even though he used them to prop up a previous budget),

6. Be afraid of an NDP lead coalition,

7. Coalitions are bad,

8. Be afraid of Michael Igfnatieff,

9. Be afraid of Jack Layton,

10. Be afraid of Gilles Duceppe,

11. Fear for the economy - unless I and only I can get a strong majority,

12. If Canada does not elect me - everything will fall apart,

13. Be afraid of everybody but me because they will spend too much (Harper outspends everybody),

14. Be afraid of not lowering tax on giant corporations (Exxon profits first quarter 11 billion dollars),

15. I will only answer 5 questions at media events (Mr. Transparency),

16. I lie so you won't be afraid of the truth (and he can't sell the truth),

17. Beware of Helena Guergis - for the "things" she has done (nothing proven whatsoever),

18. If you do not elect Conservative members your area "might" not be represented,

19. Love Republicans as you would love thou self,

20. Be very afraid of an open and accountable democracy.

Just a little backbone - could have saved Canada from...

...right wing fundamentalists like Harper and other Reformers. Make no mistake that's what they are - eerily similar to Bush and the gang south of us.

They will lie through their teeth - sell out their principles in a heartbeat if that meant power and the ability to control a country while gaining favour with the corporate elite. These people are puppets - as evidenced by Harper's lies during the last federal campaign. Lies that cost people billions of dollars. Lies that threatened the retirement of seniors and the budgets of entire provinces.

You see their holier than thou attitude with respect to things like same sex marriage - abortion - and troubled youth are simply that - attitudes - designed to evangelize the people - get the vote - and let the trouble begin.

Harper sold out his "judgemental" followers who are against abortion et al - those without tolerance - the minute he gained "power". The "progressive" part of conservative was gone the minute Harper became leader of the hostile "takeover".

The need to write about this today comes from a news story last night - about Scott Brison and his longtime partner Maxime Saint-Pierre getting married. Among the attendees were Paul Martin, Joe Clark and Frank McKenna - all progressive - all successful - and all believe in the Charter.

Scott bailed on the new "Conservatives" presumably after determining that leopards don't change their spots. Brison showed guts while Loyola Hearn and Peter MacKay stood silent - gutless as the remains of their party (PC) was eviscerated and tossed in the non-recyclable bin.

The PC's of old would not have us in Afghanistan - fighting a civil war between people and poppies. They would not have our men and women in uniform battling in a country where the rights of women or those of different faiths continue to be violated even by the "new" leadership.

Loyola and Peter - both of whom take some credit in creating this monster - Loyola by playing a key role in the merger (takeover) - and Peter by stabbing a fellow PC to allow Harper to rise to the top - sit back and take it all.

Canada will not be Canada under Stephen Harper and his right wing fanatics - it will be a poor take-off of the Republicans. Hearn and McKay know this but yet they do nothing - fear of admitting they were wrong - or loving the scraps Harper and the corporate gang throw to them. They would rather see Canada dragged into a world of intolerance and fear - dragged into conflicts which have more to do with protecting oil supply than protecting democracies - dragged into the conservative world of evangelistic moral values and legalized mob activities - than stand up - be men - admit they were wrong - and leave Harper dangling in his jungle of puppetry.

The PC's are gone and due to people like Harper and Hearn it will be a long time before the Progressive Conservatives will come back. I'm sure they will in time - as Canadians reject the war mongering - money loving - hypocrisy of these right wingers. Harper will not get a majority - unfortunately it will not be on the strength and courage of a Hearn or a MacKay. They are satisfied to sell out their own people and repeat messages spun by the likes of a Timothy Powers. You see there are Liberals and Progressive Conservatives who will be chameleons if it means a good government or corporate contract. They have money in their ass pockets - be damned with everybody else.

What will destroy Harper is the Quebecers and possibly Ontarians who will not trust their country or provinces to the ilk of Stephen Harper. They are smart though - they will get every last copper out of the feds - because they know Harper wants power at any price. They are filling their coffers while they have the chance and then they will vote Liberal or NDP or Bloc.

Norm Doyle knew better and just ducked his head and moved forward to his own retirement - guilty of inaction costing Newfoundland and Labrador billions of dollars - Loyola Hearn lacking courage to admit a mistake took shelter under Harper's wing and finds it easier to take mocking from his own people than face the ire of Harper - and poor Fabian Manning - he's just along for any ride (as short as it might be) and therefore will follow the crowd that accepts him. Remember the day - he sat along side the PM in the House of Commons - that's all it took for Harper to convince him that selling out his own people was okay. For those of you who may have thought Manning showed guts when he was booted out of the Williams caucus for speaking his mind on RMS - think again - Manning just did not believe he would be kicked out - else he would not have done it to begin with. A mistake which made him look courageous.

I can't wait for the next federal election - I can't wait to get rid of Harper and the boys in his back-room. The federation is fragile enough without these liars hiding behind a Bush.

For my part - because I stood behind Hearn in the last election as I felt that the PC's in the new party would keep Harper in check while possibly correcting regional disparities - I must work twice as hard to ensure these people never see a majority. As I said then - we will get a chance to kick the tires of this new minority - well I've kicked them and the rubber is flawed and the air is leaking out - they are going flat. I wonder were they made in China?

One final note - congratulations to Scott and Maxime - may they live a long and healthy life together.