A recent writer evaluating Harper’s governance (“PM Reviewed”) indicated that “Nobody can deny that Mr. Harper’s economic policies are working.”
In the general scheme of things I am pretty much a Nobody, so here is my denial.
First off, we are currently on the brink of another official recession, the first one in 2008-09 having been papered over with statistics rather than real growth. The government of course blames the global economy – when of course they always take credit when times are good.
The major blame is on the price of oil, now chasing below $50/barrel. Yes, that is because of the global economy – but with the tar sands representing Canada’s role in the global economy, combined with the federal government’s reliance on a Canadian petro-dollar then, yes, the Harper government is responsible for the current economic downturn.
As Nobody, my second concern is with all the supposed “free trade” acts promoted by the Harper government. “Free” trade has nothing to do with these agreements. They are designed to give corporations the power to overrule domestic sovereignty. Harper is doing his best to have corporations run the country rather than its citizens. This runs through education and health care all the way up to how we are governed.
Which, as a Nobody, I also have to disagree with the writer’s positive assessment of Harper’s domestic policies. The (un)Fair Election Act, Bill C-51 (security, supposedly), and the earlier omnibus finance bill all have created a situation that abrogates our rights to innocence until proven guilty, privacy, and detention without recourse to representation.
Harper avoided issues like abortion, divorce, and the death penalty not because they were controversial but because he knew the majority were against his position with them. As for his domestic liaisons with the provincial leaders, Harper has avoided every meeting of the provincial premiers including the current one just ended in St. John’s. The main topic there? Oil and energy – no wonder he avoided this one.
So instead of two out of four, Nobody gives Harper zero out of four.
Does Anybody know what to do? It seems Nobody does.
Nobody indicates that the government should invest in major domestic infrastructure projects:
– twin railway lines, electrified, across Canada – better yet, make them high speed like they are in Europe, Japan, China;
– invest in municipal infrastructure – renewing bridges, sewer lines, water supplies, medical facilities and educational facilities;
– invest in green technology while continuing with a tax on carbon producers;
– support domestic shipbuilding, with more Coast Guard facilities and ships, and more Arctic patrol vessels;
– denounce the TTIP and TTP and other “Free trade” acts that undermine domestic producers in agriculture and industry and reduce our sovereign and individual rights.
– remove ourselves from U.S. supported foreign wars that create an environment of terror throughout the world, thus dissolving the “need” for CSIS/RCMP domestic “terror” surveillance.
However, as Nobody expects common sense to rule over political power and greed, perhaps Somebody else will be able to proceed with a stronger domestic and foreign policy agenda.
Nobody (aka Jim Miles}
Vernon
