Federal politics is getting stranger all the time, and more than a little bit scary.
It is frightening to watch the antics of the federal Tories under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Conservatives had been straining at the long leash of a minority government for years, drooling at the thought of taking full control of the House of Commons.
Well, their wishes have come true and they are steam rolling over the Opposition, as the federal NDP lost its leader shortly after the election and, undoubtedly, Canadians were relying on Jack Layton to temper the Tory enthusiasm.
The former powerhouse federal Liberals are a shadow of what they once were, and now appear to be rudderless on the political landscape.
It appears there is little opportunity to slow Mr. Harper in his push to reshape Canada.
The prime minister will do what he thinks is best and folks better watch out if they get in his way.
The Tories want to close the investigation on the F-35 fighter jet fiasco. (It can’t look good when our leader is travelling abroad or making deals with our southern neighbours.)
It’s absolute nonsense to close the investigation when so many things went wrong in this messy affair, especially when the mismanagement of this project would be costly for the already beleaguered Canadian taxpayers.
Now, the Tory government wants to push Bill C-38, the Budget Implementation Bill, through the House.
It includes some six dozen laws that will significantly affect the lives of all Canadians now and into the future.
The trouble is most folks, including the folks we send to Ottawa, don’t know everything that’s in the bill – let alone the fine details or the pitfalls it may create in the future.
So, how do people slow down the Harper Express?
They try to encourage their elected representatives to urge the prime minister to give more time to scrutinize the bill.
If that doesn’t work, they do what British Columbians did when the B.C. Liberals rammed the HST down our throats.
This is exactly what 30 or so concerned citizens did when they held a protest rally in front of Cathy McLeod’s office in 100 Mile House on June 2.
The pebble has started rolling down the mountain.
