Deceit, Deception, Dishonesty

Three words that quite nicely encapsulate Stephen Harper's campaign to be President of the United States of Canada. Today, we've heard from the leaders of all the major parties, but I want to focus my attention on Mr. Harper today. We heard from him today the first reasonable thing he's said, ever: that this campaign won't just be negative, but instead it'll focus on the Conservative vision for Canada. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was the high point of Harper's campaign, because we finally heard his vision: dismantling public health care, rolling back minority rights, and "saving" our economy with George W. Bush style tax cuts. Well, here's a thought: over the last 12 years, it's been a Liberal government that's turned around a failing economy. It's been a Liberal government that's slayed the deficit. It's been a Liberal government that's made new investments in healthcare, child care, and social services that are important to Canada. It's been a Liberal government that has kept Canada together in spite of the best efforts of Quebec separatists.

But on to the D-words. No sooner than did Stephen Harper talk about presenting a vision for Canada than did he turn around and start whining about the sponsorship program. Justice Gomery made it very clear that Paul Martin did not know about the abuse of a legitimate program by a few corrupt individuals. In fact, it is Paul Martin who made the Liberal Party pay back every dime of taxpayer money that it received through the program. It is Paul Martin who went to court to recover the rest of the money that was misappropriated by unscrupulous bureaucrats. The fact that Stephen Harper continues to lie about Mr. Justice Gomery's findings is nothing short of disgusting. He has chosen to judge the entire Liberal Party based on the actions of a few individuals. If Mr. Harper can't campaign with honesty, then how can Canadians expect him to govern with integrity? Well, I have another D-word for Mr. Harper: disgusted.