A day has gone by since Canada was shocked by Stephen Harper's utter abandonment of principle in the naming of his Cabinet. The funny thing is, things haven't gotten better; they've actually gotten worse.
To begin with, we heard more about the David Emerson file. It turns out that none other than John Reynolds was dispatched by Mr. Harper to kickstart the negotiations. That's right, John Reynolds, the paragon of Tory virtue. If my sarcasm isn't carrying through the text, go have a look at his expense account to see just how much the man respects taxpayers. So now, we know that for two weeks, Mr. Emerson sat on this information. He made his decision without talking to his riding association. He made it without talking to the electorate. He made it without talking to anyone in his Party. Apparently Mr. Emerson has failed to grasp a fundamental concept of public life, so I have a message for him. "Mr. Emerson, you are not in the private sector anymore. YOUR DECISIONS ARE NOT ABOUT YOU." In failing to talk to anyone aside from those who promised to enrich him, Mr. Emerson contributed to what's wrong with democracy. Democracy isn't about telling the electorate what's best for them. It's about respecting the will of those who vote for you. Mr. Emerson has forgotten that, and I, as someone who believed in Mr. Emerson, feel betrayed. Judging by the media commentary I've seen yesterday and today, I'm not alone.
Continuing in the hypocrisy that seems to abound now that the Tories are in power, we heard today from John Cummins, who welcomed Mr. Emerson to the Conservative Party, and to Cabinet. Now, I can understand that not all Conservatives support by-elections for defectors, and to be honest, in most cirumstances, I don't either. But Mr. Cummins does. Or at least, he did. When Belinda Stronach defected, Mr. Cummins was one of the strongest supporters of legislation that would require defectors to resign their seats and stand in a by-election. Apparently this "principled" stand was anything but.
We also heard from the unelected Minister that Stephen Harper promised never to name, who will take a Senate seat that was supposed to be elected. He was asked why he didn't run in the election. His response? "I didn't run in the election because I didn't want to run in the election." Well, isn't that nice? I didn't run in the election either. Can I get a Cabinet post and a Senate seat too? This is worse than Amateur Night.
In any case, the topic of this column is The New Conservative Mantra. Well, I've finally figured it out. "Politics before principles." Stephen Harper was right: he is changing Ottawa. Too bad he didn't tell us just how before Election Day.
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3 comments:
Brillant post!
Harper’s One-Man-Band, and Pretzel Tories.
So, a little time has passed, and Harper’s daring moves to impress the electorate with his political acumen have now sunk in a bit. Reaction across the country to his cabinet appointments – and abandonment of principles espoused during the election – have varied from sheer disbelief, to shock, to amusement. Never has a Canadian politician fallen so far so fast. Usually it takes time for power to corrupt, but Mr. Harper is a man in a hurry.
Many Tories have had to swallow their tongues and bend themselves into pretzels defending the indefensible. Some MPs have said they fear going back to their ridings because they will have to explain to their supporters how the Harper crew did a sudden U-turn on the accountability issue, which, after all, was the Tory strong point in the election. Harper ran as Mr. Clean, and painted Martin as Mr. Corruption at every opportunity he had.
Even the rightwing press is stunned and disappointed.
Examples of press reaction:
The Vancouver Sun:
“"I expected some of the superficial criticism I've seen," Mr. Harper told The Vancouver Sun in an interview. "But I think once people sit back and reflect, they'll understand that this is in the best interests of not just British Columbia but frankly of good government." Mr. Harper referred to his statements on Monday, when he said he recruited Mr. Emerson to Cabinet to give Vancouver -- which didn't elect a Tory MP in five city ridings -- a voice in Cabinet. He used the same rationale to explain why he appointed Tory national campaign co-chairman Michael Fortier, a Montreal businessman, to the Senate and as Minister of Public Works. Montreal, like Vancouver, did not elect a government MP. "I think I was clear what I did and why I did it," Mr. Harper said yesterday.
The Calgary Sun – Roy Clancy:
“Stephen Harper must be breathing a sigh of relief today. Just minutes after being sworn in as prime minister, he relieved himself of one of the biggest burdens he had carried into the job. No longer must he live up to the impossible standard of political purity and ethical integrity saddled upon him by a naive electorate. ...But as widespread moans of anger illustrate, many Canadians took Harper seriously when he promised Monday to "begin a new chapter for Canada." No wonder they were disappointed when they learned within moments that this new chapter looks a lot like the old one. ...Harper's pragmatic moves may not have violated the letter of his promises to change the way government is run, but they shattered the spirit. .... Monday's manoeuvres quickly lowered the bar when it comes to public expectations of this new regime.“
The Calgary Sun - Rick Bell:
“See the Tories wriggle. Wriggle, Tories, wriggle. Ah yes, one party's turncoat is another party's principled politician. No anger now. No demands to step down and face the voters now. No nasty name-calling now. No sympathy for the poor electors of the riding of the quisling now. ... The trouble with talking about the moral high ground is you actually have to walk on it or, like the kid standing by the broken window after throwing the snowball, insist without shame you've done nothing wrong. ... So the rationalizations flow, the lame explanations are exhaled into the hot air and only those who have drunk the Conservative Kool-Aid will follow as good old ideological ants.”
So, what lessons can be taken from Harper’s first exercise of Prime Ministerial power? Here are a few for you to ponder:
• Just as it is unfair to accuse every Republican of having the same moral vacuity that President Bush has displayed, so too is it unfair to say that all Conservatives – and all voters who voted for the Tories – lack good moral and political judgment. It is very clear that there are a lot of people who voted Tory because they sincerely believed that it was time for the Liberals to mend their house, and for another party to bring in some anti-corruption measures. These people still have high standards; they are as bewildered by the events of this week as others are.
• Harper obviously believes he is above trifling things like having to take the feelings of others into consideration. This exercise of Prime Ministerial power shows that he will think things through – apparently mostly on his own – and then decide on the best way forward. If he explains his thought process, it is obvious to him that voters will then understand why he is right, and fall into line. There is a word for this: paternalism. Harper shows clear signs of seeing himself as the Big Wise Daddy of Canadian politics. His use of the word “superficial” to describe the reaction of others to his crass abandonment of some of the major planks of his election platform illustrates this very clearly.
• Harper is focused on winning a majority in the next election, to happen within 18 months. Everything he will do or say is geared to that. If lesser mortals within his own party do not understand this, that is their problem. They must suck it up and stay in line. Big Daddy knows best.
• Harper does not believe in a democratic party for the Tory government. It is his way or the highway (witness Stronach). This is perhaps the most worrisome aspect for many Tories: did they realize they were electing a dictator rather than the leader of a parliamentary party fashioned along the lines of a Westminster democracy? How many more decisions will be made by The Leader, and rammed down the throats of the caucus? And how can Canadians expect such decisions to be the best, if they are not tested by vigorous debate within the governing party before being made?
If Harper continues in the same vein for the next 12 months, expect him to join the ranks of the Clarks, Campbells and Martins as a short-lived blip on the Canadian political firmament.
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