Tough on Crime? Hardly.

Stephen Harper was in Vancouver yesterday, and aside from his announcement of federal funding for a rapid transit line known as the Evergreen Line, there was nothing else that his visit provided that appeared remotely useful to the people of the Lower Mainland.

Metro Vancouver has been gripped by a massive wave of gang violence over the course of the past month, with 18 people having been killed thus far. This bloodbath is showing no signs of slowing down, and what's most shameful is that the Prime Minister chooses to play politics while the bodies are piling up. What is disturbing is that the Prime Minister used an ongoing crisis to try and score some cheap points. Don't believe me? Here are his own words:

The truth of the matter is, those who say that the tougher penalties on perpetrators will not work don’t want them to work because they don’t believe in his kind of approach. We know that we’re going to hear these critics, and we know that we’re going to hear the opposition parrot some of these critics because they all believe in soft-on-crime policies.

What's shocking here is that both the Liberals and the NDP had already indicated their support for the sort of legislation that was being tabled, and after Harper spoke, both parties reiterated their support for the measure, but these so-called "soft-on-crime" parties indicated that they didn't feel that the measures went far enough. I'm inclined to agree.

BC Attorney-General Wally Oppal was in Ottawa to meet with the Justice Minister to suggest some solutions of his own. These proposals would actually do something about the problem. Mr. Oppal pointed out that increased sentencing on its own is meaningless. This isn't a bleeding-heart belief; in this case, it is a simple matter of fact. Our police are not catching these criminals. When they do, they are not getting the evidence needed for the Crown to secure a conviction. If you can't catch someone, or convict them, then sentencing is meaningless. Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not criticizing our police, nor am I criticizing our prosecutors. They are being denied the tools that they need to actually catch these people. For years now, provincial Attorneys-General have been lobbying this Conservative government to change our laws to make things more streamlined. Our wiretap laws are so antiquated that they do not make provision for e-mail, cellular phones, PDA's, etc. Our disclosure laws are now so onerous that police departments have to pull officers off the street to satisfy the requirements of those laws. Those are officers that could be out there keeping us safe, but who have to waste months, and sometimes years, doing paperwork. Something is very wrong here.

Then, of course, there is the utter joke of 2-for-1 sentencing. For those of you who do not know, 2-for-1 is the name given to a sentencing credit system, whereby those who spend pretrial and/or trial in detention are given double credit for time served. If you spend a year in lockup, they'll knock two years off your sentence. Sometimes, that number can go as high as 3 to 4 times the time actually served. Every single one of Canada's provincial Attorneys-General has fought for an end to this travesty, and yet our tough-on-crime Justice Minister isn't interested.

It's time to face reality: the Conservatives don't care about keeping us safe. They care about two things: staying in power, and attacking their opponents. If there is widespread opposition support for a measure, odds are that the Government will do anything they can to kill it, even as people are slaughtered in shopping mall parking lots, in the middle of the street, and all in broad daylight. A Prime Minister who acts with such reckless disregard for public safety has no place holding his office. Canada deserves a Prime Minister who actually cares, and it's high time we had one.

Inauguration Day in America

As I write this, it's nearly midnight on the West Coast, marking the end (at least for me) of what has been a spectacular day. There is a sense of wonder, when you really consider it, about the transition of power that happens every 4 or 8 years in the United States. The peaceful transition of power is something that has been going on in that country for hundreds of years, and it's become so routine that many of us take it for granted. Yet when you consider it, and look at all of the countries around the world that still are unable to accomplish this feat, it does give one pause to consider the significance of what we witnessed today.

The inauguration today caps off what is practically a Hollywood fairytale. The son of an immigrant from Kenya who met a woman from Kansas. The child of a single mother who remarried and moved overseas, but eventually sent her son home to be raised by grandparents in Hawaii. A young man who wanted to get to know his parents better, but lost them both far too early. This was a man, with a remarkably odd name no less, who rose from obscurity to become the first African-American President of the Harvard Law Review, and then quickly rose through the ranks of politics, gave a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, and became a US Senator. It's virtually inconceivable that a freshman Senator, only two years into his term, managed to take on, and ultimately defeat the most powerful family in the Democratic Party politics.

With the Clintons dispatched, defeating John McCain must have seemed to be a far easier task, but Mr. Obama never let up, never rested, and pushed with a singular conviction that is rarely seen. He did what few have been able to do: win the Presidency with his own ideals and convictions intact.

It can safely be said that when they make the movie about the road to this Presidency, they won't need to embellish anything. As rare as it is, we have managed to live an amazing story, and I want to congratulate all my friends in the United States for getting it right this time. As your friends and your neighbours, we wish you well, and we with President Obama every success as he takes on some very difficult challenges.

On another note, I have to laugh at someone today, because it's so much fun. In what will be a moment that will forever haunt US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, he screwed up administering the oath of office. John Roberts, ever the perfectionist, the man who never said or did a thing wrong in his life finally had it all catch up with him in front of the billions of people watching him. He had plenty of time to prepare; all he had to do was memorize 35 words of the Constitution. Mr. Obama managed to do it just fine. Suffice to say: whoops!

Dion Steps Down

Earlier today, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced his decision to step down as soon as the Liberal Party chooses its new leader. In making his announcement, M. Dion made clear the importance that the Liberal Party enter the upcoming session of Parliament with a new leader who can hit the ground running, instead of a long, drawn-out farewell from now until the scheduled May convention in Vancouver.

Many viewed the poorly produced video address, and the confusion that surrounded it, as the last straw for the rest of the Liberal caucus, which swiftly moved to force Dion out the door. While M. Dion is a good man who has spent much of his life fighting for his country, he was sadly the wrong leader at the wrong time. Taking over the Party at a time when there was no money in the bank, his bookish demeanor and certain quotable sound bytes left him vulnerable to a Conservative onslaught. Having been portrayed as weak, Canadians weren't prepared to give him the reins of power, and held their noses and voted for Harper in the end. Unfortunately, M. Dion will leave his post as only the second elected Liberal Party Leader since Confederation not to become Prime Minister.

The coalition proposal is nothing more than a passing fancy. It provides a valuable tool to keep Stephen Harper in line, and stop him from engaging in a reckless agenda. However, with respect to long-term electoral strategy, it is a bad idea. The coalition forces the Liberal Party even further left, in a country where elections are won and lost in the political centre. The Conservative Party is continuing to tilt towards the right, and at this moment, there is no representation for those in the political centre. At the end of it, it seems that Michael Ignatieff is poised to assume the leadership, holding an overwhelming majority of caucus support. While some in the Party are concerned about Mr. Ignatieff, his political leanings are far more palatable than his only remaining opponent. Mr. Rae, for all his charisma and excellent ideas, is simply the wrong man, in my view. His dogged support for this coalition on a long-term basis threatens to force the Liberal Party to cede the political centre for decades to come. His legacy as Premier of Ontario is an added obstacle to electoral success in Canada's biggest province. Mr. Ignatieff will move the Liberal Party back towards the centre, which is where the Party needs to be if it is to have any chance of forming government again. Current polling, which reflects a double digit lead for Mr. Ignatieff over Mr. Rae further cements the fact that the political centre in Canada is far more prepared to vote for Mr. Ignatieff.

With all of this in mind, the Canadian Post is endorsing Mr. Ignatieff's bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.

A Coward and a Bully

Yesterday morning, Stephen Harper visited the Governor General, and asked her to prorogue Parliament. He did it for no other reason than to prevent the House of Commons from exercising its right to voice its lack of confidence in Mr. Harper and his Government. Let me note off the top that from this point forward, I will not refer to Mr. Harper as the Prime Minister. The reason for this is simple: to be Prime Minister, one must uphold Canadian democracy and hold the confidence of the House of Commons. Mr. Harper can lay claim to neither of those, and as a result, I no longer recognize him as Prime Minister of Canada.

Since being elected in 2006, Mr. Harper has made a career of bullying the opposition with one nasty piece of legislation, daring them at each turn to vote him down. In each case, the opposition relented, and allowed Mr. Harper to pass controversial legislation for fear of forcing an election. This time, the opposition called his bluff, and decided to go for a vote. Mr. Harper, in his wisdom, writhed in agony, and instead of finally allowing Canada's democratically elected Parliament to vote, had the doors slammed shut instead.

I have great respect and affection for the Governor General. I believe that Her Excellency has brought a level of grace and charm to her office that elected officials can only dream of having. With that said, I must respectfully say that her decision to allow Mr. Harper to prorogue Parliament was the wrong one. Yes, it headed off a political mess, but a terrible precedent was set in allowing a Prime Minister to prorogue the House for no reason other than to avoid being fired. I do take solace, however, in the fact that the meeting lasted two and a half hours. These sorts of meeting generally don't last that long, and I can only hope that Her Excellency read Mr. Harper the riot act, expressed a measure of disgust at his tactics, and advised him that if he didn't clean up his act, and ended up falling in January, that she'd allow the coalition to take over.

This was borne out when one looks at Mr. Harper's statement after he emerged from Rideau Hall. I don't think I've ever seen him so chastened and conciliatory. I continue to believe that his statements and actions were not enough. It will take a change of astronomical proportions for Canadians to have much trust in him after this one.

Too Little, Too Late

I just finished watching the Prime Minister's address tonight, and if anything is clear, it's that he hasn't learned his lesson. Not a moment of contrition, not a moment spent reaching out to the opposition. Not a moment spent acknowledging the fact that the Tories bear some measure of responsibility for this situation.

The address, which was supposed to be about 10 minutes long, was barely 5 minutes in length. In the midst of a massive crisis, the Prime Minister decided that the future of Canada was only worth 5 minutes of his time. This could have been an opportunity to cool things down, to reach out to other MP's, and calm things down. Instead, more attacks, however muted, and no solutions, nor any leadership.

This is simply insufficient for a man who says he can lead us through the current economic crisis. It's insufficient for a man who says that he has the judgment to lead. It's insufficient for a man whose job it is to reach out to others to pass an agenda.

Some Advice for Mr. Harper

Tonight, Stephen Harper will address the nation in the midst of a political crisis of historic proportions. His instincts will tell him to go on the offensive, to attack the opposition, and to draw as much blood as possible, in the hopes that it will somehow stop his opponents. My simple advice to him: don't do it.

Mr. Harper is fighting for his political life, but there are two words he can say tonight that will save his skin, at least for the time being: I'm sorry. That's right. Mr. Harper needs to stand up and apologize to the Canadian people. He needs to apologize for ignoring the fact that they returned him to power with another minority mandate. He needs to apologize for his constant abuse of power, whereby he has used the machinery of government in a concerted campaign to destroy his opponents. He needs to apologize for using a global crisis to settle scores with unions, women, and the political left.

If Mr. Harper has the guts to stand before the Canadian people, and finally admit that his venomous partisanship was a terrible error in judgment on his part, if he apologizes for it, and promises never to wander down that road again, then he has a chance. If he stands up and finally recognizes that his party does not command a parliamentary majority, and if he commits to consulting with the opposition before introducing matters of confidence, then the Canadian people will be inclined to give him a second chance.

If Mr. Harper fails yet again, and if he decides, as he has always done, to use this opportunity to escalate this crisis instead of diffusing it, then the Governor General should refuse his expected request to prorogue Parliament, since it would be nothing other than a shameless effort to abuse his executive power to prevent the democratically elected House to render their judgment on whether or not he continues to enjoy their confidence.

What Next For Harper?

By all indications, Stephen Harper will be defeated on December 8th, unless he takes the extraordinary step of proroguing Parliament to protect himself, though the Governor-General would have the option to refuse the request and fire him, which would set off some interesting constitutional issues. But assuming that the Prime Minister is defeated next week, one has to wonder what his future is, as well as that of his party.

Many close to the negotiations between the three opposition parties indicate that any coalition agreement will require safeguards to ensure that it holds together for a minimum of a year, and possibly two. This means that a Conservative caucus that is already divided over Mr. Harper's scorched-earth tactics will be sitting on the other side of the aisle, on the outside of Government, looking in. And all those Conservative frontbenchers who relied on Stephen Harper for all their big offices, staff, chauffers, and other parliamentary perks, will suddenly be free. All of them will be asking how it was that they were so unceremoniously turfed out. Many will direct their ire at their boss, whose massive miscalculation was the straw that broke the opposition's back, but not the way he had hoped.

Can Stephen Harper last two years on the opposition benches without being removed? It seems unlikely. And let's face it: Canadians have never truly loved, or even liked Mr. Harper. They have supported him because they had nobody else to vote for. The fear and uncertainty card, played so deftly by the Tories thus far, will be buried so deep in the deck that it won't be playable anymore. All of a sudden, Conservative fortunes will wane across the country, as people finally take note of the fact that Liberals are indeed capable of running the country perfectly well. A couple years in Government will swell the coffers of the Liberals, finally narrowing the Conservative Party's massive cash advantage. All this will be bad news for the soon to be former Prime Minister, who will likely be pushed aside, as Conservatives realize that their Leader's venom-filled policy of spending more energy on trying to destroy the opposition than actually governing, cost them everything.

But who will lead them? The Conservative Party is much like Iraq. It is a fake entity, divided into three major factions that have virtually nothing in common. Scott Reid characterized those factions as "Reform Party leftovers, Harris refugees and Red Tory desperates." Not altogether attractive, but reasonably accurate. Just like Iraq, it takes a despot to hold together such disparate factions. Just like what happened in Iraq, Stephen Harper's style of leadership has ensured that there is no heir apparent to the leadership, and nobody in that party is strong enough to hold the Conservative coalition together. Without Mr. Harper, it will be all but impossible to hold those factions together. The Reform element will likely take over the party, splitting the old Harris elements, and forcing Red Tories out altogether. Most of those forced out will likely join the Liberals.

Let's be clear: there is nothing wrong with advocating for the disintegration of the Conservative Party. It may not be pretty, but make no mistake: Stephen Harper's goal was never just to beat us; it is and has always been to destroy us. There's no room to respond with half measures. We must respond in kind, and the collateral damage may well be Mr. Harper's party. If that happens, so be it. There's no reason for that to give us any pause, when our adversaries wouldn't hesitate if the roles were reversed.

A Tale Told by an Idiot

So last night, a visibly shaken Stephen Harper addressed the national media. Fighting to hang onto his political life, the Prime Minister did what he always does: he blamed the opposition for the mess he got himself into.

The Prime Minister promised Canadians after the election that the Government would act swiftly to introduce an economic update to restore faith in the Canadian economy. Instead, Mr. Harper, who just days before had promised to consult with and work with the opposition, ordered his Finance Minister to pen a Fiscal Update that had no stimulus of any kind, but that was based instead on attacking those who are not too friendly with the Tories: namely women, unions, and any political opposition they can find. That's right, Stephen Harper's foaming at the mouth desire to destroy the Liberal Party means that nothing is too crass, even if we're talking about a major international crisis. Doing the right thing for all Canadians and putting partisanship aside is simply not something that ever enters into the equation for our Prime Minister.

But our MINORITY Prime Minister forgot himself. He forgot that his vanity-exercise election did not give him the parliamentary majority he so dearly wished for. No, he got another minority. Mr. Harper forgot that in a minority parliament, the only votes you get to take for granted are those of your own party. So when the opposition didn't roll over and play dead, Mr. Harper got quite a jolt. All of a sudden, the house of cards was teetering. Imagine the nerve: the opposition was demanding that the government do its job and introduce the stimulus that we were promised. If the government refused to do its job and actually govern, then the opposition decided that someone needed to act like adults, so they committed to setting aside their differences to resolve this economic crisis.

The Prime Minister found himself in a corner, and fumed at the notion of a coalition government. He ranted and raved how this was not proper, how it amounted to hijacking Parliament, and how it was just not fair. I was prepared to defer to him on the notion of a coalition, about which I admit I remain uneasy. But something was nagging at me, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Finally, this morning, somebody sent me a link to what it was that had been bothering me. It was a letter, signed by then Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper, in 2004. Below is the text of the letter:

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

So back then, Mr. Harper had no problems with the Opposition getting a kick at the can. Stephen Harper was happy to defy the electorate which had rejected him, and enter 24 Sussex through the back door. There's a word for that where I come from: hypocrite.

So here's my message for the Tories: you didn't get your majority. You wasted 300 million dollars of taxpayer dollars on an election campaign that was the result of the breach of your own fixed election date law. That election left you with another minority Government. Stop using the machinery of government to settle scores. It is petty, and not befitting of the power with which you were entrusted. Work with the opposition. It's what Canadians told you to do in the last election. Only a third of the country wanted to see this government re-elected, and it's time for you guys to show a bit of humility. Do the people's business, and if you continue to refuse to, then we the people will ask that the Governor-General exercise her prerogative to send you packing without sending us another $300 million bill for your continued stupidity.

So here's what I think of all this: the Prime Minister has been caught with his pants down. He's running around like a complete fool now, pulling his hairplugs out in dismay and disbelief that his ironclad grip on power might be slipping away. He has lied, schemed, and cheated to try and hang on. It's downright Shakespearean, when you think about it. Funny how the bard had a lovely quote that sums up the Prime Minister's PR strategy quite nicely:

...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."