How Long Can Harper’s Government Last?
With the start of the new session in Parliament yesterday, and the much anticipated release of the federal budget today, all eyes are once again on Stephen Harper’s Conservative government for clues as to just how far they will go to acquiesce the opposition parties in another attempt to maintain their weakened hold as the ruling government of Canada.
So far, the orchestrated leaks of certain details from today’s budget indicate a significant shift from Harper’s initial position that Canada would post a budget surplus this year as well his party’s stubbornness in not willing to acknowledge that Canada has indeed entered into a recession. The spin doctors will undoubtedly try to present this as being indicative of Harper’s ability to adjust his position and policies to reflect changes in the economy and the acquisition of new data or information. However, the simple fact is that Harper’s change in position has less to do with a recognition of the realities facing the Canadian economy and more to do with a man whose desperately trying to fight against a democratic process that would see his government toppled in favour of a coalition government formed from the opposition parties.
Indeed, I’m confident that if one were to collect all the demands made by the Liberals, NDP, and the Bloc Québécois and compare them against the budget that Finance Minister Flaherty will present today, we would see several parallels between the two, despite the supposed differences between Harper’s government and the opposition on how they would address the current economic situation. After all, let’s not forget that Harper had promised the Canadian public that his government would never run a deficit – a position that was emphasized by Flaherty’s economic update last November where he projected Canada would run five balanced budgets over the next five years – and this despite the numerous economic indicators that showed this to be an ill-conceived position if the Canadian economy is to be protected from the choppy waters the US economy is currently drowning in. Nor should we forget Harper’s accusations regarding the opposition parties’ calls for the opening of the government purses as being ‘panicked reactions’ to the global economic meltdown that would accomplish nothing but drive Canada back into deficit.
So whose budget will this be in the end? Is it really a budget from Harper’s Conservative party or is it merely a means to box in the opposition, preventing them from toppling his government by denying them any ground on which to move forward against him? It’s a question that all Canadians should ask since what is required now is not a leader whose sole interest is retaining control over the government, but someone with a clear idea of what needs to be done to stay the course through this global economic crisis.
Canadians also shouldn’t get caught up in the hype that the toppling of Harper’s Conservative government and replacement by a coalition of opposition parties would be an attack on our democratic process. Such political rhetoric belongs more in the United States, where both sides of the political spectrum insist on seeing their country in terms of “red states” and “blue states”, an attitude that is unlikely to change despite what Obama’s mouthpieces might try to claim. Canada has always been a country where socio-economic issues takes precedence over any notions of maintaining loyalty to a given political party. Indeed, Canadians have demonstrated twice in the last 15 years their ability to send federal parties out into the political wasteland for failing to represent the needs and interests of the Canadian public – first with the “old” Progressive Conservative party under the stewardship of Kim Campbell in the 1993 federal election and once again with the Liberal party under Stéphane Dion’s leadership in the last federal election held this past October.
As such, the focus here shouldn’t be on party designations, but on ensuring that a majority of Members of Parliament can work together to form a government that represents the interests and will of the Canadian majority. Indeed, the fact is that Canadians don’t vote for governments, but for legislators and it is the responsibility of all 308 Members of Parliament to convene and create the government that will rule our country. This is why the Prime Minister must seek the approval of the Governor-General to form the government, or as was the case last September, dissolve the existing government so that another, more effective one can be created. From this understanding of our political system, it can be seen that the idea of a coalition government formed from opposition parties is not only constitutional and respective of our parliamentary process, it is also the very heart of democracy – the will of the majority being exercised by those who are sent to represent them.
Instead of falling for Harper’s attempts to breed fear about the integrity of the political and democratic system in Canada as a result of the continued threat of his government being replaced by another, Canadians should be proud that our system of democracy not only represents the will of the people, but it has clearly demonstrated an efficacy for holding its political representatives accountable to their constituents.
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