Harper for Minister of Magic
| 3/14/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics |
This past week or so I’ve been laid low with a bad cold which appears to have gone to bronchitis. During the enforced rest time I’ve finally gotten around to reading all of the Harry Potter series of books. The Minister of Magic presides over the Ministry of Magic in this series. The Ministry’s job is to keep order in the wizardry world and to ensure that the Muggles (those who are not magical) don’t become aware of them.
The Ministry of Magic and in particular the Minister of Magic showed themselves to be seriously out of step with reality throughout this series. Most notably, their refusal to believe that the Dark Lord Voldemart had returned and was building his following. The Minister found it much more expedient to slam Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore as being liars, attention mongers and adled brained than to even begin to see the danger around them. By the time the proof was irrefutable, the Dark Lord had steamrolled right over the Ministry and started to take over the wizard world.
Last fall, during the election campaign that he foisted on the country, Harper first claimed that Canada wasn’t going to have a recession because if it was going to happen, it already would have. Then faced with a rapidly melting stock market, he suggested that the situation was creating great buying opportunities. He slammed the opposition parties as being doom and gloom mongers who would create an economic downturn with their fear mongering.
By November, faced with what by then should have been absolutely crystal clear evidence of a worldwide financial meltdown that was not going to skirt around Canada, he allowed his pet poodle, Flaherty to present an economic update that was anything but responsive. Flaherty not only failed to see any need for economic stimulus for the Canadian economy, he actually thought the Canadian people would buy his claims that we would have a budgetary surplus and our economy would grow. Oh, and just for fun, he’d put an end to subsidies for political parties amongst other partisan measures that would do nothing to help average Canadians.
When the Opposition revolted and formed a coalition rather than take the country into another election so soon, Harper called them undemocratic and in bed with separatists. Hell, even the separatist Bloc party had brains enough to know something needed to be done when our largest trading partner’s economy was heading south and thousands of Canadian jobs right along with them. Harper of course did what was right for the country and our economy… he ran to the Governor-General and talked her into proroguing parliament so nothing would be done.
The end of January rolls around, Parliament reopens with a new Leader of the Opposition in place and Flaherty presents a budget which is supposed to help the economy. Well finally dropping the claim of growth and surpluses, the budget lacked more than a few measures which would have truly been economic stimulus like strengthening research and development measures to move this country into a greener economy or fixing Employment Insurance so more of the jobless in more parts of the country can access it.
Once again, rather than provoke an election or a political crisis, the Liberals gave the budget a conditional pass. Conditional upon the government actually dispersing the money in a timely manner. See, the Opposition and the media were finally starting to catch on that the Conservatives do a great job of making grand pronouncements of spending and then drag their heals about actually doing it.
Somewhere in February the government produced a budget implementation bill that while not yet tabled for debate in the House was found to contain provisions for a $3billion fund for which the government wanted blanket approval to disperse as they wanted to and then report to Parliament after the fact. The Opposition did what they are supposed to do in the face of such pork barrel moves, they announced their intention to oppose the measure unless the government provide a list of which departments and/or projects would receive funding.
Harper refused, claiming that they didn’t have the time to produce an itemized list and that the implementation measure would be a matter of confidence. The partisan bully had once again been let out of his cage. His band of bullies were gearing up to once again turn Parliament into a partisan mess.
Ah but it wasn’t Dion that Harper was facing across the aisle. This was someone who wasn’t going to take his nonsense. Ignatieff wouldn’t be put in a position where he was constantly responding to partisan attacks. So, Harper did what any true bully does, he took his magical tour onto the road.
He’s admitting that Canada is going to lose more jobs in 2009 but rather than do something to create jobs, he’s letting us know that the government his worried about a labour shortage by 2010 when a large number of baby boomers will have retired. That is assuming the baby boomers can afford to retire after missing all those buying opportunities last fall due to their rapidly falling portfolios. Harper feels the jobless pain and then casts his protecto spell to make sure it doesn’t bother him too long.
This week in a speech in Brampton, he announced that Canada is going to feel the pain of this recession the least of any country in the world because of our well regulated banking system and lack of subprime losses. He also let the country know that since we are going to feel the pain the least, we’re going to be the first to recover and will be a stronger country for it, and it will be starting in 2010. Wonder if that would be before or after the labour shortage starts?
He, of course, failed to make mention that it was not Conservative policies which brought this country into balanced budgets and surpluses or who implemented the prudent banking regulatory control. Oh and that lack of subprime problem… he might fool some people but anyone who works in the financial field knows full well that subprime lending has been going full blast in this country for several years. The Globe & Mail is finally writing about the issue today.
He mentioned, but didn’t seem to see the disconnect, that the American economy would need to start to turn around before Canada’s could. So, just how was Canada going to recover first when the US has to lead the way? Ah yes, the US.
Harper then gave a private speech to party faithful Thursday evening in which he attacked the Obama administration for their efforts to get their recovery underway. He also blamed the current economic crisis gripping the world on the US and what he called their reckless policies. At the same time he was telling the crowd that Canada is better off having the Conservatives in power.
I’m sure we are much better off, while the Minister of Magic (Harper) doesn’t truly believe that the Dark Lord (the economy) is taking control over Canadians and sucking the life from the country, we just know we’re a lot happier and poorer.
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