Photo Credit: media.canada.com

I read with some interest in the Globe and Mail recently of the quashing of a grassroots challenge to a sitting Conservative MP. As reported by Steven Chase, the governing body of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) took over control of Calgary West riding association a few days ago in order to do damage control. What was the damage you ask? The riding association was going to ask its members if it wanted to challenge sitting MP Rob Anders’ appointment as a candidate for the next election. Back in the spring of 2009 the national body of the CPC ruled that they would not allow any challenges to be put forth against any of its sitting MPs, stifling any dissent in the process. Upset by this tacit betrayal of classic Reform dogma, the Calgary West riding was on a path to potentially run a candidate nomination process against Mr Anders. No sooner it seems was this considered than the high ups in the CPC swooped down from their headquarters and stopped the riding association dead in its tracks.  When asked about what appears to be internal strife within the party, national council president John Walsh commented “I am not interested in commenting on internal party matters.” Case closed.

Upon closer examination, what I witness is a stunningly clear patchwork of hypocrisy and deceit. There was a time, and it seems so long ago, that Stephen Harper was a man of integrity and decency. He said, when in opposition, that Members of parliament needed to be more independent and that more free votes were required. We have seen though, that as Prime Minister, Harper has complete control over his own MPs and allows them very few if any free votes on any issue that come before parliament. In opposition he called for fixed term elections and, upon enacting law to fix election dates, went back on it in 2008 when he felt that he could no longer work with the opposition. Harper said that there would be a made-in-Canada solution for climate change, but we have seen now that we will be moving in complete lock step with the United States. No made-in-Canada solution will be forth coming. In opposition and in government Harper has been an ardent supporter of provincial jurisdiction over much of the services provided by the provinces. However, as a result of ideological ignorance, the federal government will go to court because of a ruling by the BC Court of Appeals regarding the constitutionality of Vancouver’s safe injection site Insite. Justin Minister Rob Nicholson says that “There was a dissenting opinion in the B.C. court of Appeal, and the government of Canada believes it is important that the Supreme Court of Canada be asked to rule on this matter.” It strikes me as odd that so many times in the past the SCOC was lambasted by the CPC and so often would threaten to invoke provisions of overturn court rulings. This seems to me indicative of a party and a Prime Minister who prefers to pick and choose when something works and something doesn’t.

It has become increasingly clear that the CPC and its helmsman are hypocrites. From his past calls to respect parliament and then shutting that institution down twice, to his lies about a made-in-Canada climate deal, this Prime Minister cannot be trusted. I remember Paul Martin being referred to as Mr. Dithers because of his inability to make a decision, but Harper is Mr. Quitter. He’s quit parliament, quit democracy, quit the grassroots and quit Canadians.

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Tags: canadian politics, conservative party of canada, Hypocrisy, stephen harper

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 7:53 pm and is filed under Federal Government, Our Country. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.