As an English Quebecer via BC and Ontario, I believe I might have a more well rounded view of the Harper Prime Ministership than some regionally biased political junkies. This is not to say that I am fat. Yet.

My recent Christmas visit to the East Coast unearthed an unbridled hate for Mr. Harper who in no particular order is: “taking Canada down the US Republican road,”  “destroying our cultural heritage,” “lacking in vision,” “ EVIL!” “stealing Atlantic Accords from deserving Atlantians” etc. etc. etc. Yet on the other coast, my British Columbia friends are prepared to turf every remaining Liberal west of Winnipeg as a result of coalition agreement signed with the NDP and the BLOC. And yes Jake, Iggy did sign the deal. Meanwhile, my Ontario friends sigh at the long road ahead for the federal Liberal Party. And mes amis en Québec are content to see who will give them the most money in the end.
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From a plummeting economy to the amazing U.S. Presidential Race, to Canada’s lowest voter turnout in history to the Canadian government being thrust into upheaval, 2008 had a little bit of everything.

As 2008 began, much of the world was already in the midst of a financial crisis. Storms swept through the world in the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, and still show no signs of slowing down. The economy in 2008 was characterized by stock and real estate market meltdowns, unprecedented bank failures, massive layoffs and rising unemployment, disappearing credit and historic government bailouts of the financial and auto sectors.

And unlike Harper’s reassuring words that Canada would remain unaffected, almost every major province was. British Columbia saw U.S. demand for lumber plummet with prices dropping below profitable levels. And their mining industry suffered as demand from China dropped and commodities took a nose dive. Oil-rich Alberta, once one of the richest provinces in the country, saw the price of oil drop 78% from its peak in July when it hit $147 a barrel. Now, oil hovers under the $40 a barrel mark. In Ontario, the auto industry fights for its life after receiving a $4 billion bailout from the Canadian government. Saskatchewan fared better than the rest as a result of its diversity in energy, agriculture and potash, but still declined as a result of lower commodity prices.
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On December 10th, 2008, Michael Ignatieff became the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He replaced former leader Stéphane Dion to become the official leader of the opposition when Bob Rae withdrew from the race. Ignatieff takes over the Liberal leadership role amidst political disarray and a poor performance in the recent federal election. He also heads a party whose popularity has been slipping as of late, according to a recently published poll. Ignatieff currently represents the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

Michael Ignatieff was born on May 12th, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario to Canadian diplomat George Ignatieff and his wife Alison Grant. His grandfather, Count Pavel Ignatiev, was Minister of Education to Tsar Nicholas II. After graduating from high school, Ignatieff studied at the University of Toronto where he met Bob Rae, future Premier of Ontario. He then proceeded to study at the University of Oxford in England, influenced by the well-known historian and philosopher Isaiah Berlin. Ignatieff completed his studies by earning his PhD in History at Harvard University.

Ignatieff’s roots with the Liberal Party began at the age of 18, where he volunteered to canvas for the York South riding. Three years later, he worked for the Liberal Party as a national youth organizer and party delegate for the Trudeau campaign His loyalty to the party has continued ever since.
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Imagine what Canada could have done with the election budget… saved thousands of jobs, stimulated the economy, given everyone in Canada $10…

There are many things that could have been done but instead Harper wasted $300+ million and accomplished nothing. Now the government is prorogued and there will likely be an election again within the next year or two regardless of what happens when the prorogation period is over.

What will happen in the next election?
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Harper is definitely out in the cold, but he’s hoping this break will let him ignite the Conservative pilot light.

PM Stephen Harper asked Santa for a prorogation of parliament and he got it… Well actually he asked Governor General Michaëlle Jean but either way, he will be having a long Christmas holiday.

For those of you who are not up to date, firstly, take a look at Michael’s post regarding the Liberal and NDP alliance. To summarize, the Liberals and NDP decided that they were sick and tired of Harper’s inability to take action to save the economy so they decided that if they formed a coalition, then their combined seats would give them a majority. It is important to note that the Bloc Quebecois support the coalition in the no confidence vote, but they are not technically part of it.
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How any Canadians can trust Harper is beyond me. After over 2 hours of discussion with Governor General Michaelle Jean, a decision to prorogue parliament has been made. Aside from over exaggerating the Liberal-NDP coalition and a quick advertising campaign that directly mislead Canadians about the coalition, Harper still felt compelled to look directly into the TV cameras and lie to Canadians yet another time.

On Thursday Dec. 4, 2008, he stated that:
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The economy is fine... I promise!

I think Harper must be dizzy from all the turning around he has been doing about the economy. Harper had been saying for weeks and weeks that the economy was fine – both before and after the election. Then part way into November, he stopped and headed in the other direction, announcing that this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The next natural step would be to have his finance minister announce a sound economic plan to stimulate the economy to try and lessen the impact of this crisis. However, it appears that Harper, in his dizzy state, turned around once more and decided that the situation is not as bad as it seems.

This leaves Canada with no stimulus package in what is projected to be a very serious global recession. This has also left Canada with millions of angry individuals who are scared they might lose their jobs or may not be able to support their families. Included in those millions are a few important people such as the members of the Liberal, NDP, and Bloq Parties.
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