If negative campaign ads really work, then the prospect of speaking truth to power has never seemed to be more – well – beneficial. Specifically regarding Canadian federal politics, the Harper Government has made it frustratingly easy to create such an ad, providing ample fodder to opponents of Stephen Harper.
In short, any campaign ad made by anyone opposing the Harper Government has an opportunity to be both truthful and negative. Simply providing a list of activities undertaken by the Harper Government in the last six years is campaign gold for anyone wanting establish that Stephen Harper is actually bad for Canada. The list in such an ad would inevitably remind Canadians of Stephen Harper’s undemocratic, even autocratic tendencies, his inescapable social conservatism, his short-sighted – if not impractical – policy initiatives, and even a dismaying ability to waste money.
By its very nature an ad providing such a list would have an advantage over the negative advertising of the Conservative party because, unlike negative Conservative advertising it would not need to be taken off the air, because unlike the negative Conservative advertising it would not have to stretch the bounds truth. I don’t know for whom this campaign would be most effective.
What I do know is that anyone with the initiative to take Stephen Harper to task in any sort of coherent, straightforward, and honest manner would be one step closer to attaining my vote.
Consider This List:
Contempt of Parliament – The Harper Government can possibly be held in contempt of parliament in TWO separate instances. The first ruling would be over the government’s breach of parliamentary privilege by refusing to fully disclose cost estimates for its tough-on-crime agenda, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets. The second ruling would be in regard to the International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda’s breach of parliamentary privilege by misleading MPs about an altered document. The Harper Government would be the first Government of Canada to ever be held in contempt of parliament.
Breaking Election Laws (twice) - A recent scandal to become public is the renowned “in-and-out” scheme, where Harper’s Conservative party broke campaign funding laws in the 2006 election. In the 2008 election, the Harper Government broke the Fixed Elections Act that the Harper Government itself legislated.
Proroguing Parliament (twice) – Facing the possibility of a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons, the Harper Government stopped and reset parliament (prorogued) to avoid the vote, becoming the first Prime Minister ever to do so. The Harper Government prorogued Parliament again less than 12 months later.
Prisons – Harper insists that mandatory minimum sentences reduce crime, and that we need to build more prisons for… wait for it… unreported crimes. It was only recently released that this is set to cost $631 million — on top of $2.1 billion already announced for expanded prisons. (The Toronto Star)
New Fighter Jets – The Harper Government wants to buy 65 new F-35 Joint Strike Stealth Fighter Jets at a cost of nearly $30 Billion. (The Toronto Sun)
Corporate Tax Cuts – Although Canada already has lower corporate tax rates than the United States, the Harper Government intends further corporate tax cuts from 18 per cent in 2010 to 16.5 per cent in 2011 and then to 15 per cent in 2012, costing Canadians an estimated $10 Billion. (Ottawa Business Journal)
G20 Security - The Harper Government spent $1 Billion dollars on security alone for the G20 Summit in Toronto, which oversaw a suspension of many civil rights for thousands of people in the Toronto area and the biggest mass arrest in Canadian History - more that 1000 people were detained. (Canadian Civil Liberties Association)
The Census – The Harper Government restructured the long form component of the census. It is now more expensive to administer and less significant. This happened despite criticism from business, social and academic groups as well as Statistics Canada, without any discussion in parliament. (The Globe and Mail)
United Nations Snub – The Harper Government oversaw Canada’s first failed attempt to be voted onto the UN Security Council, reflecting a nontraditional attitude of the international community towards Canada. (GlobalReaseach.ca)
Maternal Health Aid Omits Birth Control– The Harper Government has pledged $1.1 billion toward maternal and child wellbeing on the condition that money not go toward birth control. Minister Tony Clement is quoted as saying that the aid package “does not deal in any way, shape or form with family planning.” (Toronto Star)
Politicizing CIDA - The Canadian International Development Agency, the government organization that distributes Canada’s development aid, has been restructured to deny funding to NGOs and Non-Profit organizations that do not align with Harper’s ideology. For example, NGOs have been told to remove the words “gender equality” from their proposal if they wish to receive funding. The scandal involving Minister Bev Oda (the “not” affair) as well as the maternal health funding condition also reflects this Harper Government behaviour. (The Globe and Mail; MacLean's Magazine)
Blocking the Kelowna Accord – The Accord, established over 18 months of negotiation between the Government of Canada, Provincial Premiers, Territorial Leaders, and the leaders of five national aboriginal organizations intended to secure funding for education, housing, health services and economic development in First Nations communities. The first budget ever tabled by the Harper Government in 2006 blocked the implementation of the Kelowna Accord, providing a fraction of the funding instead. (CBC)
Abolishing the Court Challenge Program (CCP) – The Harper Government terminated the Court Challenges Program in 2006. The CCP provided financial assistance to court cases that advance language and equality rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Importantly, the CCP budget was mandated for historically disadvantaged groups providing accessibility to justice for those who may not have been able to protect their constitutional rights otherwise. (Montreal Gazette)
Extending the Afghanistan Mission – The Harper Government passed a parliamentary motion in 2008 to remove Canadian troops from Afghanistan in 2011. But in 2011, the Harper Government extended the mission for three more years, until 2014, maintaining a presence of 1000 troops in the country. (Bloomberg)
Obstructing Access to Afghan Torture Files – The Harper Government refused to allow parliament uncensored access to files related to the possibility that Canada knowingly submitted Afghan detainees to torture by transferring them to the Afghan National Army. The action, cited to reasons of national security, nearly lead the Harper Government to face a contempt hearing when the Speaker of the house ruled that MPs had an absolute right to view the documents. (Global)
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