3°c Partly cloudy
11°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
The 'state' of Harper affairs
The longer "The Harper Government" stays in office, the more radical — and transformational — it becomes.
It is dismantling, layer by layer, nearly 150 years of Canadian parliamentary democracy. Into the trash can has gone respect for the institution and traditions of Parliament, moderation in public discourse, toleration of differences of opinion, respect for civil society's institutions and even, at times, respect for the rule of law.
Politics outside Parliament has descended into a cesspool of perpetual savage political attack ads. The poisonous hyperpartisanship of the American permanent election campaign is the new Canadian norm. Inside Parliament, the opposition is largely unable to hold government to account because ministers treat opposition MPs with flippancy, disdain, contempt, derision and insults.
Last May, The Canadian Press reported Ottawa hired a media group to monitor political discussion on social media and online forums and have federal employees correct public "misinformation." Last week, Canadians learned the term "Government of Canada" will be replaced by "The Harper Government" on all official documents. This, spokesman Dimitri Soudas says, is "a long-standing practice that accurately reflects the government's leadership, regardless of who was the prime minister."
Jonathan Rose, a specialist in political communications at Queen's University, disagrees. "It is one thing for journalists or even the public to use the more partisan "Harper government." But it is another thing for the state to equate the Government of Canada with the leader of the governing party."
Two weeks ago, the Federal Court of Appeal struck a blow for Canadian democracy and upheld respect for Canada's election laws by ruling the Conservatives' "in-and-out" scheme illegal. It amounts to electoral fraud because it means the Conservatives may have bought their 2006 victory by deliberately exceeding spending limits by $1.3 million. The court's judgment was clear: "(The Conservatives') interpretation... would weaken compliance with the limits set by Parliament on the amount of money that candidates may well spend... Abuses could well proliferate, and the statutory objective of promoting a healthy democracy through levelling the electoral playing field undermined."
The judges underscored their ruling with a reference to a case familiar to Harper.
As head of the National Citizens' Coalition, he fought numerous unsuccessful court battles to strike down the law banning third-party campaign advertising. In 2004, the court said "First, the state can provide a voice to those who might otherwise not be heard. The act does so by reimbursing candidates and political parties... Second, the state can restrict the voices which dominate the political discourse so that others may be heard as well... These provisions seek to create a level playing field... This, in turn, enables voters to be better informed; no one voice is overwhelmed by another."
Harper's personality cult prompts Prof. Rose to recall French King Louis XIV and his 17th-century divine right of kings: "L'État, c'est moi" (The state is me). The prime minister yearns to replace Canada's constitutional monarchy with the American presidential-congressional system. He objects having to be accountable to Parliament, abruptly shutting it down in December 2008 to avoid defeat by the opposition. And, like the American Supreme Court, which recently abolished all limits on third-party political advertising, he believes the thickness of one's wallet -- not the democratic principle of one person, one vote -- should rule.
Former Privy Council clerk Mel Capp has a warning for Canadians. "It's the Government of Canada. It's my government and it's your government," he says, recalling Harper's quip during last summer's Arctic tour that "I make the rules."
Capp, now president of the Institute for Research in Public Policy, says that's just not so. "We are governed by laws. Not by men. This is trying to change that."
Frances Russell is a Winnipeg writer and political commentator.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 9, 2011 A11
More Columnists
- Back to Top
- Return to Columnists
Poll
Proudly brought to you by:
Most Popular Columnists
- A life much too short won't be forgotten
- Penner's in a good place
- If it's on a stick, I'll eat it
- Sounds like he's still 'the baby'
- His life made our world a better place
- Bonds provide stability not offered by stock market
- Leaders refuse to give up on plan to improve ugly stretch of Route 90
- Nothing wrong with reliable Blue-print
- Strong growth in rural retail
- Back in Black
- Leaders refuse to give up on plan to improve ugly stretch of Route 90
- Good things come in small packages
- Jets could be greatly affected by deal
- His life made our world a better place
- It's a 'disease,' the studies agree
- For Tim's mother, the issue is safety
- Shy, kind and soft-spoken -- with the power to infuriate
- Take a page from the European playbook
- Strong growth in rural retail
- Football owes players some medical answers
- If we build it, look out
- Common courtesy decreasingly common
- Leaders refuse to give up on plan to improve ugly stretch of Route 90
- Majumder surprisingly frank -- and funny -- in HBO special
- Empty inside
- Katz versus Ford
- Can't share a vision when no one asks
- Some can't afford humane thing to do
- 'A special kind of sad'
- Riding changes could make Green blue
- His life made our world a better place
- A life much too short won't be forgotten
- If it's on a stick, I'll eat it
- It's a 'disease,' the studies agree
- His life made our world a better place
- Strong growth in rural retail
- English language rules the world
- Long haul 'family' Every employee is a spoke in the wheel at Bison Transport
- Gluten-free doesn't mean bad taste
- Shy, kind and soft-spoken -- with the power to infuriate
- Try cheese toast, caesar dressing at Like Hy's
- Where's our piece of N.D. oil boom?
- Rob Lowe shooting Casey Anthony story here
- It's a 'disease,' the studies agree
- The birth of a banana republic
- His life made our world a better place
- Rail firm looks to grain
- Play's the thing to catch conscience of Parliament
- Hope turns to dust in Niger
- The prince and the paper
- You've got a Target? We're in
- 'A special kind of sad'
- Common courtesy decreasingly common
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.