I’m not one who is known to give my endorsement to any particular politician. The assortment that we have in the traditional parties of Canada is, to say the least, uninspiring. They range from outright traitors to the country, in the case of our Prime Minister and his minions, to the largely ineffectual nitwits in opposition. The Liberal Party, by choosing the meritless Justin Trudeau to lead them, has demonstrated it’s bankruptcy. The NDP, the old “spoiler” party that has effectively been the agent keeping the Tories in power, is beneath contempt.
But this is a critical era for democracy in Canada. No Canadian government I can think of has mounted such a sustained and determined attack on our freedom and our democracy as has the present Conservative regime of Stephen Harper. It is far more dangerous than the crude venal corruption of the same party under Brian Mulroney. It is now driven by an utterly ruthless ideology. Harper is determine to wipe out every vestige of democracy in the country and to turn it into a satrapy of the empire of global gangsterdom.
This coming election, I intend to vote for the Green Party. Normally, I vote strategically, as is logical in a
“first-past-the-post” electoral system. Decent human beings in Canada have always voted “ABC” (Anything But Conservative), and selected local, provincial and federal candidates according to whomever had the best chance of keeping Tories out of office. Meanwhile, Stephen Harper has built the Conservative Party into a formidable machine, sharply focused on getting and exercising power, and able to use any dirty tactic with impunity. Perhaps it’s time to ditch the ABC strategy and look to the candidates themselves.
A long time ago, I attended some Green Party events, and was not impressed. The candidates and their spokespeople all seemed to be flakes. Their “green” ideas were half-baked, their commitment to democracy onion-skin thin. I still suspect that most Green Party candidates are not likely to be very good, since any such marginal party will be hard pressed to find serious, thoughtful candidates in a situation where they have zero chance of getting elected.
However, my opinion of the Green Party has gradually changed as I’ve followed the career of its current leader, Elizabeth May. Nothing flaky about her. Elected to Parliament by what amounts to a miracle in a first-past-the-post system, she has demonstrated, on the floor of that assembly, an enviable combination of skill, competence, and integrity. Her debating skills are superb. She relies on logical reasoning and sharp analysis rather than “talking points”. I have heard her utter nothing deceptive, manipulative, or inane — the three categories subsumed in 99% of what is said in Parliament. Consequently, the three major parties have all tried their damnedest to see that she does not participate in the staged pseudo-debates that now pass for electoral competition in this country. She is also the only consistent opponent of FIPA, Harper’s legislative plan to hand over control of Canada’s key resources to the Communist Party in Beijing, and give that genocidal criminal organization the power to overrule our Parliament. FIPA is designed to shift legislative power to secret conclaves, outside of democratic oversight or control, and to bind Canada to its tyrannical power for the next 31 years. As she pointed out in a recent speech, Harper’s supposed opposition to Communism does not apply to the Communists in power now, murdering and exploiting people today, but only to those who are safely dead in history.
When Conservatives rant about the wickedness of Communism, it is purely a rhetorical device. The old Communists used to masquerade as opponents of Fascism — while in reality they allied themselves to Hitler and Mussolini, and were ideologically indistinguishable from them. Conservative “opposition” to Communism is such a fraud. FIPA shows the reality. Harper serves the Communist Party for the same reason he serves the oil industry and global corporate power. All three constitute aristocracy, and the essential core of Conservatism is the protection and empowerment of aristocracy. Conservatives seek a world in which aristocrats rule over peasants and slaves. Such a world exists in the empire of Beijing, and Conservatives everywhere recognize in this the template of their ideal. Men like Harper are drawn to its power like Rob Ford is drawn to crack. Like most people of her generation, who have been educated in the conventional way, Elizabeth May probably does not yet realize that today’s Conservative movement is Communism, re-branded and re-packaged. But she is getting close to seeing it. Most important, she can tell plain evil when it’s in front of her. Few Canadian politicians seem able to to do that.
May emerged from the environmental movement — specifically from the struggle to protect the world treasure of South Moresby Island, in her home base on Canada’s west coast. The Green Party began as an attempt to bring environmental issues to the fore in politics. But, in the long run, environmental issues cannot be disentangled from administrative, economic, and moral issues. May is the first Green Party politician I’ve seen who seems to be able to navigate through all of them.
Here is an example of her coherent thinking and clarity of expression. It is the “end of the year” statement she sends out to the general public:
After seven years as leader of the Green Party of Canada and two and a half years as a Member of Parliament, I do not think of myself as a politician. I don’t think of myself as someone who yearns for power. I hope I am not the kind of person who would want to build a new political party for its own sake. Nevertheless, I am more committed than ever to getting a full caucus of Green MPs (at least 12) elected in the next federal election. The question we should always ask is “why?” Will working and focusing to elect twelve MPs change anything? Will we — as so many progressive voices allege — merely “split the vote?”
When I first decided to run for leadership in the Green Party, my primary motivation was to stop Stephen Harper gaining a majority government. I thought I could prevent his chances of a majority by being in the leaders’ debate, working to keep a focus on issues. I wanted to blunt what I saw then — and still do today — as the informal alliance between Conservatives and the NDP to destroy the Liberal Party – thus keeping Harper in power. In 2008, thanks to a huge public outcry, I was in the debates and we held Harper to a minority. In 2011, when the other party leaders and the networks did a better job of covering their tracks to block Green participation, Harper won his coveted majority.
Thank goodness in that election, we were able to make our successful breakthrough, winning our first Green seat in Parliament. I knew on election night that, as happy as I was, as over-joyed as were the hundreds of volunteers and supporters celebrating at our Saanich-Gulf Islands victory party, that the election was a disaster. I was devastated by the news of a Conservative majority, a “false majority,” a majority of seats with only 39% of the vote. Such a result was only possible due to our archaic “winner take all” voting system. And I knew, because I have known Stephen Harper for years, that our country was in for a beating. I knew our environmental laws would be targets, that climate policy would remain hostage to oil sands interests, and that our very nature and national character would be sorely tested.
What I have experienced since May 2011 has only confirmed my resolve that we have to break out of the hyper-partisanship which is now accepted as “normal.” We have to replace “first past the post” with a voting system that ensures that every vote counts. And we must find a way to reject the toxic politics that allow back-room strategists to set a course for power.
What I see daily as an MP is routine contempt for all our parliamentary institutions. Bills are forced through with time allocations, breaking all historical records for shutting down debate. In the forty year period from 1917–1957, I found 7 examples of time allocation. In the last two years, it has happened 50 times. The abuse of process in massive omnibus bills, also forced through with limited debate, without a single amendment being allowed, is also contempt of the legislative process itself. When I had worked in the Office of the Minister of Environment in the 1980s, all the bills that went through the House were amended. Some of the government bills, such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act were substantially changed through helpful amendments proposed by opposition MPs.
No longer. Somehow Stephen Harper seems to think that even the slightest amendment to a government bill is a political defeat which he will not tolerate. What used to be largely non-partisan exercises – the review of bills, listening to expert witnesses and citizen groups, to consider improvements — has degenerated into a scripted exercise, an extension of the non-stop partisan warfare. It is offensive to every principle of democratic governance that the spring 2012 omnibus budget bill, C‑38 – a monstrous assault on decades of environmental law — all 440 pages, attacking, gutting and repealing 70 other pieces of legislation was passed without a single change between First Reading and Royal Assent. Even drafting errors that were spotted were left intact – and had to be corrected by later government legislation.
Another feature of the current administration is Mr. Harper’s systematic assault on evidence based decision making. The suppression of evidence, the lack of proper background even for the fiscal information in support of budget decisions, is a contempt of Parliament. Our system rests on fundamental principles: government is only legitimate by consent of the governed. Parliament is supreme. And Parliament must control the public purse.
The system has been turned on its head. The Prime Minister, and his political staff, assembled in a fortress called the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), make all the decisions. It dictates to Conservative MPs what they say and how they vote. As was noted recently in an article by former Senator Lowell Murray (Sept 11, 2013, Globe and Mail), “Parliament is not even in the picture.” All decisions are made in the Prime Minister’s office where a completely non-transparent $10 million/year operation exists to enhance the power-base for the Conservatives. Other parties certainly offer a better future for Canada than the course set by Mr. Harper, but will they change the system? I see no sign of it. Mr. Mulcair keeps as tight a choke-hold on NDP MPs as Mr. Harper does on Conservatives. In fact, the NDP caucus voting record displays tighter caucus discipline (no stray MPs being allowed to vote their own conscience and views) than even the Conservative voting record. It is too early to know how tightly Justin Trudeau will control the Liberal caucus, but so far the indicators are not any better than the “discipline” enforced in other parties.
I see no way to change the system for the better without a strong Green presence in the House. In anticipation of the next election, we will seek cooperation. I have already been in touch with the other leaders to explain that we should find a way to cooperate in one election with the shared goal of eliminating First Past the Post so that our voting system can be made fair. In future elections, Canadians would not need to fear the notion of “splitting the vote.” Every citizen would have a more powerful reason to exercise their right to vote, because every vote would count. I wish I could report some progress in the effort to cooperate, but I will keep trying.
We will focus our efforts in the next election and attempt to win at least 12 seats to ensure we have full parliamentary caucus. That will allow us to demonstrate to Canadians and to the other parties that it is possible to have a federal party, promoting a shared vision, while respecting that our MPs first duty is to our constituents – not our party.
A full Green parliamentary caucus will be able to advance policies that deal with the climate crisis; to reduce the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest; protect our health care system; restore respect for independent government science; support the transition to a strong economy based on clean technology, renewable energy and the expanding green economy. We can set an example for accountability and transparency, as I have by placing all my expenses on line. We can raise the bar for civility and respect in public discourse. We can restore Canadians’ sense of trust in the very idea of an elected person who serves the best interests of our country and our planet, rather than narrowly advancing short-term partisan interests.
Notice that she has zeroed in on the key elements of the Conservative threat to Canada, and explained them clearly, in plain speech. There are no irrelevancies calculated to get this or that group “on side”. It was reading these words that made up my mind. She has my vote.
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