On Friday, the Canadian Press reported that The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada has voted to abandon its traditional neutrality during federal elections:
Members of the union have complained bitterly about what they claim is the muzzling of federal scientists and political interference with their work.
The union, which represents some 55,000 professionals in the public service, has traditionally chosen to stay at arm's length from elections.
But union president Debi Daviau says the government's war on labour unions and its cuts to public service jobs have forced a change in strategy.
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions," Daviau said in a written statement Friday.
Unions will become, in the Harperite lexicon, subversives. And, with Canada's entry into Iraq, you can bet that the the prime minister will paint his opponents as weak kneed cowards. Those who oppose income splitting will be branded anti-family. And those who oppose the kind of trade deals Harper has been signing will be called the enemies of prosperity. Environmentalists are already enemies of the state.
The Conservatives have bottled their venom. They intend to release it every day until the election. And it's going to be a very nasty election.
26 comments:
Harper hedges all his bets with pure BS, Owen we knew this. But luckily for us he has alienated most every sector of Canadian society.
The thing I am most a feared of he will use an excuse to impose martial law...
http://pro.moneymappress.com/MMRBSSH39NW2/PMMRQA69/?iris=252778&h=true
Are these 16 agencies wrong? If they are right we are in for Harper Hell because he can declare an emergency that gives him god and jesus like powers...
We can only hope, Mogs, that Canadians wouldn't stand for the ravings of a dictator.
Its going to be very difficult Owen, to not respond to the volume of venom and misinformation about to issue from the Con Regime without slipping into a similar mindset. I do hope that all those that oppose these anti-democratic oligarchs will not let their anger descend into personal attacks and unfounded allegations however I suspect that such is a futile wish, that said I find it difficult to not agree with Mogs. A simple list of historical actions by this regime in the last 8 years should suffice to unseat them but how may have been taking notice I wonder?
Yes true Owen but dictators always seize power...
I agree Owen. It will probably be the nastiest election we've ever had. Canadian's know Harper is a nasty piece of work,but for this election they will
get to see how venomous he really is. He will pull out all the stops. Maybe it will backfire on him.
.. more and more I begin to believe this.. With an election & all the related hyperbole duplicity & hysterical emissions that accompamy it.. certain specific questions must be answered by the incumbant 'government'
Here's a few examples.. and care must be taken to ensure responses (if any) are not allowed to be dull Harper/PMO talking point repeats filtered past Ray Novak or any other deputy PM.
Q # 1 Why was Canada's environment & natural habitat attacked via omnibus bills
Q # 2 Explain how 240 federal ridings experienced proven electoral fraud, yet you deny it happened?
Q # 3 Will you apologize to Canadians or continue to ignorantly abuse Question Period while pretending you have some sort of privilege to do so?
Q # 4 How many Ministers and MP's favor their Evangelical beliefs - superstitions over the dreams needs and wishes of their electorate?
These are just quick examples. and need refinement etc.. but its dullard sellouts like Peter Kent, P Poilievre, James Moore, Jason Kenney, Kellie Leitch, Gail Shea et al that deserve to be confronted with hard questions and not allowed to squirm away via pat answers, deflection or base denial..
One can hope that Canadians will be appalled by "the full Harper," Pam. Let's also hope that he has not managed to desensitize them over the last nine years.
They also tend to meet ignominious ends, Mogs.
It's really hard to gauge how many have been taking notice, Rural. Harper's defeat will only be accomplished by engaging the disengaged.
I agree, salamander. The right questions should concentrate voters' minds.
And the lack of substantive answers -- the Harperites have never offered substantive answers, just smears -- should make it clear that the Emperor has no clothes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KByVbjh3Eh0
As Cockburn says, Anon, "I feel like Fay Wray face to face with King Kong."
I think the sizable LGBT caucus the Conseratives hold should be outed. Let the Bible thumpers deal with that.
Nasty yes, but lets not hold back.
Do you really think that "Canadians will be appalled by "the full Harper?" Some will but many will like it. Spend some time and read Bob Altemeyer's research, The Authoritarians.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
You may be surprised. What surprised me is how so many like a brutish leader who doesn't return the favour, who doesn't care one whit about them, who will dump all over them on a whim.
@Mogs, I replied on the Denver issue. I could not imagine anyone could be offended, but it was certainly not my intent.
I've come across some of Altemeyer's stuff, Toby. It's frightening to learn how easily some people allow themselves to be led around by the nose.
If that happens, Steve, it will reverberate in all parties. Do we really want to go there?
Do not people recall? Harper was Policy Chief for his Northern Foundation of 1989? That Conrad Black was a member of Harper's Foundation? That Black was Harper's propaganda machine? Isn't that why Harper permitted Black back into Canada? Then there was just who, donated to Harper's Alliance of 2002? Then there was Wolfgang Droege and his Heritage Front? Harper has a, very, very shady political past.
The opposition is absolutely useless. They are squabbling as, silly juvenile teenagers. Meanwhile the monster Harper has sold us to, the most detested country on the planet. Communist China's record in other countries, is disgusting. Torturing and murdering the people of Tibet. And, that is only the tip of the needle of China's atrocities.
If anyone doesn't think Harper will cheat the next election, they are right out of their minds. We are the minority and there will be, more Chinese in Canada that Canadians. Never mind all the other ethnic votes Harper has bought up.
Given his record, Anon, you'd think that, by now, Harper would have a really hard time closing the sale.
@Steve I was not offended as you may feel it is just that John was one of the most stand-up and low key musicians of my time and it was sad to see his untimely death in a plane.
On another note I truly understand what you were saying and it was not his hit song anyways Peter Paul and Mary made it so. But what kilt me is his lyrics that he wrote PPM made famous:
"All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die"
Read the last word and it was a tragic end for him it was in literature foreshadowing...
I would have written cry not die...
Owen regarding outing. Is this not in some ways very similar to sexual harrassment. Why should LGBT people be forced to stay in the closet. No one game a damm about Kathleen Wynee. In the Liberal and NDP it will mean nothing. For the Conservatives it will have half the party foaming at the mouth.
The opportunity to rid Canada of Harper!
There are also a ton of salatuious rumours about the PM and his photo op spouse. Like does she live at the Chateau?
The fact that Kathleen Wynne was not an issue indicates -- perhaps -- that we have matured a bit, Steve.
But it's one thing for Wynne to be "out." It's another thing to "out" somebody.
Things could get really viscous. I'm not sure the results would serve our democracy.
steve:
I am against outing of politicians except of those who are publicly campaigning against gay rights or other gay bashing, and there it is because of the massive hypocrisy in action. Each human being defines themselves differently where their sexual orientation and sexuality itself is concerned, so I am inclined to believe it is best left to the individual to decide for themselves until and unless it becomes a serious public policy problem, such as I just provided example of.
It is a very dangerous game to play, outing, and it can have very unexpected, unplanned, and nasty consequences and therefore should never be done lightly. So I cannot agree with you on this one. I know I speak for myself and my wife on this, and we are both openly bi people so take that for what it is worth, and I don't think I need to add (but I will for the sake of the record) that there are few in this nation as opposed to Harper and for as long as I have been, and that wanting him removed from office is my most important political agenda and has been for over a decade now.
Scotian
The problem with nastiness of any kind is that it is reciprocated, Scotian.
That notion apparently hasn't crossed the Conservatives' radar.
P.M. "lets hide in the closet but send our young people to war" stevie harper is one sick puppy. on the other hand he wouldn't be in office if Canadians hadn't voted him there time and time again.
when he first came to office, he defunded women's groups. Did anyone complain? Not that much and he was re-elected
We knew they were into surveillance, when Vic Toews started his lines, about 'you're with us, or you're with the sexual predators' and yet we re-elected harper and his cons. did people not think they wouldn't be taking another run at it.
we currently have 2 Canadians in jail in china for spying? what has harper done? Nothing.
Our military vets have been treated like dirt and not provided adequate medical services? They complained. what happened. the cons started reading their personal medical files.
over 40 student teachers have been murdered in mexico, with whom we have a trade agreement. what have we heard from harper? nothing.
harper has yet to demonstrates he cares for anybody but his supporters. He would deny Vets decent care while spending a bomb on war ads. He spends money on bombing people in the middle east but can't find any money for a task force to find out who murdered 1,200 First Nations women.
the man is disgusting beyond belief We who voted for him, aren't any better. If the next election is going to be vicious, who would be surprised. Just look at harper and his disgraced senators. Lets hope the next election is vicious because if we don't get vicious right back, we will become a dictatorship and harper and his cons will turn our Canada into something like china and/or russia.
In the words of our former Parliamentary Budget Officer, e.a.f, Ottawa is "Putinesque."
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