Harper - The International Embarrassment Continues

ReeferMadness · August 15, 2015

This editorial (The Closing of the Canadian Mind) was published in the New York Times today. It's sad to see another international black eye courtesy of a government with no soul. What really stings, though, is how accurate this assessment is. And to think that there are so many sheep out there that would vote for them again.

A few choice passages

ut the nine and half years of Mr. Harper’s tenure have seen the slow-motion erosion of that reputation for open, responsible government. His stance has been a know-nothing conservatism, applied broadly and effectively. He has consistently limited the capacity of the public to understand what its government is doing, cloaking himself and his Conservative Party in an entitled secrecy, and the country in ignorance.

His relationship to the press is one of outright hostility. At his notoriously brief news conferences, his handlers vet every journalist, picking and choosing who can ask questions.

he Canadian Conservatives have passed the Fair Elections Act, a law with a classically Orwellian title, which not only needlessly tightens the requirements for voting but also has restricted the chief executive of Elections Canada from promoting the act of voting. Mr. Harper seems to think that his job is to prevent democracy.

The major foreign policy goal of his tenure was the Keystone Pipeline, which Mr. Harper ultimately failed to deliver. The Canadian dollar has returned to the low levels that once earned it the title of the northern peso. Despite being left in a luxurious position of strength after the global recession, he coasted on what he knew: oil.

It's a dismal read that portrays a glum, though accurate picture of what is going on in this country. Harper makes Canada look like an unsophisticated backwater populated by slack-jawed yokels who wouldn't recognize good governance if it poked them in the face.

The_Squid · August 15, 2015

Harper has been an embarrassment for this country. Failed foreign policy.... failed economy... An embarrassment at the UN.... a fail with respect to Canada's stance on climate change.

waldo · August 15, 2015

let them eat cake! ... "You won't recognize Canada when I get through with it!"

bush_cheney2004 · August 15, 2015

Who is the audience for this Esquire/NY Times piece ? Wasn't it picked up by domestic Canadian media first ? Odd.....

waldo · August 15, 2015

Who is the audience for this Esquire/NY Times piece ? Wasn't it picked up by domestic Canadian media first ? Odd.....

"odd"... the author is a columnist for Esquire... the article doesn't appear in Esquire. Are you really asking the NY Times to account for the interests/distribution of its readership, domestic or other? Are you implying there are no other Americans (real or claimed) that have interest in Canada... interest to either your obsessive level or other?

drummindiver · August 15, 2015

Lol. Who gives a shit about an opinion piece from an extreme left wing Canadian who called Duffy "Canadian Nixon" Hyperbole much?

socialist · August 15, 2015

This editorial (The Closing of the Canadian Mind) was published in the New York Times today. It's sad to see another international black eye courtesy of a government with no soul. What really stings, though, is how accurate this assessment is. And to think that there are so many sheep out there that would vote for them again.

A few choice passages

It's a dismal read that portrays a glum, though accurate picture of what is going on in this country. Harper makes Canada look like an unsophisticated backwater populated by slack-jawed yokels who wouldn't recognize good governance if it poked them in the face.

Only in Canada would a conservative bureaucrat be prosecuted for trying to help a politician repay money he ought not have received while, back at the ranch, a left wing radical politician is allowed to skate on MILLIONS that he and his party illegally took from public funds to spend on their own careers.

Edited August 15, 2015 by socialist

Shady · August 15, 2015

Sounds kinda like Obama!

The greatest threat to press freedom in a generation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/politics/under-obama-a-chill-on-press-freedom.html

And he persecutes whistle blowers more than any other administration combined! But you guys love him. Weird. Cause it can't be politics right? Lol.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Shady

Topaz · August 15, 2015

I think the Tories are going to find when their supporters start to really think what this government has done to this country and hopefully, not be tempted by bribes of money for their votes, they won't support the Tory party and work more, to bring back the PC party, cause this conservative party is more corrupt than the PC's ever were!!!

Argus · August 15, 2015

I think the Tories are going to find when their supporters start to really think what this government has done to this country and hopefully, not be tempted by bribes of money for their votes, they won't support the Tory party and work more, to bring back the PC party, cause this conservative party is more corrupt than the PC's ever were!!!

Blistering nonsense. You forget Mulroney accepted millions and then lied about it.

As for voting for the Tories, as long as the opposition consists of boy Trudeau and the Marxist NDP there really is no alternative.

Argus · August 15, 2015

The Toronto glitterati have never gotten over the horror of having the prime minister come from one of the barbaric frontier colonies, and not from central Canada. The Liberal party has never had a leader from outside Ontario and Quebec and never will.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Argus

socialist · August 15, 2015

I think the Tories are going to find when their supporters start to really think what this government has done to this country and hopefully, not be tempted by bribes of money for their votes, they won't support the Tory party and work more, to bring back the PC party, cause this conservative party is more corrupt than the PC's ever were!!!

There are so many silly people commenting it just makes one's head spin. Democracy has been hijacked but not by Stephen Harper. I have one question for you. Did you get to vote in the last elections, federal, municipal and provincial? If you did, then I would like to say that obviously democracy was not hijacked, your side just lost. I guess if your side wins this time all will be restored and utopia will exist.

socialist · August 15, 2015

This editorial (The Closing of the Canadian Mind) was published in the New York Times today. It's sad to see another international black eye courtesy of a government with no soul. What really stings, though, is how accurate this assessment is. And to think that there are so many sheep out there that would vote for them again.

A few choice passages

It's a dismal read that portrays a glum, though accurate picture of what is going on in this country. Harper makes Canada look like an unsophisticated backwater populated by slack-jawed yokels who wouldn't recognize good governance if it poked them in the face.

This is a nice piece written by a former left wing partisan hack employed by the CBC. My, my, it's scary how readily some of you swallow the kool aid before giving some impartial thought.

socialist · August 15, 2015

Marche sums up the POV of the Harper Derangement Syndrome crowd pretty well. Everything is Harper's fault, the country is going to hell in a handbasket, the sky is falling!

A couple of things you would never realize from reading Marche's biased article: Harper has committed to at least 4 more debates during the election, possibly five. What he hasn't agreed to is 9 more debates proposed by all manner of special interest groups. You would also never know that the first (and so far only) Member of Parliament convicted of a robocall offense was Liberal MP Frank Valeriote. There is plenty more. The Times would do a service to the readers by getting the other side story

Edited August 15, 2015 by socialist

socialist · August 15, 2015

Who is the audience for this Esquire/NY Times piece ? Wasn't it picked up by domestic Canadian media first ? Odd.....

Who is Stephen Marche? An accomplished Canadian writer? Yes. He is equally an unabashed supporter of Canada's leftist New Democratic Party (NDP). The current election is a very close race between Stephen Harper's Conservatives and the NDP led by Thomas Mulcair. The New York Times wants to add its voice to Canada's election, so in the interests of balance and fairness, I am looking for another op ed from the other side. Canada's economic record through the financial crisis; its reputation, widely held, as one of the best countries in the world; and its defence of free market capitalism are simply ignored by Mr. Marche, an academic and again, an ardent supporter of the NDP.

Topaz · August 15, 2015

Blistering nonsense. You forget Mulroney accepted millions and then lied about it.

As for voting for the Tories, as long as the opposition consists of boy Trudeau and the Marxist NDP there really is no alternative.

So what's the differences with Harper? That guy is going to get us into many problems with Russia just to show |Harper is a tough guy, ...NOT, he ran into the closet.

socialist · August 15, 2015

Who is the audience for this Esquire/NY Times piece ? Wasn't it picked up by domestic Canadian media first ? Odd.....

The New York Times should be writing about Obama's contempt for law (using prosecutorial discretion not to increase the efficiency of immigration law but to blatantly undermine the express provisions of the law -- what is the point of Congress passing a law if the President cannot only undermine it, but can intentionally implement policies that are the exact opposite of those enacted by Congress.) Also, Obama's incredible violations of privacy and internal spying are inimical to a democratic society. Also, the Times should look at the record of the clown that Obama appointed as science advisor (John Holdren -- whose prophecies of doom have been completely wrong) before criticizing Harper's science policies.

socialist · August 15, 2015

Sounds kinda like Obama!

The greatest threat to press freedom in a generation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/09/us/politics/under-obama-a-chill-on-press-freedom.html

And he persecutes whistle blowers more than any other administration combined! But you guys love him. Weird. Cause it can't be politics right? Lol.

It would be hard to find another skein of deception as artless as this opinion piece. Mr. Harper is not the voluble sort, but Canadians are as well informed about what his government is doing, and about opposition to it, as they have ever been.

Canada's economy is very dependent on natural resources, including energy, as the mini-recession we are now experiencing demonstrates. Mr. Harper was wise in choosing a wait and see policy with respect to climate change. The option of gutting a second string player like coal was just not there for us, nor do our cold climate and vast distances allow for an easy fix in energy consumption.

Anyone who knows even recent Canadian history knows that the "scandals" of the the Harper years were nothing alongside those of earlier government: a couple of minor breaches of election law and a handful of senators (of both major parties in the Senate) who fudged expense accounts And it was not Harper's chief of staff who was indicted, but a senator. The attempt to link Harper to mayor Ford is pathetically dishonest. There is no link.

The worst thing about these scribblings is the failure to mention the policies promised and delivered by this government: tax reforms that have allowed Canadian to shelter their money for retirement, immigration reform, updating of our social security system, increased funding of medical care, balanced budgets, strong support for Israel, and vigorous advocacy of free trade. Does Mr. Marche oppose these?

Edited August 15, 2015 by socialist

socialist · August 15, 2015

This editorial (The Closing of the Canadian Mind) was published in the New York Times today. It's sad to see another international black eye courtesy of a government with no soul. What really stings, though, is how accurate this assessment is. And to think that there are so many sheep out there that would vote for them again.

A few choice passages

It's a dismal read that portrays a glum, though accurate picture of what is going on in this country. Harper makes Canada look like an unsophisticated backwater populated by slack-jawed yokels who wouldn't recognize good governance if it poked them in the face.

Most Canadian journalists are smug monkey-see, monkey do jerks with lots of snark but not a lot of brains. That's why so many Canadians turn to the American or British media to get international news. Marche also seems a bit confused about the difference between a mayor and a prime minister. Ford is a conservative, but his tenure only "coincided" with Harper's, so pardon me, but what the heck is that about? I'm not fond of many of Harper's policies, but there is no doubt that his leadership through the financial crisis (aided by a conservative banking system), allowed Canadians to weather that storm safely. I have friends in the US and Britain who were hit much harder, especially those whose jobs depended on the markets. However, because I actually have a horizon that can be broadened, I know this. Marche needs to take a civics class and get out more often. This is typical Canadian reporting. Sigh.

Argus · August 15, 2015

So what's the differences with Harper? That guy is going to get us into many problems with Russia just to show |Harper is a tough guy, ...NOT, he ran into the closet.

The difference with Harper is he's an honest man in how he handles our finances and money. As for Russia... don't be shifting into paranoid loony role.

And there is a reason why you keep your king back when playing chess. There is a reason why the prime minister should be as protected from crazed terrorists as possible. Sneering at it as cowardice is infantile.

waldo · August 16, 2015

The difference with Harper is he's an honest man in how he handles our finances and money. As for Russia... don't be shifting into paranoid loony role.

oh pleeeeese! If nothing else, without getting into actual specifics of wasted money and vote-buying... where's the "honesty" in continually floating that ever elusive balanced budget balloon, year over year... and in this most recent budget, where's the honesty in trumpeting a pre-election balanced promise that had no foundation in reality and that only (ON PAPER) could be realized by dipping into a so-called contingency fund?

Topaz · August 16, 2015

The difference with Harper is he's an honest man in how he handles our finances and money. As for Russia... don't be shifting into paranoid loony role.

And there is a reason why you keep your king back when playing chess. There is a reason why the prime minister should be as protected from crazed terrorists as possible. Sneering at it as cowardice is infantile.

There are certain leaders in the world that make other people's lives a living hell and people in the world will react to that and because of C-51, I can't really say what I want and you know they are monitoring all these forums.

Icebound · August 16, 2015

. You would also never know that the first (and so far only) Member of Parliament convicted of a robocall offense was Liberal MP Frank Valeriote.

Ah yes, Valeriote.

Fined $5000 .. no return number and no contact information in the call. Content had to do with the anti-pro-choice stance of his opponent. In effect, an anonymous accusation....which is against CRTC rules.

It turns out that in the same riding, there were a whole bunch of outright lies in robocalls which directed Liberal supporters to wrong polling sites. Oh Yeah, and a Conservative staffer went to jail over it.

But hey, we will get Elections Canada on the case to investigate.... Except that the Conservative Party refuses to cooperate. Now why would somebody refuse to cooperate in an investigation of blatant wrongdoing?

poochy · August 16, 2015

oh pleeeeese! If nothing else, without getting into actual specifics of wasted money and vote-buying... where's the "honesty" in continually floating that ever elusive balanced budget balloon, year over year... and in this most recent budget, where's the honesty in trumpeting a pre-election balanced promise that had no foundation in reality and that only (ON PAPER) could be realized by dipping into a so-called contingency fund?

I suppose your 12 times more worried about the Ontario budget? You're so pathetically disingenuous.

waldo · August 16, 2015

I suppose your 12 times more worried about the Ontario budget? You're so pathetically disingenuous.

I appreciate all you Harper Conservative supporters are feverishly attempting to distract from Harper failings by continuing to shout, 'look squirrel'! :lol: By the by, this happens to be the Federal Politics forum... and for what it's worth... I don't live in Ontari-ari-ari-o!