Now that the campaign is over – and what a roller coaster of a campaign it was, full of ups, downs, lefts, rights, uprisings, and happy endings!
Now that it’s over, and we finally have stability for four years, it’s time, I think, to express my opinion on how Stephen Harper should conduct the next Parliament to govern well from a position of power.
In general, the problem with majority governments is they’re essentially elected dictatorships. (Note to my critics, yes, I’m saying the “D” word – but note that it’s not about Stephen Harper, it’s about the government in general. Chretien was far worse than Harper in the dictator department anyway.) The Prime Minister’s can decide upon any legislation he wants, and, since he controls the votes in the House of Commons through his party Whip. it’s very easy to get that legislation passed.
So the first thing I would want to see Harper do as Prime Minister is declare every bill other than the budget to be a free vote. The House of Commons, as the legislature for the nation, is supposed to represent us – the voters. We elect our MP to act on our behalf, not only as an interface point between the constituent and the Minister of whatever department, but also in the House of Commons itself, debating and voting on our behalf.
If a bill should become law in the House of Commons, it should pass on its own merits. Obviously, with a majority of Conservative MPs, it should be easier for a Conservative Prime Minister to pass a Conservative bill, however at the same time, if I could trust that my MP would think for himself rather than be whipped into submission, I would be much happier.
Second: End the $2/vote subsidy. Now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. Kill it; but change nothing else.
Third: Kill the gun registry.
Fourth: Kill the wheat board.
That is all.
I guess there are a number of ways to comment about this comment…
Gun registry. it’s gone because it’s easy to get rid of, but that’s not the point. Harper should move beyond this issue and move to the one he should be promoting: right to firearms ownership. Harper should do the right thing (with his majority) and start lifting the restrictions on a wide variety of firearms. His defence should be this sound one: guns don’t kill people; people kill people. Think this line is over-used? It is and it makes sense. Harper does not have the balls to do this.
Free votes. It will never happen, though all the parties have agreed to it in principle. The reason why Harper will never allow this dream to live is because such a practice will promote those of social conservative he wants to suppress, among them the right to life, etc. Free votes will never happen.
Get rid of the $2 vote subsidy. This one is a no-brainer. It’s gone. Why? Because even the NDP wants it gone to financially starve the Liberals, the Bloc, and the Greens into oblivion.
In the end, all this says is that Harper is a conservative in name only. All he wants is to keep urban Ontario and regain Quebec, and he will promote anything to make that possible. In time, calling Harper a conservative will be more of an insult to conservatives.
A grim view? Not really. There was this fellow I once knew who was (is) a hardcore Alberta nationalist (Nothing wrong with being called a separatist either.) who was convinced that another Liberal government would drive Alberta from Canada. I said no; another Liberal government will not change anything about whether Alberta stays or goes, because what else does Alberta expect from Liberals but more of the same. If you really want Alberta to be free wait for the prime minister from Alberta. That prime minister will be such a disappointment, or an outright threat to Alberta’s interests, that Alberta will bolt. Better yet, make that prime minister a conservative one who likes the status quo.
Harper’s your man.