Harper

There has been plenty of commentary on the subject already, and frankly I am sick and tired of all the self-serving political games. Those who have read the House of Israel Party web site are aware of my distrust of Stephen Harper, which has been longstanding. The Conservative Party of Canada is conservative in name only - they are not fiscal or social conservatives - they are just interested in power, and Harper and his gang of yes men and women will do almost anything to remain in power and win a majority. Why don't they just change their name to the Conservative- Liberal Party or Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada and get it over with ?

We may be looking at some sort of mental disorder with the Prime Minister. He is a control freak, and this has raised alarm bells with me a long time ago, and I have tried to warn Canadians about how dangerous of a man Harper is. Control freaks like Harper have psychological problems - when they seem compelled to always seek control, and micromanage others. Such persons can cause enormous damage if they are in positions of power and authority like Harper is - especially in high government positions. He has muzzled his Cabinet, and muzzled Conservative MPs - and the shameful part is how willing these people were to be neutered and cowed into compliance to the domination and control of Harper. Seems like these people will do almost anything to stay in power. Harper has even tried to muzzle the media. He has lied to Canadians regularly, and is willing to use and abuse public money to further his mad quest for a majority government. He is a manipulator and schemer, and very dishonest. The Conservative Party now stands for nothing, but expedience and power. It is just another socialist party.

Harper had betrayed the fiscal and social conservatives. He is quite willing to destroy all the progress we have worked so hard to achieve in eliminating the deficit, and paying down our national debt - Harper will now just toss us back into the fiscal hole we have worked so hard to crawl out of for the past 12 years or so. If you compromise with your fundamental principles and beliefs then you basically don't stand for anything - except power and control. You are just an empty shell of a person.

The more I think of the politics and insanity of this budget - the more I get upset, and so this just causes me undo stress, which damages the health. I want to be healthy, and I hope you do too. So I want to look at this mess, from a positive perspective.

So Harper gets home from Afghanistan, where he is trying to spin the web of deceit that he is the great champion of freedom and democracy. Yet very shortly after Harper and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) muzzle the federal Cabinet.

Control freak Harper imposed central control over all information and comments to the public by government officials and even cabinet ministers, directing and controlling them to have everything cleared by the PMO.

The orders apparently described in an e-mail to bureaucrats, indicate that ministers have been told to avoid talking about the direction of the government, and the government wants them to be less available to the media. All government officials are instructed to avoid speaking about anything other than the five priorities outlined in the Conservative campaign.

To keep a grip on matters the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will now approve all ministerial events. The PMO will clear all public communications - even minor comments and letters to local newspapers. The PMO must approve all communications products - even Letters to the Editor. Amazing - these Conservative control freak micro- managers.

Since coming into office Conservative ministers have mostly refused to give interviews to reporters. The PMO asked officials to remove microphones set up in hallways outside cabinet meetings. The government seems intent on reducing reporters' access to ministers, and ministers are not even allowed to speculate on the future direction of the government.

And if any minister gets out of line - it seems like they will be swiftly whipped or intimidated into falling into line. This oppressive central control by Harper apparently has never been seen in Ottawa before. Government officials, and ministers now must clear every interview or comment with the PMO first.

Didn't I warn you about Harper ? Didn't I point out to you his dictatorial streak and his utter disdain for freedom and democracy ? He pulled this trick on Larry Spencer. Harper is after all from Alberta (although originally from Toronto) and don't you know we here in Alberta have lived under dictatorships for much of our history as a province. Alberta is a one party state, where people like me, who fight for freedom and justice are treated like junk.

CTV's David Akin said reporters "don't really have access" to cabinet ministers anymore.

Can you believe what damage this man and his band of yes men and yes women would do if they had a majority government ? Already Harper has shown an astonishing control freak streak, and an amazingly cynical and calculated attitude. It seems like he figures we ordinary Canadians are just a bunch of dummies to be used, abused and manipulated for his own personal ends. And he has his pals in some of the mainstream media, who are willingly spreading their spin and conservative propaganda day after day. It is really frightening.

Greg Weston writes that, " Everywhere in the political backrooms, chat rooms and local bars, it seems, even senior Conservative staffers have begun referring to Harper's bureau of control freaks as simply "The Kremlin."

Weston writes and I quote, " But far more important than Harper's ultimately losing tussle with the national media is the culture of fear and secrecy this administration is spreading throughout government. "

Exactly - Harper is growing a culture of fear and secrecy in government. This is not good. It is very serious, because this is putting our freedoms in jeopardy. I warned you about Harper.

Harper's new accountability legislation has come under severe criticism. The proposed Accountability Act will make government less accountable when it comes to making information available to Canadians, Information Commissioner John Reid has said.

" Prime Minister Harper has done a complete about-face, introducing plans that would increase government secrecy after campaigning on openness, " says Canada’s information Commissioner. In a report to Parliament, Reid said no government of Canada has ever put forward "a more retrograde and dangerous" set of proposals to change the Access to Information Act since the legislation first came into effect in 1983.

The Accountability Act, and the other reforms planned will " increase the government’s ability to cover up wrongdoing, shield itself from embarrassment and control the flow of information to Canadians," says the report.

This Accountability Act will add 19 entities that can be covered by Access to Information, but it also creates 10 new loopholes that allow civil servants to deny requests for information, says the report.

Harper promised more accountability, but the proposed act will "reduce the amount of information available to the public, weaken the role of the information commissioner and increase the government's ability to cover-up wrongdoing, shield itself from embarrassment and control the flow of information to Canadians," Reid wrote. Reid also called the proposals "a bureaucrat's dream."

This is horrifying stuff folks. This is not funny. We have a calculating, cynical, dictatorial, control freak Prime Minister, who is slyly manipulating the media and the public, so he can win a majority government in the next election, so he can carry out his agenda unopposed. Conservative MPs are whipped and muzzled.

Harper has also stepped in and made efforts to control the flow of information Canadians can get from the media regarding the remains of dead soldiers flown back here from Afghanistan. Harper just doesn't want us ordinary unwashed masses to see the caskets of the dead soldiers, because Harper wants to control the media, and control the flow of information the public can get regarding our soldiers, and regarding the government. This is because he wants to use his power to prevent the public from getting a negative perception regarding the War in Afghanistan, and Canada's role there. He wants to control the optics, so they are in his favor come election time. His goal is to win a majority government, and it seems he and his cronies will stop at little to achieve that end.

This is a very, very dangerous man. And he is the Prime Minister. And the amazing thing is how silent so many conservatives are in regards to these excesses of Harper, and his going back of election promises.

Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister of Canada, with his Conservative Party having a slim majority - with only 125 seats out of a total of 308. To form a majority a party needs at least 155 seats.

My suspicions of Harper, and have been confirmed by his appointments of Emerson and Fortier to the cabinet.

Harper had taken an unexpected trip to Afghanistan - apparently to boost the morale of the 2,300 or so Canadian troops stationed there.

Harper was quoted as saying to reporters that " Very quickly after assuming office, looking at all of Canada's interests abroad, we determined that the single most important thing we're doing in terms of our commitments, in terms of the risks were taking, in terms of the leadership we're showing, the most important thing is what we're doing in Afghanistan. "

Well that is the spin we were fed. I am not easily fooled however, and I feel this trip smells of politics. Harper has a very weak minority. He needs a majority to do what he wants and to carry out his agenda. So in my judgment this trip to Afghanistan was just a cynical public relations scheme to shore up Harper's image back here in Canada, and to try and manipulate public opinion in favour of Harper and the Conservative Party.

Why did Harper conveniently have reporters along with him ? Was it to insure the spin and propaganda got back home here in Canada that Harper is this great patriot ? This is pure politics, and very distasteful in my judgment. To use this as a photo opt to shore up Harper's image back home in Canada. To use tax payers money to finance a trip that was nothing more than a calculated, cynical, partisan political maneuver. Seems like the reporters did not have much of a choice, and were forced to go along, and were just being used and manipulated by Harper.

As Tom Parry a reporter with CBC Radio's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa wrote, " What choice do we have? " The media was just being used as dupes by Harper. Used and manipulated for Harper's political self-interests - all done in the guise of showing this phony support for our troops in Afghanistan.

Harper waxes on and was quoted as saying to the troops , "Your work is about more than just defending Canada's national interests. Your work is also about demonstrating an international leadership role for our country."

Could someone please explain to me how Canadian troops in Afghanistan are defending Canada's national interests ? How ?

Harper said that " As it stands now, Canada is in for the long haul. " Canada and the international community are determined to take a failed state and create a "democratic, prosperous and modern country," he said. Who gave Harper the mandate to have our troops mired in Afghanistan ?

Funny you know. Harper wants to bring freedom and democracy to Afghanistan, but we don't even have real democracy here in Canada. Canada is one of the most over regulated, over governed nations on earth. Canada's so-called democracy is a joke. All we have is elected dictators. Why doesn't Harper work so we have a free and democratic country here in Canada first, before we try and solve the problems of Afghanistan ? Shouldn't we clean up our own backyard first, before trying to clean up our neighbour's backyard ?

I listens a bit to the CBC Program Cross Country Check-Up, where Harper's trip to Afghanistan and Canada's role over there was the topic. I just listened in briefly to get a gist of the opinions, and callers mood. One caller waxed on about how important it was for our troops to help to get the Afghanis to stop growing opium poppies. I just laughed. How hypocritical I thought. Here is Canada - one of the world's biggest contributors to the illegal marijuana trade - wanting to get them Afghanis to stop producing opium. Ridiculous ! Laughable !

Some other callers were mentioning about bringing freedom and democracy to Afghanistan, yet we don't even have this in Canada. I was really astonished by the arrogance, hypocrisy and smugness of quite a few of the callers. They want to save the world, but are unwilling to save their own country.

Lies + Broken Promises + Manipulations + Distortions + Control Freak Tactics of Steven Harper - All Craftily Designed to Give Him His Hoped for Coveted Majority Government or to Cling to Power

1. Calling an early election for October 2008, thus breaking a legislated fixed election date promise to have the next vote in the fall of 2009. He just saw an opportunity to win a majority when the opposition was in a weakened, vulnerable position - so to hell with promises and fixed election dates. Forcing us Canadians into a 300 million dollar election we and the country did not need and could not afford - just because he saw a chance for him to win a majority.

2. Spreading the lies and distortions that the Coalition was attempting a coup, and what they were doing in trying to form their own government with the Coalition was undemocratic - when in reality what Dion, Duceppe and Layton were doing was completely democratic, and completely legal. Therefore Harper has shown his complete contempt for parliamentary democracy.

3. Turning a record budget surplus into a deficit in 3 years. Betraying fiscal conservatives. Suddenly becoming wildly supportive of huge deficit spending - all done just to cling to power.

4. Perogation of Parliament for no reason, and refusing to face parliament for a non-confidence vote. This shows Harpers insatiable thirst for power and control. It shows his contempt for our elected representatives in Parliament - the majority of whom had lost confidence in the government. When the government loses the confidence of the House - then it is the right and duty of the opposition parties to offer an alternative government to the Governor General, if they can cobble together a coalition as did the Liberals and NDP and Bloc. Instead of respecting our Parliamentary traditions Harper shuts down the House - with the support of the GG.

Harper did the same perogation of Parliament just recently in the early part of 2010 - most likely due to the heat his government was getting from the Parliamentary Committee on Afghani Detainees and the alleged cover up of the torture of some of these detainees that the Canadian forces turned over to the Afghani authorities.

5.Running the biggest spending Canadian government ever and increasing spending at twice the rate of inflation and revenue. And this is supposed to be a Conservative Prime Minister ?

6. Losing 2 billion plus dollars of tax revenue due to an ill conceived income trust policy, and all the while betraying those who had invested heavily in Income Trusts. Broken promise on taxing income trusts.

7. Kicking out Garth Turner for being outspoken.

8. Firing Mp Bill Casey for doing his job and standing up for his constituents.

9. Producing a 200 page "Manual of Dirty Tricks" to deliberately disrupt parliamentary committees and parliament.   Conservative committee chairmen following the advice and walking out when contentious issues are raise or they might lose a vote. This shows us clearly that this man cannot be trusted.

10. Firing Conservative Senators Hugh Segal and Michael Meighan from committee work for independent thinking.

11. Muzzling Conservative MPs and banning them from unauthorized media interviews. And you thought we lived in a democracy.

12. Spending more money in a single year than any other government in Canadian history. Driving Canada back into the deficit hole we had spent 12 tough years clawing out of.

13. Preaching Senate reform, then appointing Michael Fortier to the Senate so he could be made an unelected cabinet minister. Also appointing a host of Senators just because he thought the Coalition might come into power - thus Harper broke his pledge to work for Senate reform.

14. Setting Jim Flaherty loose to attack Ontario’s economic policy (after he led them into deficit) and thus bad mouthing Ontario to investors and succeeding in driving away business and investment.

15. Refusing to allow media coverage of the return home of our Afghan war dead, without consulting the families. This was his initial control freak response, but he had to back down on that one.

16. Broken promise on providing a health care waiting time guarantee.

17. Threatening Conservative MPs with loss of party status if they talked about funding cuts that affect their constituents.

18. Running the most secretive and least accountable government in Canadian history after running on a platform of accountability.

19. Attempts to block access by the Parliamentary Press Gallery to the prime minister and cabinet. Secret timing of cabinet meetings to avoid press. Attempting to muzzle and control the media.

20. Trying to buy the 2007 Quebec election with a 34% increase in transfer payments.

21. Claiming the Air India inquiry depended on anti-terrorism act amendments that opposition MPs opposed, when lawyers said it did not.

22. Blacking out pages which supposedly provide proof of tax leakage as justification for taxing income trusts when released under a Freedom Of Information request and stating that it was done in the “Interest of National Security.

23. Promising a lean government, and then bloating the cabinet by six more Cabinet positions - with all the resultant increase in expenses.

24. Breaking a Conservative Blue book pledge to Prevent party leaders from appointing candidates without the democratic consent of local electoral district associations.

25. Breaking promises to provinces, including Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan, over transfer payments, while showering Quebec. Sucking up to Quebec, with the hope of forming a majority government.

26. When everyone wants an end to school yard bullying and internet bullying he sets an example to kids that it is okay to bully.

27. The Cadman Affair, questionable and possibly illegally attempting to influence the vote of a dying MP. More "rule bending".   Continually changing his story about the Cadman tape. Attempting to take advantage of a dieing man purely for the purpose of political gain.

28. Going out of his way to avoid answering media questions. Thus sewing the seeds of secrecy and distrust in Ottawa.

29. Breaking the Atlantic Accord after promising not to.

30. Denying all veteran's widows extended benefits after promising to do so.

31. Causing the loss of Bell Canada and dozens of Income Trusts to Private equity firms with an ill conceived Income Trust policy, resulting in reduced tax revenue.

32. Stacking the judiciary with pro-Conservative judges after vowing open appointments.

33. Selling out to the Americans on softwood lumber and leaving a 1 billion dollar tip on the table. A betrayal of our industry, and a capitulation to the Americans.

34. The Elections Canada raid on Conservative party headquarters, investigating the ‘in and out” election financing scheme.

35. David Emerson - a blatant betrayal by Harper - since Emerson was elected as a Liberal - then Harper encourages him to jump ship and become an instant Conservative, with a Cabinet position. A betrayal of democracy, and of the choices of the voters in Emerson's BC riding.

36. Dropping his friend and valued advisor Brian Mulroney like a hot potato, when Schreiber’s allegations are made public. Distancing himself and the Conservative Party from Mulroney - who did nothing illegal, and who has been cleared of all wrong doings in a Court of Law - regarding this so-called Schreiber Affair. Allowing Brian Mulroney to be crucified all over again - rather than standing up and saying enough is enough and supporting Mulroney.

37. Ignoring one of John Manley’s key recommendations on Afghanistan to improve communication to Canadians on progress.

38. Pushing recognition of “the Quebecois as a nation” through Parliament in order to win seats in that province. This man is willing to sacrifice the country in his mad quest for a majority.

39. Promising investors a break on capital gains taxes and then abandoning it after being elected.

40. Not treating the Canadian Press Gallery fairly.

41. Refusing to accept questions from the press far too often and attempting to control the press and carefully screening journalists for questions. This again shows Harper's control freak streak, and his dictatorial tendencies. He has tried repeatedly to manipulate and muzzle the press.

42. Stopping public servants making statements without approval from the PMO

43. Stopping Conservative MPs making statements without approval from the PMO

44. Harper’s broken promise to reduce federal fuel taxes if gas goes over 85 cents/l, saying “get used to it” and “the reduction would be insignificant” after being elected.

Debates, February 13, 2008
Mr. Thomas Mulcair (Outremont, NDP): the budget bill will allow more and more foreign takeovers of Canadian companies. The people of Sudbury are suffering the consequences of the Conservatives' inability to ensure that the agreements associated with such takeovers are honoured. When the government allowed the Swiss group Xstrata to take over Falconbridge, the deal was that there were to be no job losses for three years, yet nearly 700 people are unemployed.

In December 2008, in order to turn public opinion against a coalition of NDP and Liberals, Harper is attempting to present such a coalition as illegal, undemocratic, even "unholy," especially if it involves the Bloc in any way.

He presently denies he ever considered forming such a coalition while in opposition.

That is a lie - (article based on an in-depth interview with Harper in 2004)

But the real news is Harper's confirmation that -- while he would not allow other parties to have Ministers in his government -- he was open to working with the other two parties to form an alternative government in a move remarkably close to what he is today calling a "separatist coalition."

"I've never seen the leader of a Conservative party, certainly not Bob Stanfield, certainly not Joe Clark, lie — I choose the word deliberately — the way Mr. Harper has," (Ed) Broadbent said (in an interview with CBC).

Mr. Broadbent adds - "They lie. They pay people to destroy things."

"I'm concerned I have a prime minister who lies to the people of Canada and knows it," Broadbent said. "It's one thing to exaggerate. It's another to deliberately tell falsehoods."

When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid assent is frankly when it's rapidly losing its moral authority to govern." - Steve Harper, 2005

December, 2008 -

Steve has lost his moral authority to govern by proroguing Parliament to dodge a non-confidence vote, thus canceling dissent.

A re-elected Conservative Government led by Stephen Harper will continue to reform appointments to federal agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations.

While the creation of the Commission was authorized by the Federal Accountability Act brought in by the current government, the previous Parliament blocked the appointment of several distinguished Canadians from sitting on the Commission.

It was Harper who killed the committee after only one rejection by the Governments Ops committee.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scrapping the idea of a new public appointments commission after opposition MPs rejected his nominee to chair it.

The House of Commons operations committee voted 6-5 to ask Harper to withdraw his appointment of the former energy executive because of controversial remarks Morgan has made over immigrants and multiculturalism.

"Fixed election dates prevent governments from calling snap elections for short-term political advantage," Harper said. "They level the playing field for all parties and the rules are clear for everybody." Yet Steve, while not quite breaking his own law, broke the spirit of that law by calling an election for October, 2008, thus avoiding the Obama fever, dodging committees calling him on such things as the Elections Canada investigation into his party, and the Cadman affair. He “called a snap election for short-term political advantage” at our expense.

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Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms and Fundamental Freedoms (from the Canadian Constitution) " The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association. "