The Harper Attack on Canadian Democracy Documented

This is from
Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, the largest Canadian Facebook group ever. It is from the discussion topic
The Harper Attack on Canadian Democracy Documented
as posted by Defend Parliament (Note: I have added a few items throughout, and I have added the Addendum at the bottom. The rest was all compiled by Defend Parliament. UPDATE: I will and have been adding more evidence to the list as it happens. - Thor):

What I have pasted below will turn your stomach i.e. the persistent Harper/Tory attack on Canadian democracy:democracy. Enjoy and pass it on!

MUZZLING CABINET MINISTERS, MPs, JUDGES, ETC and Controlling the Press

How Harper controls the spin
Zeal to manage message sees journalists shunned, bureaucrats, cabinet ministers routinely muzzled. Public appearances by cabinet ministers – whether it's a speech or an interview – are carefully staged, starting with a "message event proposal" vetted by the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/429906

PM slaps muzzle on military brass
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2006/04/15/1535119-sun.html

Hillier, Sr.Officials Muzzled by PMO
http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php/topic,42247.0.html

Mum’s the word: Harper tells MPs to keep mouths shut
http://www.carleton.ca/ctown/archiv/mar3106/Insite2.htm

Tories tighten muzzle on PS [Public Service] for campaign
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=93e98b5c-593a-4eac-b835-a4359e80babd

Former chief justice of Canada accuses PM of trying to "muzzle" the judiciary
http://www.anticorruption.ca/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4792&sid=44cad6d7756e9bd7010d182cb62e00da

'Muzzle' Placed On Federal Scientists
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=47bf0fba-b98f-43fb-89fb-58b6464a7b24&k=65248

Tories muzzle environmental scientist
http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=8942

Minister stops book talk by Environment Canada scientist
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/04/13/ambrose-climate.html

Mum's the word till message vetted
No federal cabinet minister speaks to a journalist, gives a speech or makes a policy announcement until a "message event proposal" has been vetted by a wing of the Prime Minister's Office.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/429903

Harper lawsuit smacks of authoritarian state: prof
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/08/07/harper-lawsuit.html

Holland shocked by Conservative comments on media
http://www.markholland.ca/news/2006/060331harpermedia.htm

Harper government whips Tories into line with secret handbook
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/columnists/story.html?id=b8122d51-95e8-4b29-b99b-34217406425d

Information Commissioner Robert Marleau told The Hill Times recently that the Harper government has been quietly drafting about 25 government policies that impact on the rights of officers of Parliament, and that it has been happening without their knowledge or input.
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/members/login.php?fail=2&destination=/html/cover_index.php?display=story&full_path=/2008/may/12/spindoctors/

Conservative headquarters scripting calls to radio shows
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080325.wtorytalk0325/BNStory/National/home

Feds keep lid on Atomic Energy Canada sale report
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Feds+keep+Atomic+Energy+Canada+sale+report/2121029/story.html

Huge loss expected in any AECL sale, MPs concede
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Huge+loss+expected+AECL+sale+concede/2129653/story.html

Is he sitting on it?
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan still has not tabled the 2008 report from the Commissioner of Firearms. Knowing the report will likely be favourable to the existing gun registry, many have questioned whether Van Loan is suppressing the report until after tonight's vote on scrapping the long gun registry.
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2009/11/is-he-sitting-on-it.html

Canada slips in 'press freedom' rankings
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/712978--canada-slips-in-press-freedom-rankings

Torture probe delayed; Tories deny gagging witness
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/704155

Lawyers seek to gag witnesses in Afghan prisoner inquiry
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090929/taliban_prisoners_090929/20090929?hub=Canada

Has Canada entered a 'Bush-like vortex'?
Richard Colvin's torture allegations suggest civil servants aren't writing down what the government doesn't want recorded
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/has-canada-entered-a-bush-like-vortex/article1404311/

PMO issued instructions on denying abuse in '07
Former NATO official says response to reports was 'scripted' in Ottawa
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/729157--pmo-issued-instructions-on-denying-abuse-in-07

Tories attack credibility of diplomat who blew whistle on torture
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-attack-credibility-of-diplomat-who-blew-whistle-on-torture/article1369993/

Attack on senior diplomat signals demise of independent public service: experts
"If we don’t have a public service that speaks truth to power we might as well have everything run out of the Prime Minister’s Office.”
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Attack+Colvin+signals+demise+independent+public+service/2283460/story.html

Diplomats told to keep quiet on torture allegations, sources say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/diplomats-told-to-keep-quiet-on-torture-allegations-sources-say/article1367390/

Former ambassadors condemn Ottawa's attack on diplomat
Response to Colvin's detainee testimony discourages honest reports, letter says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/former-ambassadors-condemn-ottawas-attack-on-diplomat/article1392248/

Public service in crisis over Colvin
The Harper government's attack on a senior diplomat could be the final blow in the unravelling of Canada's once-sacred tradition of an independent, non-partisan public service, warn experts
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Public+service+crisis+over+Colvin/2285239/story.html

Afghan detainee watchdog warns of Tory ‘chilling effect'
Departing military commission chief's [BECAUSE HE WAS REFUSED REAPPOINTMENT BY THE TORIES] comments come as Harper government digs in its heels in face of parliamentary order to turn over confidential files
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/afghan-detainee-watchdog-warns-of-tory-chilling-effect/article1397570/

Detainee watchdog post remains unfilled
Military police commission set to meet in March, but Ottawa's delays in appointing new chairman could prompt delay
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/detainee-watchdog-post-remains-unfilled/article1428874/

Feds refuse legal funding to whistleblower diplomat
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091027/whistleblower_legal_091027/20091027?hub=Canada

Ottawa's stance on whistleblower's legal costs called 'unethical'
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/716489--ottawa-s-stance-on-whistleblower-s-legal-costs-called-unethical

Feds tried to order nuclear regulator to bend rules
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071218/reactor_order_071218/20071218?hub=Politics

Ottawa fires nuclear safety commission head [nuclear regulator]
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2008/01/ottawa_fires_nuclear_safety_co.html

Ousted regulator just doing her job
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/294886

Tories drop RCMP complaints commissioner
Paul Kennedy sparred with government over office's powers, budget
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/731775--tories-drop-rcmp-complaints-commissioner

Clement slams CMA doctors for supporting drug-injection site
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=732204

Scientific data backs Insite
http://www.straight.com/scientific-data-backs-insite

Budget officer [Kevin Page] questions projected federal surplus
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Budget+officer+questions+projected+surplus/1054174/story.html

If the object of the exercise was “truth in budgeting”, that’s what Kevin’s office provided. But that realism, whether in regard to rosy but flawed government fiscal forecasts or the true cost of the war in Afghanistan, has been a bit too much truth for this government. Mr. [Kevin] Page’s office has had its budget cut by one million dollars.
http://informedvote.ca/2009/11/07/our-parliamentary-budget-officer-kevin-page-%E2%80%93-a-canadian-hero/

Conservatives stop funding for learning organization
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservatives-stop-funding-for-learning-organization/article1423912/

Ottawa is cutting off public input into climate-change policy
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Ottawa+cutting+public+input+into+climate+change+policy/2126254/story.html

Tory candidate dumped for frank TV comments: Mused riding wouldn't get infrastructure cash because it's Liberal-held
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/702396

Tory candidates avoiding debates [Election Campaign, 2008]
Campaign official says 'there's no policy' forbidding participation in certain all-candidates' meetings
http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/510147

Gov't program wants job applicants' views on Tory budget
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091104/interns_federal_091104/20091104?hub=QPeriod

Insults, discourtesy and disrespect mark Harper team's behaviour: Targets have included AIDS activists, Nobel Prize winners and Road to Avonlea star
http://www.harperindex.ca/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=00145

PM Never Too Busy For a Photo OP
summoning hordes of photographers to document your every move following a massive humanitarian disaster, and then not letting reporters ask questions seems very disingenuous, and a little ridiculous. The intent is obviously to make Mr. Harper look Prime Ministerial, but I think if the public knew the context behind the images they were seeing they would feel exactly the opposite.
http://www.hilltimes.com/blog/?p=247

What's Wrong With This Picture
The PMO is sending out a steady stream of publicity photos in the hope they will be used in newspapers and blogs across the country. But photojournalists believe Harper's handlers are going too far in trying to control his image
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/article1354447/

Harper's Media War. Shiny things, and controlling the message
http://www.acreativerevolution.ca/node/2320

Refusing to pay for the legal funding Richard Colvin is entitled to because of his testimony regarding the Afghan Detainee Torture Scandal
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/755426--diplomat-whistleblower-says-he-faces-government-reprisal?bn=1

THE CULTURE OF SECRECY
Watchdog blasts Tories for secrecy obsession: Information chief challenges Ottawa to ease 'stranglehold'
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/593921

Watchdog alarmed by Harper's information clampdown
Canada's information watchdog says the public knows less than ever about what its government is doing – a stark contrast to Barack Obama's push for openness in the United States.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/575765

Government secrecy ‘grim,' watchdog says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090226.wPOLinformation0226/BNStory/politics/home

Ottawa nixes bid to expand transparency
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-nixes-bid-to-expand-transparency/article1325061/

Watchdog slams lack of transparency in stimulus spending
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091009/watchdog_stimulus_091009/20091009?hub=TopStoriesV2

Can't say if federal stimulus is working: watchdog
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/12/11/stimulus-funding-watchdog011.html

Tory stimulus boast tough to verify
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091203/stimulus_cash_091203/20091203?hub=Canada

Tories blasted for secrecy on stimulus cash
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/stimulus/article/718466--tories-blasted-for-secrecy-on-stimulus-cash

Stimulus spending watchdogs stymied by lack of data
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091004/stimulus_data_091004/20091004?hub=Canada

Tories not so open now
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/712110--tories-not-so-open-now

Ottawa seeks secrecy in Tamil migrant case
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ottawa-seeks-secrecy-in-tamil-migrant-case/article1406347/



CENTRALIZING POWER IN STEPHEN HARPER’S HANDS
Siddiqui: Harper acting like an elected dictator
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/740829?bn=1

Gomery slams Harper for ignoring him
The man who investigated the sponsorship scandal says Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems to have abandoned any commitment he once had to transparent government in favour of a top-down style that centralizes power in his own hands.
http://www.marketingmag.ca/english/news/agency/article.jsp?content=20080131_777333_2206

Gomery slams increasing power of PM's office
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/345503

Failure to decentralize PMO power poses danger to democracy: Gomery
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/03/13/gomery-committee.html




CONTEMPT FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Ottawa moves to block detainee-transfer hearings [2008]
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/article722656.ece

Redactions hamper Afghan detainee probe [2009]
Unreadable documents make meaningful inquiry ‘almost impossible’ and reflect government efforts to keep record a secret
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/redactions-hamper-afghan-detainee-probe/article1383375/

Ottawa won't release Afghan documents
Harper government says it will not comply with Opposition motion passed by Parliament, setting stage for legal battle
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/737634--ottawa-won-t-release-afghan-documents

Tories to ignore vote on releasing prisoner reports
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091211/afghanistan_motion_091211/20091211?hub=TopStoriesV2

Parliament in showdown with Harper government over Afghan documents
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091211/n1211113A.html

Tories refuse to release uncensored documents on Afghan detainees
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Tories+refuse+release+uncensored+documents+Afghan+detainees/2330193/story.html

Tories force shutdown of hearing on torture [2009]
Opposition blasts boycott as whistleblower readies rebuttal to Ottawa today
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/739427



Tories dodging detainee debate to slurp eggnog?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/tories-dodging-detainee-debate-to-slurp-eggnog/article1409101/

Ritz avoids listeria joke questions at agriculture debate
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/article713835.ece

Promised listeriosis probe still lacks investigator
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090104.wlisteriosisprobe0104/BNStory/politics/home

Harper government withholds listeriosis notes
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090222.wfoilisteriosis0222/BNStory/politics/home

Did lag in releasing listeriosis notes break law?
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090223/listeriosis_notes_090223/20090223?hub=Canada

Tories opened patronage doors before election: CP
Harper, who railed against Liberal patronage in the 2006 election, later failed to deliver on a campaign pledge to put an independent commission in charge of vetting cabinet appointments. He angrily shelved the idea after opposition MPs refused to ratify his nomination of Gwyn Morgan, a Calgary oil baron who is also a friend of the prime minister, as the commission chair.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080929/election2008_patronage_080930/20080929?s_name=election2008

Harper makes history by naming 18 senators in one day
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/081222/n122280A.html

Stalled investigation
In April of last year Elections Canada asked the RCMP to help raid Conservative headquarters in Ottawa to search for evidence. Investigators seized dozens of boxes of documents and copied millions of files from the party's computers. But according to an affidavit filed in court, the Conservatives' lawyer claimed virtually all the documents were subject to solicitor-client privilege. Meaning everything had to be sealed.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/politicalbytes/2009/01/stalled_investigation.html

'NAFTAgate' began with PM's chief of staff
http://news.therecord.com/article/318895

Harper says Obama leak might have been illegal
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says leaks from his government that rocked Barack Obama's U.S. presidential campaign were "blatantly unfair" - and may have been illegal.
http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm?sid=114599&sc=505

Not investigating 'NAFTAgate' leak: Conservatives
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/309381

Prentice defends use of government jet
An analysis of federal air travel by a French-language television network found that 15 ministers had used the private plane 72 times after four years in office, including 31 trips that did not appear to meet government criteria for use of the plane.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Prentice+defends+government/2421858/story.html

Tories stall on Liberal request for jet passengers
The Harper government says it is unable to provide the names of passengers who have flown on its fleet of Challenger executive jets since 2006 because it would take longer than a month-and-a-half to assemble the list.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Tories+stall+Liberal+request+passengers/2240281/story.html

Change for the worse
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/754677--harper-s-change-not-for-the-better

CONTEMPT FOR ETHICS
People don't care about Afghan detainee issue: Harper
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/746448--people-don-t-care-about-afghan-detainee-issue-harper?bn=1

PM's former adviser accused of peddling access to corridors of power
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081212.wbrodie12/BNStory/Front

Bureaucrats objected to gov't ad campaign: sources
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091008/govt_advertising_091008/20091008?hub=Politics

PM ignores fixed-election date law
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/CanadaVotes/News/2008/09/07/6690346-cp.html

Conservatives confusing public on 'in and out' financing says Prof. MacIvor
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=2008/april/21/legislation/&c=2

RCMP raids Tory party headquarters
The Conservatives insist the transactions were legal but Elections Canada disagrees and rival parties have labeled the scheme outright fraud
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/414652

Tories overspent on election by $1M: warrant
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/04/20/rcmp-torieswarrant.html

Tory dissenters 'idiots, turds'
Workers on the campaign of a Conservative MP who declined to participate in the in-and-out advertising scheme in the 2006 election were denounced as "idiots" and a "bunch of turds"
by senior party officials, who wanted to "put the fear of God" into them for not taking part in the contentious TV and radio purchases.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/decisioncanada/story.html?id=060d55a6-71be-4426-9188-f67987e472f9

Tory MP admits he broke elections law
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090401.wPOLelxn0401/BNStory/politics/home

Tory MP derides jobless as 'no-good bastards'
MPs' comments on unemployed, abortion show party's 'meanness,' opposition critics say
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/730478--tory-mp-derides-jobless-as-no-good-bastard
and here:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/11/24/liberals-want-tory-mp-to-apologize-for-calling-unemployed-citizens-no-good-bastards.aspx

Finley under fire for 'lucrative' jobless comment
Conservative government has no interest in increasing Employment Insurance payments and making it “lucrative” for jobless workers to sit around the house
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Finley+under+fire+lucrative+jobless+comment/1245571/story.html

“In terms of the unemployed... don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.”
Stephen Harper, Speech to the [American] Council for National Policy, June 1997
Full text of Stephen Harper's 1997 speech
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214/20051214/

PM's Jewish pitch hits a new low, critics say Tory flyer suggests Liberals are anti-Semitic
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/727885--pm-s-jewish-pitch-hits-a-new-low-critics-say

Speaker slaps Tory wrists over hyper-partisan flyers
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091119/n1119147A.html

Speaker rules flyers may have damaged MP's reputation
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Speaker+rules+flyers+have+damaged+reputation/2273061/story.html



“… new book made the claim that former Conservative MP Chuck Cadman was essentially offered financial inducements [ a $1 million life insurance policy] by Conservative party officials to vote down the Liberal government's 2005 budget …. Chuck Cadman's widow [a current Conservative MP] has said her late husband told her about the offer. Two other family members say Cadman told them the same thing ….”
Quoted from “Dion, Harper clash over Cadman allegations”, http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080303/harper_lawsuit_080303/20080303

PM's cutback plan: Choke rival parties
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/544388

NDP considers legal action after Tories tape private meeting
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article725170.ece

Recreational stimulus favours Tory ridings
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/recreational-stimulus-favours-tory-ridings/article1332609/

Tory ridings get more stimulus money
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/22/stimulus-spending.html

Stimulus funds forget high jobless areas
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091111/n111141A.html

Lobbying czar probes firm with ties to Tories
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/lobbying-czar-probes-firm-with-ties-to-tories/article1339588/

Raitt accused of expense abuse: She improperly approved her London trip, Port Authority's former chair says
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/721434--raitt-accused-of-expense-abuse?bn=1

Why were port authority board minutes altered?
Documents approved in December 2008 differ greatly from those rewritten and approved six months later, Star examination finds
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/722028--why-were-port-authority-board-minutes-altered

Raitt under fire for calling cancer, isotope crisis 'sexy
http://www.canada.com/news/Raitt+refuses+apologize+calling+cancer+radiation+sexy/1678638/story.html

Tories overstate cost of Liberal EI plan: budget office
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/11/employment-insurance.html

Tory attack on carbon tax is dishonest: economist
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080610/tory_ads_080610?s_name=&no_ads=

Harper won't rule out carbon tax
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/741961--harper-won-t-rule-out-carbon-tax

Tories outspent Liberals on consultants
The Conservative government spent almost $1 billion on consultants in its first two years in office – nearly double what the Liberals spent in a similar time period, a Toronto Star investigation shows
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/550044

PM's pal gets government job
Appointment to board of directors is geologist's third posting to be criticized for favouritism
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/624802

Conservative spending on polls hits $31-million, DOUBLES Liberals [under the previous gov’t] http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=142342

Tory MP who led anti-drug campaign charged with cocaine possession
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/090916/n0916139A.html

Tories spend 5 times more on ads than H1N1 prevention
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/698415

Harper so far unscathed by HST blowback
Federal support key to tax harmonization that has been poorly received by Canadians
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-so-far-unscathed-by-hst-blowback/article1308907/

Tories reject fast-tracking of sentencing bill
Conservatives rejected a bid Thursday to expedite a key piece of their tough-on-crime agenda, even as they continued to bash Liberal senators for holding up the legislation
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091009/nicholson_legislation_091009/20091009?hub=Canada

Canada quietly asks EPA to weaken anti-pollution measures
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-quietly-asks-epa-to-weaken-anti-pollution-measures/article1327805/

Ethics czar to investigate Tory logos on cheques
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091020/cheque_probe_091020/20091020?hub=TopStoriesV2

Taxpayers on hook for $1.7-million as PMO rolls out video
Extra funding requested to help bolster Stephen Harper's communications support services
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/taxpayers-on-hook-for-17-million-as-pmo-rolls-out-video/article1393248/

Tories spend $108,000 on 1-hour event
The Conservative government spent more than $100,000 staging a one-hour event in June to provide an update on its economic recovery program
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/712078--tories-spend-108-000-on-1-hour-event

John Baird won't let truth blunt a good barb
For second consecutive day, Transport Minister misquotes Liberal defence critic in fending off criticism on Afghan detainee torture allegations
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/john-baird-wont-let-truth-blunt-a-good-barb/article1384665/

Climate walkout `certainly happened'
Despite minister's denial, email confirms incident
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/744092--climate-walkout-certainly-happened

Flaherty's deficit plan: Take an axe and cut deep
'I've done it before,' in Harris-era Ontario
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/742220--flaherty-s-deficit-plan-take-an-axe-and-cut-deep?bn=1

Tory prison policy 'wedge politics': study
Critics say Harper's blueprint for revamping corrections policy disregards studied evidence
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tory-corrections-policy-just-wedge-politics-study/article1300457/

Tory suspended for comments about dead soldier's father is back on job
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/21/sparrow-tories.html

Harper was in on the ground floor of coalition building
Ironically, it was Stephen Harper who first brought the option of vaulting to power from the benches of the official Opposition to the fore in the early days of Paul Martin's 2004 minority regime.Even before the presentation of Martin's Speech from the Throne, Harper had sought out his two opposition rivals to lay the groundwork of an alliance to unseat the Liberals.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/712078--tories-spend-108-000-on-1-hour-event

Bloc part of secret coalition plot in 2000 with Canadian Alliance
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article725469.ece

Tory aide tried to scuttle Hanukkah event: organizer
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081224/Hanukah_Flap_081224/20081224?hub=Canada

Payroll taxes to wipe out income tax cuts in 2009: watchdog group
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/12/30/taxes.html



Harper zigzags on economy
For the past three months, the only thing consistent about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's position on the economy has been its inconsistency
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/554978


CONTEMPT FOR CANADA AND CANADIANS

“Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status….”
Stephen Harper,
National Post editorial, 2000

“It may not be true, but it's legendary that if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country, which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians.”
Stephen Harper, Speech to the [American] Council for National Policy, June 1997
Full text of Stephen Harper's 1997 speech
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214/20051214/

“Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it.”
Stephen Harper, Speech to the [American] Council for National Policy, June 1997
Full text of Stephen Harper's 1997 speech
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051213/elxn_harper_speech_text_051214/20051214/

Flaherty calls Ontario 'last place' to invest
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/01/flaherty-budget.html

Economists warn against Flaherty's attacks on Ontario
http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=360520

Conservative government seems to be picking on Ontario
http://www.navdeepbains.ca/.%5Cupfiles%5CBram%20Guard.pdf

"Whether Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion ….”
Stephen Harper,
Speech to the Colin Brown Memorial Dinner, National Citizens Coalition, 1994

“If Ottawa giveth, then Ottawa can taketh away… This is one more reason why Westerners, but Albertans in particular, need to think hard about their future in this country. After sober reflection, Albertans should decide that it is time to seek a new relationship with Canada …Having hit a wall, the next logical step is not to bang our heads against it. It is to take the bricks and begin building another home – a stronger and much more autonomous Alberta. It is time to look at Quebec and to learn. What Albertans should take from this example is to become “maitres chez nous”.
Stephen Harper
National Post, December 8, 2000

“You’ve got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society."
Stephen Harper,
The Report newsmagazine, January 22, 2001

"I think in Atlantic Canada … there is a culture of defeat that we have to overcome. …Atlantic Canada's culture of defeat will be hard to overcome as long as Atlantic Canada is actually physically trailing the rest of the country.”
Stephen Harper,
New Brunswick Telegraph Journal, May 29, 2002

Harper agrees to give away more Canadian sovereignty while Parliament is closed
http://www.jameslaxer.com/2010/02/urgent-national-debate-needed-on-harper.html

CONTEMPT FOR PARLIAMENT

WAR WITH ELECTIONS CANADA

RCMP raids Tory party headquarters
The Conservatives insist the transactions were legal but Elections Canada disagrees and rival parties have labeled the scheme outright fraud
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/414652

Tories oppose Bloc motion supporting Elections Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/04/29/elections-motion.html

Legal fees mount in Tory case against Elections Canada
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/article729554.ece


PARLIAMENT DIMINISHED

PM's 'bizarre' report card under attack
Critics charge that not only are his claims that he and the Conservatives saved the economy meaningless, his pattern of disdain for Parliament reached new levels when he upstaged his finance minister and delivered the [economic] update while overseas.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/733969

But Mr. Harper has gone to new lengths, using prerogative powers to shut Parliament itself.
http://impolitical.blogspot.com/2010/01/shuttered.html

PROLOGUE: THE FIRST LIES ABOUT DETAINEE TORTURE EXPOSED

April 27, 2007
Reports confirm Canada’s complicity in Afghan state torture
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=5501


Nov.15, 2007
'Credible' case of torture found in Afghanistan
http://www.thestar.com/article/276691

Transfer of detainees is complicity in torture
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/276161


THE FIRST WAR ON PARLIAMENT: LOCKING OUT PARLIAMENT TO SAVE STEPHEN HARPER’S JOB

Opposition parties won't support Tory economic update
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/27/question-period.html

Harper's reckless game of chicken could lead to election
http://www.montrealgazette.com/harper+reckless+game+chicken+could+lead+election/1013467/story.html

Conservatives 'fume' about blunder
Their blades remain sheathed but astonished Conservatives are quietly fuming about the tactical blunder they fear could toss them into opposition. And the blame seems to be landing on the prime minister's doorstep.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/546661

Harper to blame for political crisis
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/546179

Fighting for his career, Harper will use all weapons at his disposal
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081202.wcosimp03/BNStory/politics

Tories may dodge confidence vote
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Tories+dodge+confidence+vote/1025030/story.html

PM hangs on as Parliament shut down for seven weeks
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/548382#video

Canadian Leader Shuts Parliament
Canada’s parliamentary opposition reacted with outrage on Thursday after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down the legislature until Jan. 26, seeking to forestall a no-confidence vote that he was sure to lose and, possibly, provoking a constitutional crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/world/americas/05canada.html?_r=2&hp



THE SECOND WAR ON PARLIAMENT

ACT I: ESCAPING THE COPENHAGEN FIASCO

Canada contradicts climate change consensus at Commonwealth
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canada+contradicts+climate+change+consensus/2275617/story.html

Canada falling behind U.S. in clean-energy efforts: experts
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canada+lags+behind+clean+energy+experts/2382672/story.html

No faith in Harper on climate
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/no-faith-in-harper-on-climate/article1394595/

Harper lies low in Copenhagen
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harper-lies-low-in-copenhagen/article1404101/

With the world watching, Canada draws line in the oil sands
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/climate-change/with-the-world-watching-canada-draws-line-in-the-oil-sands/article1401901/

Prentice hints there may be 'special breaks' for tarsands
http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/environment/copenhagensummit/article/739078--prentice-hints-there-may-be-special-breaks-for-tarsands?bn=1

Ontario and Quebec slam Ottawa on climate
http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/environment/copenhagensummit/article/738264--ontario-and-quebec-slam-ottawa-on-climate

Prentice delivers Canada's unpopular position
Harper leaves it to his Environment Minister to present plenary session
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/climate-change/prentice-delivers-canadas-unpopular-position/article1404676/

Harper lays low, Prentice addresses UN in Copenhagen
http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/environment/copenhagensummit/article/740177--harper-lays-low-prentice-addresses-un-in-copenhagen

Groups declare Canada world's biggest environmental offender at climate talks
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091218/n121867A.html

Canada's a joke at climate talks
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/739272--canada-s-a-joke-at-climate-talks

Quebec premier tears into Harper government's performance on environment
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091222/n122287A.html

Charest rips into Harper government over environment
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091222/charest_harper_091222/20091222?hub=TopStoriesV2

Canadians cool to Harper's climate change stand
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Canadians+cool+Harper+climate+change+stand/2371025/story.html

Canadians, Conservatives differ on climate: poll
Petition, protest keep pressure on Harper government, as key U.S. agency moves on greenhouse gas emissions
http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/environment/copenhagensummit/article/735389

PM suspends Parliament
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/744175--pm-suspends-parliament?bn=1



ACT II: WAS THE HARPER GOVERNMENT COMPLICIT IN WAR CRIMES?

Scene I: THE ACCUSATION

Canada handed over innocent Afghans to torture: diplomat
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-handed-over-innocent-afghans-to-torture-diplomat/article1368631/


Scene II: THE VILLAIN’S ROLE IS MISCAST

Tories attack credibility of diplomat who blew whistle on torture
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-attack-credibility-of-diplomat-who-blew-whistle-on-torture/article1369993/

Canada generals deny ignoring Afghan abuse warnings
Generals say crucial reports did not mention torture
"Ludicrous" to say most detainees abused – general
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN25361220


Scene III: THE SUPPORTING CAST REVEALED

PMO issued instructions on denying abuse in '07
Former NATO official says response to reports was 'scripted' in Ottawa
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/729157--pmo-issued-instructions-on-denying-abuse-in-07

Diplomats told to keep quiet on torture allegations, sources say
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/diplomats-told-to-keep-quiet-on-torture-allegations-sources-say/article1367390/

Many detainees were just farmers, Afghan official says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/many-detainees-were-just-farmers-afghan-official-says/article1372428/

Detainee ties to insurgency could not always be established: Afghan agency
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Detainee+ties+insurgency+could+always+established+Afghan+agency/2285358/story.html

Canadians warned early that Afghan detainees faced torture
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/canadians-warned-early-that-afghan-detainees-faced-torture/article1323231/

EU diplomat backs claims on torture
Canadian's warnings on Afghan detainees reflected common view, says his European colleague
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/728958--eu-diplomat-backs-claims-on-torture

Dutch raised concerns over conditions in 2006: Netherlands suggested a separate facility
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/731044--dutch-raised-concerns-over-conditions-in-2006

Coalition allies faulted Canada over handling of detainees
Complaint was lodged over secretive approach on captures as early as summer of 2006
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/coalition-allies-faulted-canada-over-handling-of-detainees/article1400522/

Red Cross warned Canada of Afghan prison abuse
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091202/red_cross_091202/20091202?hub=TopStoriesV2

Afghans rejected Canadian-captured prisoners for 'insufficient evidence'
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/734238--afghans-rejected-canadian-captured-prisoners-for-insufficient-evidence

Hillier accused of 'trivializing' torture at detainees hearing
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Hillier+accused+trivializing+torture+detainees+hearing/2371954/story.html

The record and the falsehoods: The government's insistence it knew nothing about the torture of Afghan detainees becomes more and more tenuous
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-record-and-the-falsehoods/article1392183/

Canada defended Afghan 'human-rights abuser,' memos allege
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/738292--canada-defended-afghan-human-rights-abuser-memos-allege

Canada kept feared Afghan governor in power despite rep as 'human-rights abuser'
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091213/n121375A.html


Scene IV: PETER MACKAY, CANADA’S VERSION OF SARGEANT “I KNOW NOTHING” SCHULTZ, DELIVERS HIS SOLILOQUY

Government denies liability in torture cases despite report
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/697974

Tories reject call for Afghan torture inquiry
No proof detainees were tortured, defence minister says
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/11/19/afghanistan-torture-colvin-inquiry.html



Scene V: NEMESIS, THOU ART A BITCH!
Proof of detainee abuse exists, despite MacKay's denials
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/subscribe.jsp?art=1390782

Ex-ambassadors condemn gov't on detainee issue
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091208/afghan_ambassador_0911208/20091208?hub=TopStoriesV2

Warnings on detainees were e-mailed to MacKay's office
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/warnings-on-detainees-were-e-mailed-to-mackays-office/article1377821/

MacKay's office got Red Cross warnings about Afghan treatment
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/731056--mackay-s-office-got-red-cross-warnings-about-afghan-treatment

Documents confirm whistleblower's emails were sent to then-Foreign Affairs minister Peter MacKay's office
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/733623--heavily-censored-afghan-abuse-memos-released?bn=1

Why was Harper so blind to abuse?
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/736829--why-was-harper-so-blind-to-abuse


Scene VI: HARPO, I HAVE A FEELING THAT WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE!

Natynczyk makes major reversal on detainee story
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091209/mackay_oconnor_091209/20091209?hub=TopStoriesV2


Scene VI: TWAS BUT A DREAM AND THE BLACKED OUT MEMOS ARE STILL A BIT FUZZY

Harper government changes tune on Afghan prisoner issue
MacKay says Tories were aware of concerns and began to act shortly after taking office
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/harper-government-changes-tune-on-afghan-prisoner-issue/article1381187/

Heavily-censored Afghan abuse memos released
Documents confirm whistleblower's emails were sent to then-Foreign Affairs minister Peter MacKay's office
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/733623--heavily-censored-afghan-abuse-memos-released?bn=1


Scene VII: FRAILTY, THY NAME IS PARLIAMENT!

Parliament in showdown with Harper government over Afghan documents
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/091211/n1211113A.html

Ottawa won't release Afghan documents
Harper government says it will not comply with Opposition motion passed by Parliament, setting stage for legal battle
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/737634--ottawa-won-t-release-afghan-documents

Tories to ignore vote on releasing prisoner reports
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091211/afghanistan_motion_091211/20091211?hub=TopStoriesV2

Tories refuse to release uncensored documents on Afghan detainees
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Tories+refuse+release+uncensored+documents+Afghan+detainees/2330193/story.html

Conservative boycott shuts down Afghan detainee hearing
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservative-boycott-shuts-down-afghan-detainee-hearing/article1401524/

Tories force shutdown of hearing on torture
Opposition blasts boycott as whistleblower readies rebuttal to Ottawa today
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/afghanmission/article/739427

Tories dodging detainee debate to slurp eggnog?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/tories-dodging-detainee-debate-to-slurp-eggnog/article1409101/


ACT III

Scene I: THE DEMOCRACY DEATH SCENE?

PM suspends Parliament
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/744175--pm-suspends-parliament?bn=1


EPILOGUE: AT HOME AND ABROAD

Democracy diminished, accountability avoided
By suspending Parliament, Stephen Harper allows the governing party to elude the detainee issue, a move that undermines the democratic rights of the people
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/democracy-diminished-accountability-avoided/article1415461/

Prorogation redux: Harper in contempt of Parliament
His request to shut down the House again undermines Canada's democratic institutions
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/745949

The Economist vents spleen on PM's decision to prorogue
“His officials faced grilling by parliamentary committees over whether they misled the House of Commons in denying knowledge that detainees handed over to the local authorities by Canadian troops in Afghanistan were being tortured. The government would also have come under fire for its lack of policies to curb Canada’s abundant carbon emissions.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/the-economist-vents-spleen-on-pms-decision-to-prorogue/article1422507/

'Harper goes prorogue,' The Economist laments
"Never mind what his spin doctors say: Mr. Harper's move looks like naked self-interest," says the editorial. The editorial likens Canadian ministers to hapless former U.S. president Gerald Ford, "who could not walk and chew gum at the same time."
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/01/07/harper-economist.html

Canadian Leader Shuts Parliament
Canada’s parliamentary opposition reacted with outrage on Thursday after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down the legislature until Jan. 26, seeking to forestall a no-confidence vote that he was sure to lose and, possibly, provoking a constitutional crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/world/americas/05canada.html?_r=2&hp

Afghans violating detainee-transfer agreement
A number of insurgents handed over to Afghan police can't be accounted for, despite Ottawa's assertion transfer
http://www.A.com/news/politics/afghans-violating-detainee-transfer-agreement/article1399050/



And, a final word from Defend Parliament:
Reply to all. I've been saving these links for a few years and finally found a forum to paste them. I've organized them in a logical way, which I hope shows a persistent pattern of attack on Canada's democratic institutions, of which the latest prorogation is only the latest example. The scale of this attack is truly frightening! As you can see from the sheer volume of HEADLINES and LINKS alone (with very little content) that fear for our democracy should not be limited to a few paranoid types or to anyone of a particular political persuasion but to anyone that cares about living in a free society.

Sorry that I can't reply to all of you individually (that are posting right now) but I've been at this project for several days and need to get some sleep.

Enjoy these links. It would be great if the members of the site could send some of this stuff in an e-mail to 2 or three of their friends, get them to join the page and then send the content to 2 or 3 of THEIR friends, etc. We could easily hit 1,000,000 members if people knew what our autocratic government was actually doing.

Good night and hopefully the fight to make Canadians aware has begun in earnest!

ADDENDUM

If this is not mentioned above

CBC Report on Conservatives' leaked "dirty tricks manual"

www.youtube.com

Only days after filibustering several committees, a leaked document seems to prove the Conservative government has been deliberately wrecking havoc. The CBC's Susan Bonner gives the full report.
From the Spring of 2007: a Conservative manual to purposely and deliberately disrupt and make the government committees dysfunctional.

WHEN THEY TRY TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE ...

Conservatives and supporters often try to blame the Liberals before them, or someone else.

The following (might as well keep all the links in one spot) are links to show that the Conservatives are the ones at fault (or the ones currently at fault for continuing on with obvious bad policy):

Flailing, Flailing

The Conservatives try to blame the Liberals for the Afghan Detainee scandal. But it wasn't until the Conservative government was in power that problems began to surface (and it was the Conservatives who did nothing about the problems) Fact: General Rick Hillier, acting on his own or not as the case may be, signed a deeply flawed agreement to turn over detainees to the Afghan authorities in December, 2005, during an election campaign. The Conservatives were elected a month later. Instances of mistreatment were reported by Richard Colvin to his superiors, first in May 2006, and well into 2007.

Rebuttal to Conservatives who protest that proroguing of parliament is "routine"

Except it's not routine in a minority Parliament. It's not routine when you have dozens of bills on the table and work left undone. And it's not routine to do it two years in a row, and in both cases when you're under intense political pressure from the opposition.

Lying about the crime bill implementation delay - saying it was the opposition - when they are the ones at fault
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/01/truth-in-talking-about-the-truth-in-sentencing-act.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

TWO-TIER CITIZENSHIP

The Harper government has failed to help a number of Canadian citizens in trouble outside the country. This link contains a lot of information and coverage of the incidents and issues:
http://drdawgsblawg.blogspot.com/search?q=abdelrazik

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY VS. THE WHEAT BOARD
The Harper government resorted to dirty tricks to try to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board:
http://myblahg.com/?p=2015

VIDEOS

101 Reasons not to vote for the Conservative Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNJvWt7syfU

HYPOCRITICAL HARPER QUOTES

"The first principle of a democracy is that the Prime Minister is supposed to be able to face this House of Commons any day on a vote. This government now has the deliberate policy of avoiding a vote. This is a violation of the most fundamental constitutional principle of our democracy." - Stephen Har...per as Leader of the Opposition attacking the Martin government, May 3rd 2005

"When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it's rapidly losing its moral authority to govern " Stephen Harper Canadian Press, April 18, 2005"

CONTEMPT FOR CANADIAN LAW AND CONSTITUTION, INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND THE LIVES OF CANADIAN CITIZENS

The plight of Omar Khadr is well documented, as is the lack of compassion and the contempt of law that Harper and his Conservatives have regarding this victim. These posts have many links detailing this evidence. "...Federal Court Justice James O'Reilly ruled toay that Ottawa must request that the "United States return Mr. Khadr to Canada as soon as practicable." O'Reilly wrote that Canada's "ongoing refusal" to request that Khadr be sent home "offends a principle of fundamental justice" and violates his constitutional rights...."
http://drivingtheporcelainbus.blogspot.com/search/label/Omar%20Khadr

http://freshmeat-thor.blogspot.com/search/label/Omar%20Khadr

The Supreme court ruled against ordering the Canadian government to request that Omar Kadr be returned to Canada. But, they also declared that there is a clear breach of section 7 of the Charter, and that Canadian officials have violated their international human rights law obligations. It issued a “declaration” that stated clearly the actions of Canadian officials contributed to the continued detention of a young person who had no access to legal counsel, was subjected to “improper treatment” through sleep deprivation, likely aided his upcoming criminal prosecution, and violated principles of fundamental justice.
http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/omarkhadr/article/757580--court-refuses-to-order-khadr-home?bn=1

CONTEMPT FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS, AND CONTEMPT FOR DEMOCRACY ABROAD

Harper has changed the makeup of the board of directors of the Rights and Democracy agency so that instead of it having a mandate to promote human rights and help the victims of human rights violations, its mandate is now to promote violation of human rights and help the violators of human rights.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/755064--siddiqui-stephen-harper-s-homegrown-human-rights-problem?bn=1

CONSERVATIVE PARTY ATTACK ON WOMEN

"There has been a systematic erosion of the human rights of women and girls in Canada."
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/769954--canadian-women-s-rights-in-decline-report-says?bn=1

BACKGROUND ON STEPHEN HARPER
Many years before Harper became Prime Minister, he gave a speech to a US right-wing think tank. Then, in 1997, Harper was vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition. This speech shows just how little Harper understood of Canada, and it also shows the great amount of contempt he had for Canada's citizens, its government and values.
http://drivingtheporcelainbus.blogspot.com/2010/01/insight-to-stephen-harper-from-his-1997.html

Religion
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/10/why-stephen-harper-keeps-his-evangelicalism-very-private.aspx

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20060220_121848_121848&source=srch

SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS? NOT FROM THE CONSERVATIVES

Besides trying to shift the blame for the Afghan detainee torture scandal onto the troops, the Conservatives clawed back disabled war veteran support payments.
http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com/2010/01/myth-that-stephen-harper.html

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

http://www.notmyprimeminister.ca/archive/

http://www.100reasons.ca/

http://www.harperindex.ca/index.cfm

EXCELLENT SUMMARY OF THE PROROGATION (2) ISSUE:

http://www.acreativerevolution.ca/node/2326

Harper's control of the media

YouTube - Stephen Harper brings US style media control to Canada
Still pertinent after 3 years.

Speech by Jack Layton on prorogation of parliament

Speech by Jack Layton on prorogation of Parliament | NDP
...

This is an issue of trust and Canadians are telling us that Mr. Harper has crossed the line.

By closing the doors of the House of Commons, Mr Harper is trying to grab power that Canadians refused to give him.

He doesn’t have a majority. He just doesn’t get it.

He is telling Canadians that he won’t be held accountable –

On the war in Afghanistan and the clear evidence of a massive cover-up of the torture of detainees handed over to Afghan forces by the Canadian military.

On climate change and his failure, in Copenhagen, to represent the interests of the vast majority of Canadians.

On the economy and the stagnant, jobless recovery that his inept economic management has created.

He is refusing to let Parliament do its work
...

MP Charlie Angus' take on the proroguing of parliament and the Conservative agenda

"It’s a coup of pinstripes" - Charlie Angus MP
...
One thing about Stephen Harper, he always acts like a man annoyed by the democratic process. In shutting down the House, he is eliminating the two key roles that Parliamentarians play – first, addressing legislative change, and second, the opposition’s duty to provide oversight and accountability.
...

Proroguing parliament results in a 10 point drop in the polls for Conservatives (so far)

Parliament shutdown leaves Tories, Liberals nearly tied: poll - thestar.com
Last October, Strategic Counsel found 41 per cent support for Conservatives, 28 per cent for the Liberals and 14 per cent for the New Democrats. The newest numbers show 31 per cent for the Conservatives, 30 per cent for the Liberals and 18 per cent for the NDP.

I think we will see the Conservative numbers drop more before they level off, as people become more informed about the issues. And the rallies on Jan. 23rd will help inform more people. I think we will see another significant drop in Conservative support after Jan. 23rd.

Here come the planned spending cuts

Flaherty's economic plan blasted - thestar.com
We all know that Conservatives don't like to spend money on social programs - healthcare, justice for the poor, education, etc. It was always their plan to cut programs in Canada. But, the problem was, we were not running a deficit. The government income was very good. So, in order to justify this, they had to badly mismanage the money for a while to then say, oh, we can't afford these things. Well, over the past couple of years, they have blown the surplus, and with the spending they did in the past year - mainly spending on infrastructure programs in Conservative ridings, they have created the largest deficit in Canadian history.
Now they are going to say they need to cut spending to social programs.
Remember the Mike Harris government in Ontario? He did the same thing - manufactured crisis, and then cut spending to social programs. The Harper government is doing the same thing. The government financial crisis is mainly of their own making. This has been predicted by many over the past year, and here it comes. In March (unless a miracle happens to throw them out sooner), the Conservatives, in their budget, will severely slash spending on core social programs. They will blame it on the recession while they only have their own mismanagement and manufactured crisis to blame.


Here's another take on this from Erin Weir at The Progressive Economics Forum. I don't agree, (I think the big cuts are coming sooner), but here it is all the same:
What Could Conservatives Cut?

More notes on this here:
Northern Reflections: Micawber's Progeny

"Everybody knows that Parliament was prorogued in order to shut down the Afghan inquiry"

It is obvious to most people that the main reason Harper prorogued parliament was to avoid answering questions about the Afghan detainee issue. It was becoming very clear that the Conservative government were/are guilty of knowingly handing over detainees who would be tortured. This is a war crime. They have refused the order to hand over the documents and they have been caught up in their lies. If parliament had of continued on, the Conservatives would have been completely exposed for what they did and the Canadian public would be crying for an end to their governing and parliament would have definitely lost confidence in the Conservative government. Here, in a recent CBC interview, Tom Flanagan, former chief of staff to Harper, says pretty much the same thing:

Flanagan lays into PM's prorogation defence - Inside Politics
In a panel interview on Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, Tom Flanagan, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, doesn't mince words on the prime minister's suggestion on Monday that the instability of the current minority Parliament hurts the markets.

Flanagan: "Well, you know, it actually doesn't make much sense to me. The market just in this past year had, I think, its greatest increase in a single year, and that was in, during a minority government. I don't think the antics of politicians have actually that much to do with the market, i think that's based on economic fundamentals as investors see them. So i think the prime minister is stretching a bit when he made that comment.

Solomon: "What do you think the strategy is behind that, Tom?"

Flanagan: "Well, I don't know that there's much strategy behind it. I think his problem is that the government's talking points really don't have much credibility. Everybody knows that Parliament was prorogued in order to shut down the Afghan inquiry, and the trouble is that the government doesn't want to explain why that was necessary. Personally I think it was highly defensible action, but instead of having an adult defence of it, the government comes up with these childish talking points. So then you try and backfill with other stuff that doesn't make much sense either. So it's a self-created problem."

Flanagan, for good measure, then added: "I hope nobody thinks I'm a Harper stooge anymore."

More on this here:
McQuaig: Proroguing Less Trouble Than Sitting
And even in the, gasp!, National Post (this is old news, but to see the NP publish such a news item...) :
Scholars add their voices to prorogation protest

Skinny Dipper's Declaration of Democracy

(as posted as a reply on Scott's DiaTribes post:)
A democratic reforms package platform makes so much sense ...

Skinny Dipper

January 11th, 2010 at 10:32 pm

My “Declaration of Democracy”:

Change the voting system to a proportional one;

Give Parliament the authority to prorogue;

Give Parliament the authority to select judges to the Supreme Court;

Give Parliament the authority to select new senators until a time comes to either reform or abolish the Senate;

Abolish the Governor-General’s position and either have the citizens of Canada elect a president or have one selected by Parliament.

I like it.

Professors take aim at Harper

Professors take aim at Harper for proroguing Parliament; In a letter signed by 75 university professors, the prime minister is accused of 'making cavalier use of the discretionary powers entrusted to him' | Kelowna.com

Dozens of university prof essors from across Canada have put their names to a public letter that will condemn Prime Minister Stephen Harper for proroguing Parliament.

The letter, being sent next week to major eastern Canadian newspapers, was penned by University of Montreal philosophy professor Daniel Weinstock and, as of Friday, signed by 75 philosophy, law and political science professors. It accuses Harper of having "violated the trust of the Canadian people [and] thus acting anti-democratically."

...

Canada's Parliament - PM's power has been increasing while parliament's power has been draining away

Few countries can claim such a pathetic Parliament - The Globe and Mail
This story has been pulled by the G&M, so here is in case the link no longer works:

Few countries can claim such a pathetic Parliament

A security guard patrols Parliament Hill on Jan. 6, 2010, a week after Prime Minister shut down the House of Commons till after the Olympics. Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Proroguing's only the half of it. In a generation, Canada's legislature has decayed more than even the U.S. Congress. And while British and Australian MPs can slap down party leaders, here it’s the reverse

John Ibbitson

Published on Friday, Jan. 08, 2010 7:37PM EST Last updated on Saturday, Jan. 09, 2010 7:26AM EST

The U.S. Congress returned to work Wednesday. So did the British MPs at Westminster. Parliamentarians will reassemble in Canberra on Feb. 2. New Zealand's House of Representatives will be on the job a week later.

But Canada's House of Commons and Senate will remain dark until early March because of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision last week to have Parliament prorogued.

It is a small symptom of a grave condition. Our Parliament has become the most dysfunctional in the English-speaking world, weaker and more irrelevant than the U.S. Congress or the parliaments of Britain, Australia or New Zealand.

If Britain is the mother of Parliaments, her Canadian daughter is a fallen woman. Government MPs are cowed; parliamentary committees are too often irrelevant. Three consecutive minority governments haven't strengthened the powers of the House to hold the government to account; instead, they've encouraged new methods by which the Prime Minister's Office seeks to centralize authority.

“ If the idea is to produce responsive parliamentary government, then you’ve got to give the MPs something to do.”— Campbell Sharman, University of British Columbia

Prime ministers have been growing more powerful since the days of Pierre Trudeau. Maybe the rising power of the provinces forced Ottawa to centralize authority in response; maybe modern government became so complex that parliamentary deliberation became an anachronism. Maybe Parliament declined as politics became more partisan, and politics became more partisan as Parliament declined.

“This prorogation can be seen as a reflection of the decay of Parliament's relevance that has been taking place over the last generation,” maintains Peter Dobell, founding director of the Parliamentary Centre, an Ottawa-based institute that promotes parliamentary government around the world.

But whatever came before, Stephen Harper's decision to have Parliament prorogued for the second time in a year establishes a potential precedent, in which prorogation can be “used strategically to bring an end to a session when the going gets tough for the government,” observes Lori Thorlakson, a political scientist who specializes in comparative government at University of Alberta.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends the opening of a new U.S. border crossing in St. Stephen, N.B., on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010.

No other legislature among what Winston Churchill called the English-speaking peoples would tolerate such treatment. And since Westminster-style parliaments tend to have weaker legislatures than those in other developed countries, our House of Commons could be described as the weakest of the weak.

Watching the health-care debate south of the border, you might think that, however messed up Parliament Hill might be, it can't compare with Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives is full of gerrymandered districts; it can take tens of millions of dollars to run a Senate campaign; legislation is stuffed with pork aimed at securing crucial votes; bills are routinely eviscerated or defeated because of powerful special interests. Congress has spent almost a year crafting health-care reform legislation, which still hasn't reached a final vote.

Nonetheless, Congress does pretty much what the framers of the American Constitution set it up to do: act as a check on the administration. Representatives don't hesitate to vote against the party line if they feel a piece of legislation doesn't serve their constituents' interests. Senators are powerful voices who can rival presidents in their ability to drive or derail an agenda.

As well, “the powers of the Senate and the House are superbly advanced by the fact that they have investigative powers” to summon elected and appointed officials to explain themselves, observes William McKercher, a specialist in American politics at the University of Western Ontario.

“ Dysfunctional short-termism … sees momentary political advantage trump the common good.”— Jon Johansson, Victoria University, New Zealand

In comparison, Canadian MPs cower at the hands of the party whips, and parliamentary investigations are so ineffectual that the only hope of getting to the bottom of anything is to pressure a prime minister into calling a public inquiry.

British MPs are considerably more autonomous than their Canadian counterparts – ironically, because there are so many of them. The British House of Commons (barely) holds 646 MPs, compared with the 308 in the Canadian House. There are typically around 23 ministers in a British cabinet, compared with the 38 in the current Canadian cabinet.

Many British MPs know that they will never make it into the cabinet, and so feel much freer to take on their own party leader. When Tony Blair brought a motion to authorize British intervention in Iraq, 59 of his own Labour MPs voted against him. Last year, one or more Labour MPs voted against their government on 30 per cent of bills.

“The Labour government has had to worry more about its own back benches than it has about the Conservatives,” Prof. Thorlakson observes.

Were a prime minister to attempt to wield prorogation as a political weapon, “it would be huge,” she says.

Prof. Thorlakson and Mr. Dobell both point to the greater seriousness and respect with which British parliamentarians view their Parliament.

“Their sense of an ongoing tradition is stronger than others,” Mr. Dobell says, “simply because it goes back hundreds of years.”

Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Security guards stand outside the closed doors to the House of Commons on January 6, 2009.

Australian MPs and senators enjoy an ultimate weapon not practically available to their Canadian counterparts: They can replace the party leader any time they like. Last month, they did just that.

Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull committed his Liberal Party to supporting Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's climate-change legislation. But the Liberal Party in Australia is actually conservative, and there was strong opposition to the bill from within the caucus.

So Mr. Turnbull suffered a “leadership spill,” as the Aussies call it – a vote of no confidence by the members of his own caucus, who installed Tony Abbott, a social conservative and global-warming skeptic, as leader of the opposition.

“It looks undemocratic that caucus should choose the leader,” acknowledges Campbell Sharman, who teaches politics at both the University of British Columbia and the University of Western Australia. “But if the idea is to produce responsive parliamentary government, then you've got to give the MPs something to do.”

The Australian Senate, unlike its Canadian counterpart or the House of Lords, is elected and acts as a check on the House of Representatives, further strengthening the powers of the Parliament. And caucuses – or, at the least, the leaders of the factions within a caucus – have a direct say on who gets appointed to the cabinet.

As for prorogation being used to limit opposition opportunities for debate, Prof. Sharman maintains a website that contains a glossary of Australian political terms. “To my embarrassment, it doesn't contain an entry for prorogation,” he says. “And the only justification is it's so unusual.”

As for New Zealand, its Parliament has only one house, the House of Representatives. But since 1996, the House has been elected through a form of proportional representation, and neither the National nor Labour parties has won a majority of seats. The result has been a series of more-or-less stable coalition governments.

“ This prorogation can be seen as a reflection of the decay of Parliament's relevance that has been taking place over the last generation.”— Peter Dobell, founding director of the Ottawa-based Parliamentary Centre

Jon Johansson, who teaches comparative politics at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, observes that since the move to proportional representation, “lawmaking receives greater scrutiny in our select committees, and legislation can be slowed on occasions.”

MPs on legislative committees in Canada, in contrast, pretty much hew to the talking points issued by the leader's office.

Parliamentary governments typically have weaker legislatures than those in other consensus-style democracies. Some European governments have had unhappy experiences with leaders who turn into dictators. Others are marked by sharply polarized politics.

To prevent the repeat of past abuses, Prof. Thorlakson says, modern European constitutions tend to have strong legislatures and relatively weak executives. “Governments cannot just prorogue or dissolve Parliament easily.”

The case against Canada's Parliament isn't entirely black and white. Our MPs do spend more time at their desks than some of their equivalents elsewhere. While Congress and the British House of Commons spend more time in session than our Parliament does (159 and 154 legislative days in 2009, respectively, compared with our House's 130 days), the Australian and New Zealand legislatures both sit for less than 100 days a year.

And Prof. Johansson observes that governments everywhere “suffer from the same malaise: Our elected leaders and representatives cannot overcome their entrenched partisanship to tackle our respective nations' long-term policy dilemmas” because of the “dysfunctional short-termism that sees momentary political advantage trump the common good.”

If you scan newspapers in Washington or London or Canberra or Berlin, you'll see the same thing: Governments are every bit as determined to control the agenda; the hysterics of the opposition is every bit as shrill; and critics offer the same laments about the decline of Parliament, or whatever it's called.

But at least other prime ministers haven't got it into their heads that they can shut down their legislatures on a whim. Though that could be because it hasn't yet crossed their minds.

Conservative propaganda rags to be switching hands, but the same kind of hands

Canwest papers seek creditor protection - thestar.com
...

Rumoured bidders for Canwest's newspaper group have included investment company Onex Corp., as well as some of Canada's largest pension funds and leveraged buyout firms.

In their own statement, the lenders including Canada's five largest banks and unidentified international financiers, said their bid will at least ensure Canwest's newspaper division continues as a going concern.

...

Fantino finally caught?

Fantino summoned on charges of influencing elected officials - thestar.com

...

McHale claims Fantino influenced municipal officials in Caledonia when the commissioner sent an email allegedly telling the mayor and councillors not to attend McHale's rallies.

McHale led a number of rallies to protest what he called two-tier justice in the policing of an aboriginal land occupation in the town south of Hamilton.

A justice of the peace who heard McHale's complaint refused to issue a summons or warrant for Fantino but Superior Court Justice David Crane ordered the justice to issue the order.

"This is simply cowardice" - regarding Harper proroguing parliament to avoid the tough questions on the Afghanistan detainee issue.

Prorogue is indefensible no matter who is selling it - Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA
...

Harper was taking serious fire on the detainee issue, and he was beginning to find it uncomfortable. The mess in Copenhagen didn't help. He didn't want to come back to more controversy. So he closed the doors, hoping the Olympics would take our minds off the workings of government.

He had an opportunity to rebut Richard Colvin's points about detainee handling. Instead he fled and sent Parliament home. He ran away, rather than face his critics in a stand-up, public debate.

...

Like I said, Harper is a coward.

Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament - over 100,000 members!

Conservative Numbers Are Falling

Prorogation 'has hit a nerve' - The Globe and Mail
53% of those polled by Angus Reid right after the proroguing of parliament said they disagreed with the closing of parliament. Only 19% agreed with Harper's decision. 46% of Conservative voters are also against the proroguing of parliament. Note, this is only a couple of days after it happened. I bet now that Canadians have been given more time to become informed, that even more Canadians would say they disagree with the proroguing of parliament.

Visit these sites to find out more about what you can do about it:
Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament
Rallies on Jan. 23rd

Constitutional Expert Explains The Current Situation in Canadian Parliament

Video
Watch the video!

Stephen Harper is a Coward

For someone to run away when faced with tough questions in parliament. For someone who decides he doesn't want to stand on guard any longer. For someone who lies to the public and media about what is really going on with our government. For someone who has decided he will no longer stand on guard for Canada. Let's say the one word that sums it all up. COWARD. STEPHEN HARPER IS A COWARD.

How many Canadians want a coward running the country? I bet not one.

So, people, wake up and smell the napalm. Canada is burning and Stephen Harper is the one who set the fire.

Tell your MPs what you think of Harper shutting down Canadian democracy by proroguing parliament for no better reason than to re-direct attention away from the Conservative party failings.

And, if you haven't already, join the Facebook Group Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, and attend the rallies on Jan. 23rd.

Release the documents if you think Canadian's won't notice or care

If no one cares about detainee issue, Mr Harper, then release the uncensored documents « Scott's DiaTribes

Harper came out on his CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge tonight claiming that the Canadian public “don’t care” about the issue.

Well, Mr Harper, if people don’t care, then there should be no reason for you to not hand over the documents to Parliament and by proxy the Afghanistan Committee – as voted on and ordered by Parliament (as you’re eventually going to have to anyhow, I predict).

...
One of the top issue in my mind these days is that Harper prorogued our parliament in order to cover up his wrong-doings regarding detainees in Afghanistan.
Richard Nixon had documentation shredded to cover up his wrong-doings. Harper shut down the country's government to cover up his wrong-doings. I think people have noticed this right away, and it is going to become the biggest albatross for Harper yet. What a dum-ass Harpo is.

Harper thinks Canadians don't care that their prime minister is a war criminal

People don't care about Afghan detainee issue: Harper - thestar.com
Let's show him otherwise:
Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament

Democracy Is Closed in Canada

Grassroots fury greets shuttered Parliament - thestar.com
The biggest story in the news in Canada - Harper closing parliament (against all normal democractic practices) for a couple of months to avoid his government being held accountable on the Afghanistan torture issue, and many other issues, and, to avoid dealing with a lot of important bills (that will all be cancelled due to the cancellation of parliament) - fails to make headlines in the major newspapers across the country.

Harper is counting on the apathy of Canadians to ride out his latest scandal - closing democracy in Canada. And the mainstream media in Canada is going along with his plan, being apathetic about this issue themselves. To me, the job of the mainstream media is not to support or oppose one regime or another, but to report on the news, and keep the opinion pieces in the opinion sections. But more and more the MSM of Canada has become more a tool of the Right and Centre-Right political policies in this country. Not only are they not jumping on this story, but some articles go so far as to ridicule the responsible and outraged citizens of this country who have taken it upon themselves to start petitions, groups on Facebook and organize rallies to bring the issue to the attention of politicians, newspapers and other Canadians.

The ridicule deserved here should be upon the MSM for not bringing such an attack against our democracy front and centre. Things have sunk to an all-time low when we have to rely solely on the grassroots for on-going information on this issue.

To follow what is happening in Canada right now, visit Progressive Bloggers.


More posts on this topic:
Pundits: YOU go to the back of the bus

Harper Government Definitely Has Something To Hide

Ottawa won't release Afghan documents - thestar.com
The Harper government has decided to defy the will of the people (yesterday, the majority of parliament, representing the majority of the people of Canada, voted to have the government release key documents pertaining the Afghan detainee torture issue) and not release the documents, as they have been ordered to do so. It has been made clear that releasing these documents will NOT endanger our troops or the mission in Afghanistan. So, the question is, what reason would they have to not release the documents, even when ordered by parliament to do so? They must be hiding some pretty damning evidence, damning against the Harper government's actions/inactions in the past regarding this issue.

Hopefully, the documents can be accessed before they are shredded or completely obliterated with a big black marker.

Stephen Harper - War Crimes part 2

thwap's schoolyard: Is stephen harper a Snivelling Coward?
excerpt from the above link:
But the Globe and Mail and numerous other organizations have uncovered details about how widespread torture, rape and murder are in Afghanistan at the hands of the security forces we're funding, training and arming. Torture happened, and harper and his crew knew or SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, and the fact that they did nothing about it, means that they are going to go to jail.

There was one problem when senior ministers and officials of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government said they were unaware of reports that prisoners were being tortured in Afghan jails, including prisoners handed over to Afghan authorities by Canadian soldiers.

Both international and Canadian law require officials in a position of "superior responsibility" to know or try to find out what is happening if they are told or suspect that a war crime or crime against humanity is being committed or about to be committed.

Stephen Harper - War Crimes Cover-Up

It seems Stephen Harper knew all along about the war crimes being committed by Canadian Forces (handing over prisoners, knowing that they would be tortured), and not only did nothing to stop it, but began, instead, a propaganda campaign to hide the truth.

Harper Personally Directed Torture Cover-Up - mike watkins dot ca

Harper Complicit In War Crimes?

'Harper Knew About Torture In Afghanistan' - NATO Official

Torturegate North: the "6,000-mile screwdriver"

Liberals not a progressive choice

Daily Kos: State of the Nation
Excerpt (click the link above for the whole post):

On Friday, the Liberal Party of Canada threw down the gauntlet and submitted a vote of no confidence in the minority government led by Conservative PM Stephen Harper.  Many progressives might think "why not?"  Harper is, after all, a wolf in wolf’s clothing, managing to run a neoconservative, neoliberal government with voter support of his party in the mid-30 percent range, and all the rest of Canada to his left.

Unfortunately, Harper’s challenger, Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff, is just as much a wolf, but poses a much greater danger to the Left because he dresses as our shepherd.

• Boulter's diary :: ::
• 
  

Until Friday, Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals had supported the Conservative government in 79 consecutive confidence votes since 2007.  That wouldn’t be so concerning if the Liberals had been winning major concessions for progressives, but no such luck.

At a basic level, Ignatieff has acted in ideological accord with the Conservatives.  Ignatieff is short on details of how he would have behaved any differently than Harper, even when agitating for an election.  If he is a progressive at all, it is in hindsight only: whether in the States or in Parliament, Ignatieff goes along when policy is being made, denies problems as they occur and complains unconvincingly about the consequences.

Conservative admits party is only spending money in Conservative ridings

Politics - Muzzle by overnight courier
A Conservative candidate is accusing his own party ...
Just like the previous Liberal government, now the Conservatives are only spending government money in ridings held by their own party members. No surprise really.

Harper Continues to Not Give a Toss About Climate Change

WTF? Harper ditches Summit on Climate Change! | The Skwib

So let’s be clear about this. A hundred world leaders gather at the UN to discuss climate change, and our PM decides to meet with the mayor of New York instead?

Lest you have any trouble deciphering the hidden message, Harper is saying: “I don’t give a shit about this so-called climate change thing.” He’s not even going through the motions.

...

No reason to trust the Liberals with the economy after they allowed the Conservatives to screw our economy

Accidental Deliberations: Worse than nothing
Accidental Deliberations makes a very good point here - In sum, Ignatieff's decision to leave Harper at the controls when there was actually an immediate alternative resulted in a far worse outcome than a mere zero. And it shouldn't be forgotten that the party which now claims it can do better is the party which chose not to. (read full post via the link)

A responsible and effective party will put the people of the country first, not the party. By putting the party first, Ignatieff and the Liberals let the Conservatives screw us into the ground in a time of economic urgency.

NDP is supporting the bill, not the government

JanfromtheBruce: Why I'm voting with Stephen Harper ~ Layton
Unlike the Liberal Party, who have voted to support, or abstained from voting on many bills that they did not like, thus propping up the Harper government, the NDP are going to support a bill that they think is in the right direction so that people in need can get much-needed support.

Conservative priorities

TheStar.com | Canada | Tories spend 5 times more on ads than H1N1 prevention
Most of us already know/knew that the Conservatives don't care about Canadians' lives and health. Here we see yet more evidence of where their priorities lie.

Help people or do nothing

PP 2.0 - Dispatches by Northwestern Lad: 1 Billion vs. Nothing
"Would you rather spend a third of a billion dollars on an election or almost a billion dollars to help people? That's the choice facing us in the next couple of days."

The Conservatives and Liberals are choosing to do nothing, while the NDP is trying to get more money for the growing unemployed in Canada.

Harper spends $20.7 million of our money on himself while trying to cut $20 million from party funding.

Accidental Deliberations: On transfers
...
That said, let's put the Cons' insincerity in even more stark relief: if Harper had managed to get his way in cutting off political party funding, he'd simply have redirected the roughly $20 million which currently goes to the opposition parties toward expanding his own office rather than saving citizens a cent. And that point should be placed front and centre by all of the opposition parties when Harper tries to grandstand about ending party funding whenever the next election campaign begins.

"Liberals won't prop up Tories: Ignatieff" - Hard to believe with their record

TheStar.com | Canada | Liberals won't prop up Tories: Ignatieff
With their record of continually propping up the Conservatives - abstaining, being absent, etc on many bills they didn't like (on the past 79 confidence votes) - basically giving the Harper government a majority government - I find it hard to believe that the Liberals will follow through on this new intent to not prop up the Tories. I'm not going to hold my breath.

Harper an embarassment to Canada - still

TheStar.com | Opinion | Harper consistently embarrasses Canada abroad
Excerpts from the article in the Star by Haroon Siddiqui:
"Harper shows no interest in Canadians in trouble overseas unless he is embarrassed into action by the media or the courts."

"The latter had said he couldn't deny women in niqabs the right to vote because the law did not let him. The Prime Minister accused Mayrand of subverting the will of Parliament, when, in fact, Mayrand was upholding it."

"At the G-8 summit in Italy, he blasts Michael Ignatieff for saying Canada was losing clout globally. In turned out that the latter hadn't said so and Harper apologized, rightly. But he wouldn't have magnified his problem had he refrained, in the first place, from domestic mudslinging abroad."

"Grilled in Guadalajara about his decision to impose visas on visitors from Mexico, Harper blames our refugee system.

That is seen by Tories as a Liberal legacy, when, in fact, it was Brian Mulroney who set up the independent Immigration and Refugee Board and the rules governing it."

Toronto Mayor David Miller Did An Excellent Job Handling The Strike

The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail and the National Post have gone all out to attack Toronto Mayor David Miller's handling of the strike and of the deal he reached with the unions. They claim that he caved in and gave the unions what they wanted from the beginning. If not directly saying that he failed, they put a negative spin on his name and his achievements regarding the strike.

However, he was very successful in his handling of the strike and of the deal finally reached.
He set up temporary dump sites all over the city right away.
He got injunctions against strikers right away if they caused undue delays (so they couldn't keep on delaying people at those sites).
He organized existing management staff to work on keeping the streets and parks as clean as possible.
And, regarding the deal, he managed to get it so the banking of sick days will be phased out - this will save the city millions of dollars.

The unions wanted to completely keep on banking sick days. The city wanted to get rid of the banking of sick days. A compromise was reached to phase the banking of sick days out. This is about as fair a deal as could be reached. And, that's what you end up getting when you negotiate - a bit of give and take - a compromise.

The MSM seem to think that he should have been able to get rid of the banking of sick days all at once. This would have been very unfair to the workers, and impossible to get through the negotiations during the strike. And, it would have been impossible to get if the mayor had got the Province to legislate the workers back to work. If this had happened, the negotiations would have gone to binding arbitration. And with this, the unions always get a better deal - they most likely would have kept the banking of sick days completely.

So, what would you have preferred - a harder approach by the mayor, resulting in either the strike going on for months (and getting no better of a deal than we got), or back to work legislation sending the workers back to work and binding arbitration with no change in the banking of sick days,
OR
The deal we got with the phasing out of banking of sick days?

All in all I would say Well Done David Miller!

Banked Sick Days Frozen, Toronto To Save $Millions (MSM Misleads Public In Toronto On Issue of Banked Sick Days)

TheStar.com | GTA | Banked sick days in city offer
The title, todays poll on the Star's site, and the article seems to stress the point that workers will continue to bank sick days. This is very misleading.
In the article, you can see that new workers will not be able to bank sick days and that current workers will have their banking of sick days frozen to what they have already. This means that they will no longer be able to bank any more sick days from here on. The Star reported on the freeze of sick days yesterday as well

Here is the quote from the article:
New employees will not have the option of banking unused sick days. Current employees can cash out their banked days at a discount and move into a new short-term disability plan, or may have their sick bank frozen to draw on for days that may not be covered by the new plan.

And the Globe and Mail completely leaves out this point and claims that they can continue to accrue credits

The MSM has been attacking the unions stance and the mayor David Miller's handling of the issue from day one. They don't like the mayor and they would like to see a more conservative person in the mayor position. So, they are doing all they can to smear the current mayor. But, he has done a good job in handling the strike. The city has been far cleaner than during the last summer garbage workers strike (which went on for a shorter period). And, the city has managed to stop the workers from continuing to bank new sick days - which is what the city wanted all along. This will save Toronto millions of dollars.
The headline, more realistically should have been Banked Sick Days Frozen, Toronto To Save $Millions

UPDATE
Okay, so the details are finally released.

Current employees can either continue to collect and bank sick days (the collecting is not frozen at this point for these people, contrary to what was reported in the Toronto Star over the past 2 days)
Or
They can cash what they have in now and switch to the new short-term plan (which does not include banking sick days)

New employees will be enrolled in the short-term sick leave plan and will not be able to bank sick days.

Here is a link to the agreement.

Still, this phases out the banking of sick days and it seems like a number of current employees will opt for cashing out and joining the short-term plan.

Prior to the strike, the unions did not offer this, nor, would they agree. If the strike had gone to binding arbitration (like, if the workers were legislated back to work by the province - which probably would have happened with a more conservative mayor), the city would not have gained this phasing out of sick day banking, but would have been stuck with it for all employees, current and new.

So, hats off to Miller and his team for accomplishing this phase out for the city.

Disgraceful Tories Contine To Hold Back The Money

TheStar.com | Canada | 'Virtually nothing coming' from Tory stimulus fund
...

"There's virtually nothing coming," NDP Leader Jack Layton said.

"There are billions of dollars of stimulus that should have been flowing already," he said. "Some of the people being laid off across the country could have moved into those construction jobs."

In fact, the funds are flowing even slower than forecast in the 2007 budget, before the financial crisis hit. According to that timetable, programs under the Building Canada Plan should have pumped more than $5 billion into projects by this fiscal year. Yet the amount spent so far is $1.3 billion less than forecast, calling into question whether pledges to boost spending are sincere, Layton said in an interview.

"I've always suspected that when Stephen Harper announces big sums of money to be spent, he so fundamentally doesn't believe in it ... the money is very unlikely to flow at all," Layton said.

...

Also see here

Mayors say Conservative government is all talk and no money

TheStar.com | Canada | Mayors decry delay in stimulus cash from Ottawa

Money for the stimulus projects was announced in January, but Ottawa is not releasing the money.

See also: Conservative government actually tightened the purse strings in this time of a need for increased spending

Why vote Liberal when it means you actually support the Conservatives?

Ignatieff failing the middle class: Liberals offer no alternative or opposition to Conservatives | NDP

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals can’t have it both ways. They
can’t say they are opposed to Harper’s agenda and do nothing to stop
it. Instead the Ignatieff’s Liberals are giving Harper a de facto
majority by voting confidence in him, time and time again, while
offering no alternative program of their own.

With the support of Ignatieff’s Liberals, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have:

(Read on...)

UN demands compensation for war crimes in Gaza

globeandmail.com: UN demands compensation for Israeli strikes in Gaza

This is a good first step. But, unfortunately, with the US supporting Israel's genocide of Palestine, the UN will always be toothless against Israel.

NAFTA continues to hurt/kill people

HealthZone.ca - News & Features - Blame NAFTA for swine flu, experts say , Lax farming rules under free trade deal create breeding ground for virus, environmentalists argue

One of the things the proponents of NAFTA kept buried was how it would affect health and environmental rules. Basically it hurt these very much. And now one of the results is coming back to haunt us - with this recent swine flu outbreak.

NAFTA should be scrapped and renegotiated with stronger support for good environmental rules and the power put back into the hands of the people and their government. As it stands, the power is mainly in the hands of the multinational corporations.