A blog to give a voice to our concern about the continued erosion of our democratic processes not only within the House of Commons and within our electoral system but also throughout our society. Here you will find articles about the current problems within our parliamentary democracy, about actions both good and bad by our elected representatives, about possible solutions, opinions and debate about the state of democracy in Canada, and about our roles/responsibilities as democratic citizens. We invite your thoughtful and polite comments upon our posts and ask those who wish to post longer articles or share ideas on this subject to submit them for inclusion as a guest post.
Contact us at democracyunderfire@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

If He Stays: Canada's Sovereign Demise


A guest post by Pamela Mac Neil


There is really only one question that Harper and his gang has in this election. How can we win? Sounds innocent enough, after all, all of the leaders and their parties want to win but it is different with Harper. He will say anything no matter how repugnant, he will do anything, no matter how ugly or corrupt, he will tell any lie, no matter how blatant, he will fake any emotion that he thinks will make him seem genuine, he will trash anyone who he thinks gets in his way and he will promote any issue no matter how vile, that he thinks his base will vote for. Nothing is off the table for him to use. Not racism, not bullying, not lying, not pandering (only to his base), while telling 2/3rds of Canadians to get stuffed. We can all see that he is absolutely desperate and determined to hold onto power, but we need to look deeper and ask why he's prepared to use such extreme measures to win. It's not just about his lust for power and his authoritarian agenda. That is part of it and a big part, but more then anything, the thing that matters the most to him, the thing that he will do anything to achieve, the thing he has been working on for the most part in secrecy for 9yrs and especially in the last 4yrs, working, working, working on the nation he wants so fervently to see Canada become, his national dream that he is frothing at the mouth to realize, is Canada becoming a nation who is governed completely by Neoliberalism. Everything Harper has done is to that end.

A Neoliberal Nation he can point to and say proudly, I created this. The reason he is desperate to hold on to power is that he is not finished yet. He needs 4 more yrs. to complete his Neoliberal agenda. He needs 4 more years to destroy democracy and replace it with Neoliberalism. He has already taken our liberal infrastructure by the throat and throttled it, but he hasn't yet destroyed it. He needs 4 more years to do that. He has painstakingly and incrementally laid the groundwork to implement his Neoliberal infrastucture. He has implemented some Neoliberal policies where possible, like replacing the Canadian Wheat Board, signing trade deals, implementing full economic austerity, but for the most part he has been busy laying the groundwork for the real pay off , being able to implement Neoliberal policies full scale, across the Canadian government and succeeding at delivering a fully intact Neoliberal infrastructure, over the next 4 yrs. He wants to change the Canadian state into a market state that he will lead.

Does anyone think that after he does this, he will, after 2015, in the next election, be voted out, so he will eventually have to leave. The future elections will be so thoroughly rigged that he will win every time. They will be elections in name only. Like the ones Mugabe holds. Let's take a look at some of the groundwork he has layed. Harpers exclusion of 2/3rds of Canadians from attending his invitation only campaign, is not new. He has been excluding the Canadian majority since becoming PM in 2006, but certainly more so since 2011. But how the heck do you prevent the majority of Canadians from wanting to know what you are doing. You start with your Caucus and Cabinet. No one who thinks, let alone thinks for themselves is allowed in and if there happens to be some who get through, he makes short shrift of them. These ministers and backbenchers must be told exactly what to say, in the house and in public. This is important because they are the ones bringing Harpers message to the Canadian public, so they must be able to explain, through talking points, what the government is doing without giving away Harpers Neoliberal agenda. Total obedience, nothing less. Message control and vetting is another example of laying the ground work. These controls are instituted across the board for
everyone in Harpers government. Harper and the PMO, through information control, controls every facet of the government and in so doing controls the Canadian majority. If the people in our government cannot communicate with us of their own free accord, then they will stop communicating with us all together, except for Harper followers. All public pronouncements by civil servants, diplomats, the military, cabinet members and conservative MPs must be approved by the PMO or the PCO. When the Canadian governments ability to communicate is curtailed or completely shut down Canadian citizens are left in the dark about everything their government is doing. Continuous unfettered dialogue with Canadians and there government, may lead to questions about what is the thinking behind Harpers various political decisions.

When people are talking to their government, they expect answers and it is too risky for Harper to be asked anything about Neoliberalism. Better to just cut communications off completely from Canadians. After awhile they'll accept it and move on. Harper knows 70% of Canadians will not vote for him, so how does he make that not matter. He creates a law, called The Fair Election Law, which suppresses votes by making it harder to vote by changing ID requirements, by those unlikely to vote conservative such as aboriginal, students and those with disabilities. He even bans the chief electoral office from promoting voting. And expats who have been away from Canada for more then 5 yrs? Tough their not allowed to vote. This law was created long before the 2015 election. That's what's called thinking and planning ahead and laying the groundwork to get closer to achieving a 2015 election victory.

There are actually 3 major beliefs that underly Harpers Political decisions.
1. Neoliberalism
2. Fascism
3. Evangelical fundamentalist Christianity

Sometimes, his policies are defined by his Evangelical beliefs, such as his dogmatic support of Israel, his rejection and thrashing of anything Muslim and his deregulation of environmental controls. His deregulating of the environment though is really a combination of his Neoliberal beliefs and his Evangelical beliefs. By undermining and eradicating Scientific, centralized knowlege and shutting research stations and destroying the work of science libraries, he is laying the groundwork for having environmental decisions based on market signals and not on scientific knowledge and evidence. Neoliberal, free-market environmentalism and environmentalism according to Evangelical Christian Fundamentalism, make the corporate elite, God and his base very happy. Everyone knows about Harpers disdain and refusal for the most part of talking to the MSM.When he does deign to talk to to them, he dictates what the questions will be and how many. The MSM has fallen into line very nicely, succumbing to Harpers autocratic demands. When their talking to him or about him the word Neoliberalism, never passes their lips. It's like talking to or about the Pope, but never ever mentioning his Catholicism. Deregulations and defunding are Neoliberal tools. They lay the groundwork for privatization.

Just look at the social programs that have been defunded like healthcare, education, UI, OAS, Veteran Affairs to name a few and because of Harpers defunding of these social programs, if he gets 4 more yrs, he won't hesitate to privatize them and all of the other Canadian social programs. Then there are the democratic institutions like parliament that must be thwarted, undermined, ignored and abused, eventually to be done away with completely. A market state doesn't need parliamentary oversight. Neoliberalism holds that it is the free market, not democracy that leads to freedom. Neoliberalism requires a strong state that uses its power to create and enforce markets and prop them up when they fail. Harper is creating a state governed by market transactions, not democratic practices. He believes and wants a Neoliberal government. He does not believe nor does he want a democracy, a democracy with all of its liberal institutions, its social programs, Its laws and courts supported by a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, its human rights, its public education, its public health care, in short a democracy that prevents him from having a Neoliberal government, will have to go.

It is astounding how successful Harper has been at controlling, manipulating and isolating 70% of Canadians, the Canadian majority, Harpers real enemy. He is able to continue this offensive behaviour even during an election. They must not ever be witnesses to what their PM and their government is really up to. Like the wife whose husband is having an affair and she is the last to know, so Canadians will be the last to know about Harpers Neoliberal deceit. Canadians are kept in the Dark mainly because Harper governs in complete secrecy. Harper the tyrant and his autocratic behaviour lends itself well to operating in secrecy. Having a profound need to have power, coupled with his profound need to create and lead a Neoliberal government is a lethal combination. Margaret Thatchers Neoliberalism, while corrupt, was implemented by a woman who somewhat thought ,whether British citizens, liked it or not that a Neoliberal government was being created for their own good. Ronald Reagan , supported Neoliberalism policy, probably without knowing what it really meant, but because it fit with the myth he held so dearly that America was "A shining City Upon a Hill" "Gods Country." A sign of American Exceptionalism. Both brought severe and lasting damage to their countries and the world. Harper however has long believed that a Neoliberal government is the ideal and only government. He has been promoting Neoliberal ideas since University and he has, since being Prime Minister of Canada, systematically and secretly been changing the fundamental relationship of Canada's Government and Its citizens by dismantling our democratic sovereign nation and replacing it with a dictatorial Neoliberal nation. If he gets 4 more yrs. Canada will become a country where police authorities including a secret police will not have to abide by the constitution and will be at Harpers beck and call.

If he gets 4 more yrs. Harper will finish his ongoing destruction of Canada's sovereignty. He will then hand Canada's governence, on a silver platter, to the global political, corporate and economic elite. An elite he desperately wants to be part of. Canada will be a National Sovereign State no more. We have to stop just focusing on each particular undemocratic policy, law, program or strategy that harper initiates and ask ourselves what these undemocratic particulars share when their united together. What is the bigger picture. If during the next 4 yrs Canadians, do catch on, maybe not so much to his Neoliberal agenda, but more to his dictatorial behaviour, observed when they oppose and protest, then they will understand that the unconstitutional legislation such as Bill-C13, Bill C-34, Bill C-639, and Bill C-51, are necessary laws, created to monitor, arrest, jail and just plain stop Canadians when their protesting against Harpers turning Canada into a fascist police state. If Harper gets 4 more yrs., the scope of the damage he has already done to our democracy, will be further expanded to include
all of our democracy. If Harper is voted out in Oct., I wonder how many Canadians will realize how close we came to losing it all!


Support Democracy - Recommend this Post at Progressive Bloggers

1 comment:

Frank A. Pelaschuk said...

Excellent dissection of the Harper regime. Unfortunately, having established the road map to totalitarianism,future leaders with similar propensities will simply continue Harper's dismantling of democracy transforming it into a true Corporatocracy. Too many are willing to sit in silence and let things happen the line of least resistance much easier than actually participating. I hope I'm wrong but I think we have already lost it even if Harper is tossed out.