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Harper’s x-factor

Political Science 101: Canadian governments are not simply elected. They are decided by whatever a majority of elected members of Parliament (or a provincial legislature) choose to support as a government.

Even if Stephen Harper has the most seats on October 20 (perish the thought), a union of Liberal and NDP MPs could unseat him if they constitute the numerical majority.

One trusts that the Harper-appointed governor general, David Johnston, will respect this possibility.

Certainly, if Harper is able to bully and bluster his way into commanding the 42nd Parliament, the governor-general should expect new degradations and humiliations. The GG is supposed to ensure the continuance of democratic government, even when a prime minister is crying foul and acting like any old U.S.-backed tyrant.

Back in 2008, Harper got then governor general Michaëlle Jean to agree to prorogue Parliament, thus preventing the Liberals and the NDP from forming an alternative government with Bloc Québécois support.

This manoeuvre flouted the express will of Parliament to form a new government. Harper screamed that allowing a coalition to govern would be “undemocratic.”

Canadians must pray that, if this election ends with a Con minority, the current governor general will do his duty and allow the opposition parties to proffer a new government, throwing the gunmetal-dull, branch-plant, Republican party-style PM into the dustbin of history.

Unlike previous federal leaders, Harper is such an ideologue that he cannot be trusted to govern for the good of all, serving only the narrow interests of cracker-barrel philistines who care more about veils than transparent governance, more about dropping bombs than creating jobs.

Harper is a threat to the Dominion’s peace, order and good government.

Damagingly, Harper will continue to appoint Supreme Court and other justices according to an American interpretation of Canada’s Constitution, to try to expand the powers of corporations and governments against we the people.

Harper has expressed dislike for the Charter and especially the possibility that judges can extend rights, for instance to gays and lesbians, that were not originally stated in the document.

He resents the Charter’s emphasis on citizens’ rights. The Harper regime has tried to muzzle every organization that provides independent, objective information, from Statistics Canada to charitable organizations and the CBC, especially if such divulgences undermine government propaganda or expose its servitude to corporate paymasters.

Indeed, his reckless government has made us more ignorant about ourselves by closing down the long-form census, intensifying efforts to corporatize and police the internet and hobbling the national Library and Archives Canada. It’s tried to militarize our culture by focusing on armed struggles as opposed to efforts to make peace in the world and uplift the poor.

The Harper government has demonized lawful dissent, as occurred during the G20 summit in Toronto in 2010, when police brutally turned upon law-abiding citizens.

It has bamboozled Parliament with omnibus bills whose only purpose is to avoid oversight and confuse the media and public about government intentions. When the electorate is ignorant, the tyrannous are empowered.

In The Comeback, John Ralston Saul called on tenured Canuck profs to intervene in public debates, especially to critique questionable Harper policies. Wager that Harperites took note and will add the independent professoriat to their list of public targets in their attempts to attempt to ncorral and castrate.

In his continued effort to scuttle civil society, Harper will likely try to further reduce the ability of workers to draw upon public pensions by clawing back more pension income.

We can also look forward to more foreign adventurism that serves the interests of meddlesome imperialists rather than the long-term interests of the Canadian people. Jean Chrétien was wise to keep Canada out of the war-crime-endless Iraq invasion of 2003.

Harper’s policy has encouraged instability in the Middle East and diminished Canada’s standing abroad. We used to be respected globally as tough warriors when necessary and canny peacemakers whenever feasible. Harper prefers to show us off as warmongers.

Guess Harper will continue to treat Parliament as his personal playground, not the people’s representatives. Do vote no!

George Elliott Clarke is the fourth poet laureate of Toronto (2012-15) and the first E.J. Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto. His newest book is Traverse (Exile, 2014), an autobiographical poem.

news@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

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