How Stephen Harper changed the character of Canada

[Oscar]

How Stephen Harper changed the character of Canada

[ http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commenta ... -goar.html ]

Piece by piece, the Conservative leader has dismantled Canada’s democratic heritage. --Carol Goar, Toronto Star

Voters have become inured to Stephen Harper’s divide-and-conquer tactics, writes Carol Goar.

By: Carol Goar Star Columnist, Published on Fri Oct 09 2015

Canada has never had an election campaign like this. Not only its length is unprecedented and its cost record-breaking. For the first time in postwar history, one of the nation’s major political parties has dispensed with the inconvenient tradition of meeting voters.

The Conservatives see no need to talk to Canadians who don’t support them. Tory candidates seldom participate in town halls or election debates. Party leader Stephen Harper, who has served as prime minister for nine years, allows only supporters into his campaign events.

How do we hold a governing party accountable for its actions when its members and candidates are inaccessible? How do we compare our electoral choices when one party speaks only to its own backers?

The sad thing is that few voters seem to care. They are inured to Harper’s divide-and-conquer tactics.

In their defence, this is a relatively small departure from Canada’s democratic traditions, one that is more likely to hurt the Tories than their critics. But over the past decade, Harper’s “small” changes have exacted a hefty toll. One by one, Canadians have lost the tools they need to understand what their government is doing and make informed choices about the future.

As Election Day approaches it’s worth taking a moment to review what we’ve lost and ask how much more of our heritage we can afford to forfeit:

• A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable for members of Parliament to spurn their constituents. Now, for half of parliamentarians, it is normal.

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The list goes on: No prime minister has treated Canada’s Charter of Rights as an inconvenience he could ignore, challenge or test at taxpayers’ expense. No prime minister has sicced federal tax auditors on charities that protect the environment, speak for the poor, or fight for freedom of expression. No prime minister has stripped judges of their discretion to sentence lawbreakers. No prime minister has treated Canadian citizenship as a benefit that can be revoked at will by the government. No prime minister has forbidden federal scientists to share their findings with their international peers or the public.

“Small” changes add up. They transform the face of a nation and the character of its people. They prevent Canadians from finding out what is being done in their name, with their dollars. They erode empathy and trust.

Please don’t shrug. This matters. Where the trajectory goes from here is up to us.