Federal budget, federal election and the ballot question
White Rock, British Columbia - Thursday, March 24, 2011 by: Brian Marlatt
That Stephen Harper's Election Budget and refusal to allow parliament to debate or consider Opposition amendment and weeks of negative ads make it clear Harper is forcing an election on Canadians for his own benefit. He thinks he can make the ballot question this: who do you trust to manage the economy and do you want to give me my majority and unfettered power or do you want a parliamentary coalition to make Parliament work?
Minority, majority, or coalition; it is clear that the neoconservatism, provincialism, and continentalism of Stephen Harper, who squandered a 12 billion dollar surplus on tax cuts before the Lehman Brothers collapse and denied deep deficits would be necessary, is at best, a failed economist, and failed prime minister.
Denial that a recession and deficit was about to happen in Election 2008 should warn us against Harper's unblinking insistence on corporate tax cuts and neoconservative deregulation which spawned the recession. Harper is not an economist.
Saying that "There will be do changes. This is not a negotiation" in appeals by the Opposition to make the Budget acceptable and avoid an election, as Harper's Finance Minister did on Budget Day, tells us Harper has learned nothing from the two prorogations crises. Harper is not a leader; Harper is a failed Prime Minister.
So, the real ballot question is going to be this: Who do you trust to stand up against the neoconservatism that brought us the recession, the provincialism that is dividing Canadians, the continentalism that is stealing our birthright and our sovereignty; whom do you trust to stand up for our institutions, to allow parliament and parliamentary democracy to work? The answer is not the party or the politician whose disdain for Canada, democracy and parliament arrogantly would replace "The Government of Canada" with "The Harper Government." The ballot question is: "Who will give Steve the Heave?"