Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s performance in Ottawa still negatively affects Canada. Some rights and freedoms citizens enjoyed before they were stripped of them have never been recovered. With a federal election in the cards for 2015, people were crying, “Anyone But Harper.” This was echoed among the broadest range of people, even those who consider themselves die-hard Conservatives. The concept of “strategic voting” became popular, as a loosely organized plan to see that this man would not be re-elected.
Canadians felt hated. The Harper government hated taxpayers and voters. Policies were developed that proved this to be true. It ended an era where elected parties were more civilized and developed policy controls, and specific projects that would be beneficial to the public. They understood their positions meant they served the public interest.
Maude Barlow is a Canadian author and activist. She is a founding member of the Council of Canadians, a citizens’ advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada. In a report she wrote, titled the “Broken Covenant,” in 2015, she reminisces about former prime ministers’ most noted contributions to our society. Prior to Mr. Harper, she said, “Over the better part of the last 75 years, successive federal governments have helped to build a strong civil society presence in our country.”
“Governments have funded rights movements, such as those for women, refugees and gays; environmental groups and independent environmental research; indigenous health, healing and education programs as well as the more formal indigenous institutions such as provincial and federal chiefs’ associations; legal advocacy groups that speak for the disadvantaged and challenge the status quo; civil society organizations that promote good health and maintain independent statistics; anti-poverty groups and non-governmental welfare research programs; union advocacy on behalf of working people; farmer co-ops and programs to support food producers and rural communities; and cultural programs and artists to promote Canadian culture at home and to the world.”
The report is a scathing indictment of nine years of Harper’s agenda. Broken Covenant examines the Harper government’s impact on our democratic institutions, families and workers, women, First Nations, the environment, health care, arts and culture, farmers, human rights and social equality.
Broken Covenant tells the story of “a government bent on forever changing the relationship between our elected officials and the citizens it represents.”
And change, it certainly did.
It’s led to a breed of men getting elected under the Conservative banner whose sole purpose is to line their pockets and find corporations they can cater to who will in turn keep them in power with their lobbying dollars and influence. The focus of these men is to use their corporate backers to sway votes, policies and influence. They are no longer interested in building a strong civil society. They’ve reduced the number of the middle class, encouraged mobility upwards for those with influence and cash and stripped the poor of a lot of social services and support systems. Researchers, non-profits, and agencies in place to advocate for the poor have been defunded of government support or received decreased payments to a point where very little can be accomplished. If you don’t know there’s a problem — then there isn’t one.
Stephen Harper’s government had a negative impact on all Canadians, most notably in areas such as:
- Democracy
- Social equality
- Workers
- Women
- First Nations
- Environment
- Health care
- Culture
- Farmers
- Human rights
Is Stephen Harper pulling Jason Kenney’s strings?
Kenney was a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. He recently hired Mr. Harper’s son, Ben, as a policy advisor for his office. Harper and Kenney have always been close, but reading through the report almost gives one an itemized itinerary in the direction of the Alberta government. It seems the premier is carrying on with the work Harper was trying to accomplish before Canadians were so desperate to get rid of him.
Accordingly, Kenney’s accomplishments are on a provincial rather than a federal platform. Reading this report will make you shudder to think he may have an eye on being prime minister. There are a lot of startling similarities. It gives one a good idea on just how far Kenney is willing to go.
