It's been three months since I've written about Stephen Harper and his Conservative crew. I wanted to take some time to let the dust settle and see whether my fears he'd be a Dubya Jr. were justified. He's been Prime Minister of Canada for three months and what I've seen frightens this proud Canuck.
I'm sure I remember Harper promising a more transparent, open government. I first raised a Spockian eyebrow when the press wasn't advised of a Cabinet meeting earlier in the month. Reporters were restricted to the foyer of hte House of Commons, a flight below their usual perch outside the room. Then, I read in Time a couple of weeks ago that offiicals decide which reporters get to ask questions at Harper's press conferences and "sometimes pass over those they suspect have questions they don't want to deal with". These tactics reke of Dubya and appear anything but transparent, but it was something I read today that prompted this entry.
Harper's government barred the media from covering the return of the flag-draped coffins of our four soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Corporal Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell, Corporal Randy Payne and Lieutenant William Turner were slain in a roadside bomb blast Saturday in southern Afghanistan in the deadliest attack against Canadian forces since we deployed to Afghanistan in 2002. Banning media coverage of the coffins of our slain service men and women is a page directly out of George Bush's handbook. It's clearly an attempt to minimize the growing casualites in Afghanistan. Harper has also decided we won't lower the flag on Parliament Hill in honour of our fallen heroes. We'll do that but once a year, on Remembrance Day. That's not only wrong, it's disrespectful.
If Harper believes he can continue in this direction without suffering the consequences at the polls, he's underestimated the Canadian public. He won a minority goverment not so much because people were drawn to him but because people were dismayed with the Liberal Party. With this kind of leadership, the plan won't be denied.
