Paul S. Graham

Warrant Officer Robert John Wilson, Pte. Demetrios Diplaros, Cpl. Mark Robert McLaren, all from 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, were killed by an IED on Dec. 5, 2008. Photo: National Post

Every time we lose another soldier, it feels like I’ve lost my son one more time . . . I really feel we shouldn’t be there to begin with, so if there’s a hundred or two or three its all the same to me – they shouldn’t be there. . . . I don’t see the reason we should be losing all our young soldiers to a war. I think they should be doing peace keeping and helping more people. What’s the point of having them killed in a foreign country — for what reason – we’re not even sure what we’re doing there.
– Claire Léger, mother of Sgt. Marc Léger, one of the first Canadians to die in Afghanistan, interviewed on Global TV News, Dec. 5, 2008

These are very special people who have put their lives on the line in the service of their fellow human beings and in their devotion to our country. It is because of them now and throughout our history that we are able to celebrate our Christmas in such peace and prosperity,” Harper said. “It is because of them that we have this wonderful country. It is their gift to us.
– Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at CFB Petawawa for a previously scheduled event to launch a “Trees for the Troops” Christmas campaign, National Post, Dec. 5, 2008

I guess Madame Léger has her answer; her son and 99 other Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan so that we could celebrate Christmas in peace and prosperity.

Bah, humbug!

Winnipeggers opposed The Rogue, Dec. 4, 2008, at a spirited rally at the Marlborough Hotel. Photo: Boris Minkevich, Winnipeg Free Press

Media reports put attendance at the Winnipeg rally at about 500. I was there; it seemed larger. It was (as were all of the rallies across the country yesterday, I imagine)  part public relations exercise and part group therapy. We publicly demonstrated our support for a coalition government to replace Harper and we got a chance to vent our collective outrage at Harper’s antics.

This is all well and good. But it left me wondering, where do we go from here? Will the leadership of this movement continue to mobilize and if so, to what end?

I’m beginning to think that the Parliamentary battle to replace Harper was lost as soon as Michaelle Jean gave Harper permission to suspend Parliament. When he comes back at the end of January, having held power for three months, the option of a transition to coalition government may be theoretically possible. However, I think Jean will play safe, and if the government falls at the end of January, she will dissolve Parliament and we will be into an election.

Which brings we back to my earlier question: to what end should this coalition be mobilizing? An election favours Harper, not so much because he is popular with Canadians, but rather because the anti-right wing forces in Canada are fragmented and our electoral system allows MPs to win their seats with the smallest of pluralities.

None of Canada’s Opposition parties, by themselves, can take enough seats to win even a minority government. If the Coalition is serious about replacing Harper it has to be prepared to contest the next election as a Coalition.

This would involve, among other things, an agreement between the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to support each other’s currently elected MPs in this election.

Scary stuff, yes. But absolutely necessary if we are to rid the country of Harper and the dangerous brand of politics he represents.

Below is the latest Winnipeg Free Press Readers’ Poll. It’s a snapshot taken at 9:30 Central Time today.

Should Parliament have been suspended?

Yes 42%
No 57%

Total Votes: 1841

The Harper Dictatorship

The Tory Thug gets to duck and cover for now. Stephen Harper has succeeded in his bid to undermine Parliamentary democracy. He has shown a profound contempt for democracy. Shame!

According to this morning’s Winnipeg Free Press Readers’ Poll, 67 per cent disagree with the Prime Minister’s assertion that Canada’s Opposition coalition is a “threat to democracy.” While this is not a scientific, randomized poll and could be manipulated by trolls across the land, it’s kinda reassuring.

We Winnipeggers know our threats to democracy, Mr. Harper. This is something you should remember if you want to continue in your chosen field.

Do you agree with Prime Minister Harper when he says the Opposition coalition is a threat to democracy?

Yes 32%
No 67%

Total Votes: 2178

Time: 8:24 AM, Central Time

Stephen Harper is amazing. Even when there is irrefutable evidence to the contrary, he is willing to lie on national TV about his unwillingness to share power with the Bloc Quebecois.

This is what Harper said last night in his broadcast to the nation:

Let me be very clear: Canada’s government cannot enter into a power-sharing coalition with a separatist party.

My how things change. This is an excerpt of a letter to then Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson signed by Stephen Harper, Jack Layton (NDP) and Gilles Duceppe (BQ) in September 2004:

As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the prime minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for a dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.

Maybe this is something he learned from Stockwell Day, who was evidently up to the same thing in 2000, according to an article in The Globe and Mail.

Can someone tell me if Harper wants to prorogue the current session of Parliament becasue he is, basically, pro rogue? (Sorry . . .)

In case you missed it, here are links to the texts of the speeches given by Harper, Dion and Layton last night.

Go, Coalition, go!!

Bloc part of secret coalition plot in 2000 with Canadian Alliance

A document obtained by The Globe and Mail shows that the scheme would have propelled then Alliance leader Stockwell Day to power in the coalition. Read on . . .

Despite his fear mongering rants about “separatist” and “undemocratic” coalitions, Harper sang a vastly different tune when he was leader of the Official Opposition four years ago. Winnipeg Free Press columnist Frances Russell takes us down memory lane:

Today, Harper says it’s disgraceful for the Liberals to broker deals with socialists and separatists. But in September 2004, a month before Paul Martin’s minority Liberal government was set to meet Parliament for the first time. Harper, the newly minted leader of the Official Opposition, joined with NDP leader Jack Layton and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe to send this letter to then Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson:

“As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the prime minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for a dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.”

Today, Harper accepts no obligation to consult with opposition parties when drafting something as important as a fiscal statement or a budget. But on Oct. 3, 2004, the night before Parliament convened, Harper sang a very different tune on CBC News Sunday Night. Here are some exerpts:

The Liberals “have to consult with people and make sure they tailor their program so that the majority of MPs in the House of Commons will actually vote for it…”

Were he prime minister, Harper continued, “I would have talked to all three other parties extensively to find out what would pass in the Throne Speech and what might not pass, and what they would like to see… If you want to be the government in a minority Parliament, you have to work with other people.”

Harper called the Liberals’ refusal to consult “arrogant” and continued: “The government has a minority — it has an obligation to demonstrate to Canadians that it can govern, that it can form a majority… If it can’t form a majority, we look at other options… I know for a fact that Mr. Duceppe and Mr. Layton and the people who work for them want this parliament to work and I know it is in all our interests to work…”

He concluded with an uncanny forecast of his own attitude today, accusing the Liberals of believing they “can govern as if they have a majority. And as I’ve told you, I think Joe Clark taught us, I think, that’s the wrong attitude. It didn’t work.”

Last Friday, Harper postponed the Liberals’ opposition day for a week. But when the Liberals postponed opposition days in April 2005, he was furious.

“I think they are just signing their own death warrant. This is the kind of behaviour a government does when it is scared to death of the electorate. When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it is rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.”

I invite the many staunch Harperites who have graced an earlier post of mine with their comments to read Russell’s piece in its entirety.

The Winnipeg Citizens Coalition is one of the organizations in Winnipeg taking the lead in organizing a rally in support of a Liberal-NDP Coalition Government. Here are the details:

Date: December, 4th, 2008
Time: 7 pm
Location: Skyview Ballroom, The Marlborough Hotel, 331 Smith Street, Winnipeg, MB
More Info: (204) 947-1400 OR (204) 947-9494

Here is a flyer you can download and use to publicize the Winnipeg rally.

Cross Country Organizing

Across the country, momentum is growing. The Canadians for a Progressive Coalition is asking supporters to show support in a number of ways. Here is a list of Coalition initiatives:

1. Candles for a Coalition: On Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7PM, light a candle infront of a street-facing window and turn off the light in the room for 20 minutes. On Thursday, at 5PM we are organizing Candles for a Coalition events across the country. We are going to take pictures and show Canadians from coast to coast support a coalition. Do you want to help organize one in your community? Email events@progressivecoalition.ca by 4PM PST today, December 2nd. There will be a list of events on the website by Wednesday morning.There are also rallies being organized in major cities across the country on Thursday and Saturday – check out: http://www.makeparliamentwork.ca/

2. Call in to radio: A lot of undecided Canadians listen to radio. We need to call in to express our confidence in a coalition and that the 60% of Canadians voted for progressive parties. Use the Conservatives’ website to find your best local option.

Liberal blogger Scott Tribe, progressive blogger Kelly John and Dipper Chick, in the spirit of political cooperation that is spreading across the land, have designed a badge (on the left) to show support for the new Liberal-NDP-BQ coalition

They plan to launch a website – coalitionbloggers.ca – but it’s not live at this point. They have asked for suggestions on the form this new website should take. I hope you can take a moment or many to send them your suggestions.

I am loathe to make predictions, but if the traffic to my obscure little part of the Internet is any indication, there will be lots of takers for this discussion.

Not all of them will be supportive and I hope that Coalition Bloggers will make room for all shades of opinion, including those who happen to think Stephen Harper should continue as PM.

While I suspect a majority of Canadian voters will be happy to see Harper’s back, there is a large chunk of the Canadian population who supported him in the last election. Dismissing them as Tory douchebags and fuckbaskets is counterproductive.

Leaving aside some of the sleazier political operatives who are beyond redemption and who would be lost without their talking points, there are lots of folks with whom we can have a respectful debate. I hope that will happen at Coalition Bloggers.

It is one thing to support replacing Harper with a coalition that better reflects the views of Canadians, it is quite another to give this coalition a blank cheque.

Never forget that the Liberals are the party of big business, and they will have to be pushed really hard to get them to devise an economic program that addresses the needs of working Canadians. They are the folks who got us into Afghanistan, which history will judge as one of Canada’s more disgraceful interventions. If they choose Michael Ignatieff as their leader (barely and recently repentant apologist for the invasion of Iraq), our foreign policy isn’t likely to improve. And never forget Adscam.

On the NDP side of the equation, those of us who have experienced the NDP in government can assure you, contrary to the excited bleatings of the Tory spin machine, New Dems left socialism behind a long time ago. This is unfortunate, to say the least. In the provinces where they’ve had political success they have tended to run from the left and govern from the right, not unlike the Liberals.

So, Vive la Coalition, but we will have to hold their feet to the fire if the dreams of those who support a “progressive” coalition are going to be taken seriously.

Coalition Bloggers – Goodonya. Let a hundred flowers bloom ‘n all that! I’ll post a more permanent link when your website is functional.