As March 22 approaches, the prospect of a federal election is quickly becoming a reality. After more than four years in minority government, the Conservative Party of Canada is betting that the expected payback from their deficit-inducing stimulus plan will rocket them into a majority position. It is worth spending a few lines to look back on the government’s spending strategy as it relates to their election prospects.
Put simply, the Conservative Party of Canada wants to buy you a puppy... and kill your cat. Close examination of stimulus spending distribution [1] in relation to their electoral strategy shows a bias towards conservative friendly districts and areas where The Conservatives hope to make gains in the next election. Funding for infrastructure development and assistance to Canadian manufacturing has provided a valuable lifeline to Canadians in Southern Ontario and, by extension, those who rely on spending by those in manufacturing for their livelihoods.
It is the stimulus spending outside of these areas, however, that deserve examination. By funding projects less closely related to real job creation - lawn bowling in York, ice rinks in rural communities, and million dollar wharfs in sparsely populated Northern BC [2], the conservatives are providing their local MPs with photo opportunities and ribbon cutting ceremonies that will allow them to raise their profiles with their constituents. These projects have all the feel-good warmth of puppy kisses. Canada’s reputation for fiscal responsibility has been shattered for the sake of blatant political opportunism. But on the other hand... puppies! Who doesn’t like puppies? I’ll tell you who: Liberals - the cat people of Canadian politics.
Dogs are loyal - willing to follow their leader for the sake of harmony in the pack. They will eat whatever you give them - be it ground beef or dry Alpo - and thank you for it with their unquestioning silence, happy to belong. What could be a better mascot for a party that rewards silent devotion to their pack leader?
It is the Liberals - aloof, detached and unconvinced in their quiet wisdom, that present the greatest threat to the ideals that The Conservative Party wants to hoist upon a reluctant population.
Alienated in the opposition dog pound for years, the Conservative Party has developed a bitter hatred for the cosmopolitan, health-care-enjoying swathes of the population that returned the Liberals to successive majority governments. Now that the gates have swung open, the Harper Conservatives are free to roam, and bring their revenge upon their captors. It is no secret in Ottawa that Harper harbours a deep resentment of The Liberal Party that had prevented them from implementing their incremental changes on the Canadian social landscape. He has used the power of government not only to defeat the Liberal party but, more importantly, to set out in its complete destruction.
Their hatred of liberal institutions has been so intense that, in pursuing their destruction, the Conservative party has at times taken their eye off of the ball - majority government - to take swipes at liberal Canada. The withdrawal of funding for heritage and culture in Quebec in the 2008 election, and the resultant damage to the Conservative brand in La Belle Province, is the first example that comes to mind [3]. In every case where The Conservatives have shown their disdain for the institutions of liberal Canada, The Liberal Party, lacking the strength-of-jaw to hold the government to account for their vicious attacks, have allowed the government to decimate the very sources of strength on which they must draw to return to government. The Canadian people, content to receive the Conservative-branded stimulus cheques that Harper has provided, have chosen to ignore the attacks on a way of life that they and their parents have spent decades in building.
Puppies will kiss, and they will chew, but who can really be angry with a puppy for nibbling on them? It is, after all, just a nibble. But puppies grown into dogs and nibbles turn into bites. A minority government can only nibble away at those around them. It is when they grow to a majority that Canadians should fear for the safety of the things that define them. They should fear for the future of those institutions - public health care, civilized and informed debate in the media, accountability of the executive to the parliament. If they do not fear this growth, Canadians may return home one day to find their living room chewed up and a finely coiled pile of shit on their pillow.
Put simply, the Conservative Party of Canada wants to buy you a puppy... and kill your cat. Close examination of stimulus spending distribution [1] in relation to their electoral strategy shows a bias towards conservative friendly districts and areas where The Conservatives hope to make gains in the next election. Funding for infrastructure development and assistance to Canadian manufacturing has provided a valuable lifeline to Canadians in Southern Ontario and, by extension, those who rely on spending by those in manufacturing for their livelihoods.
It is the stimulus spending outside of these areas, however, that deserve examination. By funding projects less closely related to real job creation - lawn bowling in York, ice rinks in rural communities, and million dollar wharfs in sparsely populated Northern BC [2], the conservatives are providing their local MPs with photo opportunities and ribbon cutting ceremonies that will allow them to raise their profiles with their constituents. These projects have all the feel-good warmth of puppy kisses. Canada’s reputation for fiscal responsibility has been shattered for the sake of blatant political opportunism. But on the other hand... puppies! Who doesn’t like puppies? I’ll tell you who: Liberals - the cat people of Canadian politics.
Dogs are loyal - willing to follow their leader for the sake of harmony in the pack. They will eat whatever you give them - be it ground beef or dry Alpo - and thank you for it with their unquestioning silence, happy to belong. What could be a better mascot for a party that rewards silent devotion to their pack leader?
It is the Liberals - aloof, detached and unconvinced in their quiet wisdom, that present the greatest threat to the ideals that The Conservative Party wants to hoist upon a reluctant population.
Alienated in the opposition dog pound for years, the Conservative Party has developed a bitter hatred for the cosmopolitan, health-care-enjoying swathes of the population that returned the Liberals to successive majority governments. Now that the gates have swung open, the Harper Conservatives are free to roam, and bring their revenge upon their captors. It is no secret in Ottawa that Harper harbours a deep resentment of The Liberal Party that had prevented them from implementing their incremental changes on the Canadian social landscape. He has used the power of government not only to defeat the Liberal party but, more importantly, to set out in its complete destruction.
Their hatred of liberal institutions has been so intense that, in pursuing their destruction, the Conservative party has at times taken their eye off of the ball - majority government - to take swipes at liberal Canada. The withdrawal of funding for heritage and culture in Quebec in the 2008 election, and the resultant damage to the Conservative brand in La Belle Province, is the first example that comes to mind [3]. In every case where The Conservatives have shown their disdain for the institutions of liberal Canada, The Liberal Party, lacking the strength-of-jaw to hold the government to account for their vicious attacks, have allowed the government to decimate the very sources of strength on which they must draw to return to government. The Canadian people, content to receive the Conservative-branded stimulus cheques that Harper has provided, have chosen to ignore the attacks on a way of life that they and their parents have spent decades in building.
Puppies will kiss, and they will chew, but who can really be angry with a puppy for nibbling on them? It is, after all, just a nibble. But puppies grown into dogs and nibbles turn into bites. A minority government can only nibble away at those around them. It is when they grow to a majority that Canadians should fear for the safety of the things that define them. They should fear for the future of those institutions - public health care, civilized and informed debate in the media, accountability of the executive to the parliament. If they do not fear this growth, Canadians may return home one day to find their living room chewed up and a finely coiled pile of shit on their pillow.
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