By Faizan Butt
The Harper government is divided. Not divided among its party members, but divided between what Canadians want, and what Mr Harper thinks is good for Canada. It is this distinction that has the government making schoolyard arguments to support their unnecessary, unwelcome and unorthodox Bill C-51.
Mr Harper’s committee on the Bill is a tragic comedy, in which Presidents of Canada’s Bar Associations are being asked questions like “do you support terrorists walking on Canada’s streets?” I think it’s safe to assume that the answer they got was “no”.
These types of Bush-isms (my alternative to truisms) are fallacies that not only give Canadians a sense of cognitive dissonance, but, painful Migraines if they live in Mr Harper’s hometown like me. Such ludicrous conduct from our elected officials is something that is befitting of a UN model moot in high school and not of any serious committee. What that painfully simplistic question actually meant was, “you need to support our policy without thinking about the issue”. The Harper governments notion that questioning policy being passed by our elected officials equates to supporting terrorists walking on Canada’s streets is appallingly ignorant.
Yet, Mr Harper does not seem worried, he does not appear to be a politician who’s policies are almost as outdated as his haircut. How is this possible? What possible trick does Mr Harper have up his sleeve which he thinks can bring him to victory? The answer is basic math, let me explain.
Canadians have rejected Tory politics, regardless of what marginalized and dubiously conducted polls would have you believe. It is empirical non-sense that this government is suggesting that its policies reflect the majority of Canadians. But,the divide in Liberal and NDP voters is so significant that it will ultimately result in that vote being split, with the Tories getting another minority government.
The strategy utilized by the Harper Conservatives is their go to play, which they have perfected. By dividing Canadians on minuscule issues like “Niqabs” under the guise that they are a threat to “Canadian values” and various other Boogeymen (and women) this government has propagated, questions regarding Canada’s economy are non existent, a Tory weak point.
The Canadian media is obsessed over playground comments the Tories, Liberals, or the NDP are making. It has reached the point members of the media have failed to scrutinize them on the most important issue facing Canada right now, our economy.This is an issue the Tories won’t be able to explain away using a straw man, as they actively spend their term in office selling Canada’s resources to foreign investors at the cost of industries here at home.
These childish antics from House committees and the Canadian media’s adaptation of tabloid style journalism can only mean one thing: elections are getting closer.
