Conservative leader Stephen Harper believes the news media should stop asking about the Mike Duffy trial and start asking questions about the issues that Canadians care about.
Good idea.
Let's start with the issues Harper thinks are important to Canadians, based on the press releases fired off by the Conservative Party in the past week.
Last Monday, Harper announced he would increase the size of Canadian Reserves from 24,000 to 30,000 personnel in his next term. That's fine but there was no mention from Harper about increasing Canada's military spending from one per cent of the country's gross domestic product, where it currently languishes, to two per cent, as is required to be a member of NATO. No mention of reopening veterans offices, no mention of taking better care of active and retired soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder, no mention of replacing outdated equipment that puts Canadian Forces members in danger when ordered into combat roles and no mention of scrapping plans to buy ridiculously expensive and unreliable F-35 fighter jets.
Last Tuesday, Harper announced that he will bring back the "life is life" bill for sentencing of the worst criminal offenders. Harper doesn't want people like Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olson to ever get out of jail or even have the chance of applying for parole. The problem is that Olson died in prison, so will Bernardo, so will Cody Legebokoff and so will the worst of the worst, without Harper or any federal government having to lift a finger. Parole applications allow the state to revisit cases, keep the incorrigible killers in jail for life and allow the repentant men and women who have made any and all efforts to rehabilitate themselves and are at low risk of re-offending the opportunity, certainly not a guarantee, of trying to live again with the rest of society under strict guidelines and oversight.
In the meantime, Harper made no mention of decriminalizing marijuana, as most Canadian police chiefs are asking for, no mention of a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, no mention of passing bills on physician-assisted suicide and prostitution, as the Supreme Court has ordered.
On Wednesday, Harper issued a statement on the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Dieppe. An important date in history, certainly, but what about governing Canadians in 2015 and future years? On the same day, he did pledge to cut more red tape (didn't he already have nine years in office to do that?) with more cross-country consultations. He also vowed to better harmonize car-seat regulations between Canada and the U.S., as well as simplify home office expense calculations at income tax time without saying how or when he would do either.
On Thursday, Harper finally offered something real, increasing the tax credit for adoptive families from $15,000 to $20,000 per year. Multiply by 30,000 adopted children under 19 in Canada and that promise amounts to a whopping $1.5 million per year commitment. Hardly spending worthy of banner headlines.
On Friday, Harper put up some real money - $15 million - to benefit salmon habitat in B.C. Sounds good but no mention of how much tougher environmental rules on proposed pipelines, off-shore oil projects, heavy tanker activity and resource extraction could prevent damage to salmon habitat in the first place.
On Saturday, Harper praised the confirmation from the White House that a senior Islamic State leader had been killed. He then praised the quick thinking passengers on the train between Amsterdam and Paris that stopped a heavily-armed terrorist before he could do much harm. Harper linked the man to IS, even though there remains no evidence of such a link.
On Sunday, Harper wanted to talk about Black Ribbon Day, the national day of remembrance for the victims of Nazism and Communism in Europe. He then offered a tax credit to members of service clubs but the benefit will depend on the size of the annual donation.
On Monday, Harper issued a statement congratulating Ukraine on its 24th anniversary of independence.
So much to talk about, other than the Senate expense scandal and the Duffy trial, during this election but so little of anything of substance coming from the man who insists Canadians need his leadership for another term in office.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
