In the "when you find yourself digging yourself into a hole, throw away the shovel" category, last Wednesday in the Free Press, Bill Phillips printed the following:
"Conservative candidate Dick Harris says the party is simply echoing the concerns of Canadians when it raises the spectre of a possible coalition government.
'That's all this country needs is a coalition of losers, you know ... I mean ... hello?' Harris said Tuesday."
Statements like this almost makes one sorry for Stephen Harper. You can understand why he is such a control freak and wants the campaign to run out of his office. I mean, shovels are easy to throw away but candidates?
These latest comments follow from comments made two weeks ago by Mr. Harris. He stated that anyone opposed to the Enbridge pipeline must be "blind and stupid". I am told that he has made similar comments about people opposed to the Prosperity mine.
Last Monday, on the CBC, he was asked about his comments. He said: "It was a very specific answer given in response to a question by a Citizen reporter." Fair enough, but why was the quote then featured on his campaign web site?
However, he then went on to say: "Blind and stupid is a common colloquialism. I don't see the problem with using it."
Well, other than the fact that it is a very insulting colloquialism, it is further evidence that Mr. Harris is not interested in discussion or debate. He is not interested in actually learning the position of the people in his riding. Indeed, he is quite happy insulting them.
The "losers" comment is even more insidious.
How would you define a loser? Someone that doesn't win might be one way. But someone that does not gain the support of the majority might be another. And this is certainly the way that Mr. Harris intends to use it.
The "winner" in our elections is the party that gains the most seats. The "losers" are everyone else.
But if you consider the results of most elections, the governing party has never obtained a majority of the votes - just a majority of the seats. In the last election, the Conservatives gained neither a majority of the seats in the House nor a majority of votes.
Put another way, the Conservatives were "losers". Indeed, they have been losers in pretty much every election for the past 20 years.
Further, since the Conservative party itself is an amalgamation of right wing parties - formed out of a coalition of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives - one might argue that we have been lead for the past few years by a "coalition of losers".
But all of this aside, it obscures the important issues of the campaign. For example, we should be talking about the environment, climate change, the war in Libya (or whatever it is being called), the war in Afghanistan, and a whole host of issues that have been swept aside.
Instead, the campaign has focussed on the "economy", the "budget", and "how bad the other guys are". It is selling Canadians short to be treated with such dis-respect. What can you expect, though, from a Conservative government that has such a poor opinion of the electorate?
This past week, students at UNBC formed a "Vote Mob". The purpose was not to tell anyone who they should or should not vote for but to tell students that it is time to be engaged. Indeed, only roughly 30% of the eligible voters in the 18 to 24 demographic bothered to vote in the last election.
One could make the argument that this is a result of the campaigns not being about issues of substance. That is, Mr. Harris wants your vote not because his party has the best policies but because that way we won't have a "coalition of losers". (Except, of course, we will even if his party forms a majority.)
It's time for a more substantial discussion about real issues. For example, the failed policies of the Conservative government regarding tax breaks to large corporations as a way to ensure "job growth" is well documented. So, what are the Conservatives going to do differently if they are re-elected to government?
Or the issue of climate change. Canada was once a world leader in addressing the issue but for the past few years, we have had a government that is completely at odds with the people of this country on the subject. They have refused to recognize the reality. Indeed, they used their majority in the Senate to kill legislation. What would they do differently if elected?
The voting public is neither blind nor stupid, nor losers. They deserve to be heard and heeded.
