Harper's jabs ring hollow

Friends, Canadians,

Like you, I am troubled by the recent political kerfuffle. I wish it didn't have to come to this. It is certainly a sign our political system is in need of much improvement. But in order to make improvements, we must focus our cognitive abilities on making improvements, not making derisive and pejorative comments. Though I find both the coalition and the Conservative party guilty of such actions, my aim here is to address comments made by Mr. Harper in a constructive manner.

1) It is deeply troubling to hear ad hominems tossed around so easily. Calling people socialists or conservatives achieves the same thing as using racial, ethnic, or homophobic slurs: it creates stereotypes that divide us and push us apart. We are human beings first, Canadians second. Please, no more mudslinging. It does not help solve the situation.

2) Many people say that the coalition is undemocratic, but I have yet to hear anyone explain exactly why it is undemocratic. Our constitution allows for such a coalition to replace Mr. Harper's government. A constitution--especially one that contains checks and balances--is integral to a democracy. Having checks and balances in a political system, which allow an unsuitable government to be replaced, to me, seems very democratic. I concede that the Conservative Party received the most votes out of any other party in the last election, but I also understand that a coalition represents the majority of Canadians who voted in the last election. Thus, a coalition-operated government seems very democratic.

3) Mr. Harper refers to the coalition as "socialist-separatist driven." This is rather inaccurate. The coalition is between the Liberal and NDP party with support from the Bloc Quebecois. The Bloc are only supporting the coalition for eighteen months, and can choose to vote against the coalition on matters that are not confidence votes.

4) In a free market economy, I fail to see how any government can have a significant impact--negative or positive--on the economy. It is the mandate of the Conservative party to intervene minimally or not at all in the economy. The North American free market is in recession. So how is the Conservative party the better choice when it comes to addressing economic problems as opposed to the NDP, who want to give financial assistance to workers near retirement who have lost their jobs and aim to protect workers' pensions?

5) There is one thing I certainly agree with Mr. Harper on, and that "[i]t is time for Canadians to stand up against backroom deals that would usurp the elected government without the people’s consent." Mr. Harper and his government continue to foster and develop the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), an initiative that seeks to rob Canada of its sovereignty, and merge Canada, the United States, and Mexico into a single state (i.e., North American Union) much like the European Union.
More information on the SPP can be found in this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P6VkjI6QK8&feature=related
More information on the North American Union can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union
It is my hope that Mr. Layton's influence can halt the progression of the SPP, as well as the formation of the North American Union, so that Canada's sovereignty may be retained.

Thank you for reading. I look forward to your responses.

Sincerely,

Michael Horvath