Dear Editor,
The recent disingenuous response by Dimitri Soudas, director of communications in Stephen Harper’s PMO, to public outrage concerning the replacement on government documents of “The Government of Canada” by “The Harper Government” is self-serving partisan politics, an abuse of the term.
Within parliament the government is the prime minister and cabinet. That is understood and within the context of parliament that is accepted practice.
Just as when the Harper government and the Harper party stated falsely in the 2008 prorogation crisis that a parliamentary vote of nonconfidence and the options available to the Governor General to ask another MP to form a government or the Leader of the Opposition to form a coalition government was to usurp the Harper government, undemocratic, or unparliamentary, the Harper government’s statements are false.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. We elect parliaments, not parties, not prime ministers. Governors General represent the Head of State, the Queen. Prime Ministers are the Queen’s first ministers in the Government of Canada in Parliament. Governments are accountable to Parliament and serve the Sovereign who represents the sovereignty of the people.
It is “The Harper Government” which seeks to usurp democracy, our constitutional monarchy and the Supremacy of Parliament.
Brian Marlatt – White Rock BC
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Brian Marlatt is correct: the evidence is piling up; Harper is a danger to democracy in Canada.
This “branding/re-branding” are tools of the sales trade, not of government. It reduces the things being sold to commodities for consumption. By imposing the terminology of the commercial marketplace on our government, Mr. Harper and his unelected PMO are telling us Canadians exactly what they think of what we have fought and worked for generations to be the epitome of democracy in our land: to them it amounts to nothing more than yet another commodity to be marketed and sold to the highest bidder.
Even if it were a “commodity” (which it certainly isn’t), whose do Mr. Harper and his PMO think it might be? Obviously one only brands in his own name that which is his own; therefore, by his actions, Mr. Harper has confirmed that, simply by his jostling his way to the head of a party with a minority’s support that – to his mind – the Government of Canada has become his property to brand/re-brand, to market and sell, as he sees fit.
We must ignore the deflective rhetoric with which he and his unelected (but publicly paid for) PMO
attempt to obscure the plain truth of their actions. Astounding as we mild-mannered and trusting citizens might find it, the fact is that, yes, there are people in it whose personal ambitions know no bounds, people for whom laying personal claim to it out loud and in its entirety would seem a proper entitlement.
Before dismissing that as applying to Mr. Harper’s case simply because he is careful to appear calm and collected in his carefully stage managed appearances would be foolishly naive. Look first to the autocratic, reclusive, opague, underhanded and disinforming manner in which he and those he commands treat the business of government and their duties to all Canadians – including their solemn duty to respect our democracy as enshrined in OUR government. After doing so, I would out it to you that, yes, Stephen J. Harper believes that he runs/owns Canada (same difference) and, by extension, all who are in it.
Remember his famous quote, “I believe I make the rules.” He was not joking, but knew he could get away with it because he has long used people’s good will and humour to grant him a benefit of the doubt. Well, he’s not joking this time, either, folks. He is declaring himself out loud, throwing contempt in our faces and figuring that, if we stand for it, it will only prove him – and serve us – right.
Let’s show him just how badly and his publicly-paid minions have us figured.
Excellent letter Mr. Marlatt.
I have a suspicion that even if the Harper Regime does not make this change through any type of “official” channels, we will see the Harper Government on everything from websites, TV ads and 10%ers. In usual fashion, this out-of-control regime does not care about rules and proper channels. They just do what they want and slither out of responsibility after through lies, cover ups and throwing staffers under the nearest bus. The Harper Government is truly disgusting and I would rather they not be associated with the Government of Canada in anyway.