What a week in Canadian politics so far!
Merry Santa Harper and his happy elves have been popping up all across the country as they announce their latest vote buying binge- using our hard earned tax dollars of course. Senior Elf Poilievre couldn’t wear red as that is the colour of the hated Liberals; but true blue with a Conservative logo prominently displayed was deemed appropriate. He reminded me of the blue Santa that appeared at Progressive Conservative Christmas parties in the 1980s.
Add the extra infrastructure and other funding announcements being made by Conservative ministers and MPs (12 today) to the 3 billion dollar Universal Child Care handouts and it really is Christmas in July!
Poilievre’s dress code stripped away any pretense that this 3 billion dollar cash give away was good policy instead of just another vote buying scheme that various governments desperately turn to as they go into an election that they think they might not win. Wasn’t it the Conservatives who would rant at the Liberals when they would do much the same thing? Didn’t we attack the Liberals under Chretien for opening up the cod fisheries just before an election despite the claims from highly respected scientists that the stock simply couldn’t handle it?
Didn’t we also rant at the Liberals for using taxpayers’ dollars to fund government ad campaigns leading up to an election? Mind you I don’t recall the Liberals using a logo on the ads that directly reminded the voters that the policy announcement was connected to an “action plan” that linked directly back to the party in power. It seems it doesn’t matter which party is in power they all revert to the same behavior- IE. use taxpayers’ dollars to cling to power and try to sway votes.
As this campaign heats up all of the parties will be making quite a few promises; some of which will automatically include- openness, accountability, cleaning up corruption, protecting your hard earned tax dollars. All of this is already on display at every news conference the opposition holds or appears on your TV screen in various ads.
It would be nice if they could remember their promises once in power. No wonder Canadian voters are so turned off with politics and such a cynical bunch. Can they believe any of the parties or will it be same old thing all over again?
Or another way to look at it….silly season has started again. Let the handouts begin.
It has gotten so that ethically is there really any difference between the major parties?
No PM or federal party in my memory has been as ethically challenged as Harper and his Reformatories. I couldn’t start to list all the incidents of cheating, questionable and criminal behavior they’ve been engaged in over the last ten years. All parties have had their bad apples, but the Harper Cons take the cake. Even long time Conservative supporters are embarrassed and disgusted by their sleazy and criminal ways. I must admit that I took great delight in watching del Mastro being perp-walked to the paddy-wagon, and I’m looking forward to the resumption of Duffy’s trial.
Furtz, More than ethically challenged. Amoral. Aggressively indifferent to right and wrong. Canada’s nightmare.