Canada Day in Harperland, Between Hope and Despair

It's Canada Day in Harperland in the grim year of 2015. And I must admit I'm finding it hard to find a reason to celebrate, or find words to express how I feel.

For it has been a grim year, and think I said what I wanted to say about Canada, in this post the other day.

How I once thought of this big beautiful country as a magical place. 

But now I don't recognize it.

For can it really be true that one out of three Canadians would condone torture? 

New numbers from the Pew Research Center show that, despite categorical evidence that torture does not work as an investigation tool, over a third of Canadians believe they could justify the torture of terror suspects after 9/11 — and would condone the Canadian government torturing suspected terrorists.

And is it true what Bob Rae says in his new book, that we're a nation of poseurs?

Canadian politics, Rae argues, has arrived at a place of disillusionment — theatrical, shallow and relentlessly focused on mudslinging, with governance generally lost in the shuffle. The populace is disengaged and distrustful, the media mediocre and driven primarily by profit, the economy a vehicle for concentrating wealth in the hands of the few, the health care system woefully deficient, and our foreign policy vacuous and unprincipled. 

“Canada,” he writes, “has become a posturer, a poseur, a political game player. Canada has become a right-wing gasbag, shouting from the sidelines.”

And I must confess I don't know what this country has become. I just don't recognize it. I don't know how we got to this wasteland of disillusionment and despair.

But what I do know is that we will never get out of it, never find out how decent and truly great we can be until we defeat this monster...



Who has corrupted everything he touches, has made the Canada he hates so much a more warlike, greedier, and grubbier place. 

In the process of destroying our precious Canadian values he has corrupted them beyond recognition. And by allowing him to stay in office for so long, for failing to unite to defeat him, we have let our Canada down badly in the worst possible way.

For how will we ever explain to the future that we fought ourselves, while he torched our country?

Which as I said in my last post is such a depressing thought that it has even made me think about giving up blogging, and joining the ranks of the disillusioned.

But of course I won't do that, and the good news is that it's still a big, beautiful country. 

And Stephen Harper's grip on it is slipping. He has never looked more vulnerable, or more desperate.

His Great War on Terror and his fear campaign aren't working for him anymore. His crass attempts to bribe the population haven't worked out either. 

And as John Ivison points out, the latest GDP figures make his chances of winning the next election look even gloomier.



The GDP numbers for April came out Tuesday and showed the economy contracted 0.1%. That follows the three previous months of negative growth. With the second quarter just about to end, it is entirely possible that Canada is back in recession (defined as two straight quarters of economic contraction), for the first time since April 2009.

For a Conservative Party whose only prayer of re-election is to deliver on its pledge of jobs and growth, this must be prompting some duodenal percolation.

The Harper Conservatives have made a virtue of being a one trick pony – convincing voters that they alone can manage the economy. But what to do when the trick no longer impresses?

So if we can get our act together, and focus on the real enemy instead of fighting each other, we can defeat him and his foul Con regime.

We can take our Canada back. And make today Stephen Harper's last Canada Day in office.

Which i have to admit even in my depressed condition, is a REALLY good reason to celebrate.

And why I leave you with this little video I made of the fireworks show last night on the Toronto waterfront where I live...



Oh boy. Can you imagine what kind of Canada Day we are are going to have next year after the tyrant has been finally defeated?

Won't it be the best one EVER?

Hang on to that thought. Hang on to that hope, like I do with both hands.

Prepare to fight like you've never fought before.

And have a great one everybody...

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