How To Stop Stephen Harper from Handcuffing Justin Trudeau

As we all know, before he was defeated by the Forces of Light, dirty old King Harper made a number of last minute patronage appointments.

To ensure that his legacy would live on, and that Justin Trudeau wouldn't be able to fully control his own government.

For as Michael Harris writes, he will not let go of the government.



Or let go of Justin. 

The big blue meanies just won’t let go of Justin Trudeau’s Yellow Submarine. Stephen Harper is now long gone from office, but there may not be a damn thing the new government can do about most of the damage he’s done to Canada. By handcuffing the new government’s ability to implement its agenda of change, Harper continues to exert his influence despite being massacred at the polls.

And in his shadowy world he would still pull the strings at the National Energy Board, so Trudeau can't change Canada's oily energy policies.

One of the people appointed to the NEB was Steven Kelly, a Calgary oil executive. Kelly was a former consultant on contract to Kinder Morgan. According to Mychaylo Prystupa writing in the National Observer, Kelly authored Kinder Morgan’s report to the NEB justifying the $5.4 billion Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion. 

Unless Kelly voluntarily steps down from this misbegotten appointment, he will be advising the Trudeau government on the same project he was paid to promote. Thanks to Harper’s devious and unethical appointments, the NEB is now fossil-fuelled for years to come. Harper has appointed all but one of the Board’s members.

But while it may be almost impossible to fire Kelly and those other appointees, there is a way to dismantle Harper's plans, and deep six his last assault on democracy.

Unless the new PM takes Penny Collenette’s advice and disbands the NEB, it will be run by Harper appointees for years before Trudeau gets to make an appointment of his own. That’s far from what the public probably had in mind when it voted decisively to turf the Conservatives and elect a new government.

By disbanding the NEB, replacing it with a new body, with a new name, new members, and a new energy policy.

And Justin Trudeau should go for it. Just do it.

Start working on the demolition plan tomorrow today.

And bury this ghastly monster once and for all...



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