The Con Convention and the Foul Legacy of Stephen Harper

It was as ghastly as I had imagined. The tacky tribute video looked as if it had been put together by the same Cons who brought us the Porky Action Plan.

But it did bring back horrible memories of the way Stephen Harper loomed over us for so long, trying to brainwash us into submission.

While he brutalized this country, its democracy, and its values, over and over again.

But still won't admit it.




For in his final speech to his shattered Con cult, and the rest of us, there were no apologies.

Just a desperate effort to put lipstick on his legacy.  

Stephen Harper broke his lengthy public silence Thursday night to bid farewell to the Conservative Party he created and led for more than 11 years, delivering what amounted to a motivational speech for a political organization still adjusting to life on the opposition benches and uncertain on what it might take to unseat Justin Trudeau.

“It was thanks to you that we were able to cut taxes to their lowest level in 50 years and put dollars back into the pockets of families … to get tough on crime, to rebuild our military, to vastly expand Canada’s global free-trade access [and] to witness the decline of Quebec separatism and Western alienation,” he said. “And to stand up as a country and take principled positions in a dangerous world.”

Even though his legacy couldn't be more foul or more porky...



And as if that wasn't bad enough, then there was the long parade of Cons also lining up to try to buff Harper's tarnished legacy, and glorify his place in Canadian history. 

He’s going to be seen as one of the most successful Canadian prime ministers in Canadian history. It’s going to be a legacy that history will shine upon.

With Tony Clement contributing that shiny turd. And Marjory LeBreton contributing this comic relief.

It was a scandal-free government. There were no billion-dollar boondoggles, or cost overruns on gun registries.

It was our government that brought in proactive disclosure in the name of transparency, and shone the light where it had never been shone before.

Even though the Con regime was the most morally corrupt, secretive and sinister government in Canadian history....



It's leader was a politically depraved maniac. And if there is any justice the verdict of history should be a harsh one.

But what's even more depressing and disgusting is to see how the massive Postmedia conglomerate is continuing its campaign to try to rehabilitate Harper's sordid reputation. 

Like Michael Den Tandt does here. 

Stephen J. Harper was a good prime minister — a smart, basically decent, hard-working guy who, for all his flaws, left the country better than he found it. If you say that publicly these days, be prepared to tuck and roll. Even some former Harper stalwarts will grouse about his legacy now, if you corner them privately. As for the Twitteratti, don’t even go there. 

Yet the record will show Harper was, indeed, a better-than-fair steward, in a long line of Canadian prime ministers sharing similar traits — and considerably more moderate than his critics have long contended.

Who not only claims that Harper was a good and moderate Prime Minister. When he was exactly the opposite.

But also seems to shrug off the damage that would be dictator did to our democracy, as mere collateral damage...



Tone, and the democratic deficit? Well, yes. There is that. The tone under Harper was often corrosive and it got worse as time marched on. The ads were often cruel, the digs at opponents personal, the attacks on institutions — including the Parliamentary Budget Office, a Conservative creation, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court — self-defeating.

Nobody, before or after the decision to kill the mandatory long-form census in 2010, was ever able to explain it. Harper did not shoulder personal responsibility during the Mike Duffy mess. The party’s descent into the politics of the niqab last fall was deplorable and disastrous. All granted.

When it was the worst thing he ever did, and it alone should condemn him. 

But yes, the Con media are trying to buff Harper's legacy, and the Cons themselves are planning to put up 40 more billboards like this one all over the country...



In yet another attempt to brainwash us into believing that Harper was a great leader.

And we must not let them succeed. We must fight back as some are already doing on this site set up to thank Great Leader.

#ThankyouStephenHarper for using our non-partisan tax dollars to fund your partisan ads. #most #corrupt #pm #ever pic.twitter.com/8gPZRTvGeN

— Canadian Politics (@canadianpoli) May 27, 2016

#ThankYouStephenHarper for making us look like bigoted buffoons each and every time you appeared on the world stage.

— Jan Fletcher (@FletJan) May 27, 2016

We must remind Canadians who that monster really was, and what he did to our country..

How he corrupted everything he touched.

And as he leaves the building for the last time.

Make sure that his foul legacy pursues him forever...



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