Mind-Boggling Ineptitude

What one earth can Prime Minister Stephen Harper be thinking? He has just, 45 days ago, won an election, re-affirming the somewhat tenuous trust that enough Canadians have placed in his party to set aside their residual worry of an agenda that still causes some notable degree of apprehension in the minds of the voters, giving him an expanded minority government.

In these parlous economic times Canada stands apart from other prosperous countries facing potentially disastrous melt-downs in their economies. Thanks to the solidity of our prevailing laws and our financial institutions this country has not had to bargain away its near future to mount massive bail-outs of our banking, insurance and corporate systems on the taxpayers' dime.

We're in fairly good shape, certainly far more so than our near neighbours. Our economy remains solid. Mind, the last week or so the finance minister and the prime minister both have been hedging their bets as though to prepare Canadians for imminent, unpleasing fiscal news; that we're closing in on a recession, but it's 'technical'. The messages ping-pong and confuse; which is it to be?

Is our government, the prime minister, his cabinet, his esteemed academic advisers, the financial community, so confused, so utterly flapped by the turmoil taking place globally, that they have become functionally incapable of separating fact from fiction, the potential from the probable? Even if no one can accurately predict in this overheated atmosphere of panic, take a break, give us a break.

And then Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivered the kind-of-grim, but not-so-bad government assessment of our economic position. How about that! - we're in line for a 9.6-billion surplus for the 2007-08 fiscal year. And projecting into 2009-10, a far more modest, but most acceptable $100-million surplus. We'll take it! And thank you very much. Carry on fellows.

We're doing very well, struggling to ensure that we don't dip further into recessionary trends, but holding our own. So, for now, no further government stimulus to the economy. Kindly to recall, the government has brought in $31-billion worth of tax cuts to individuals and businesses in the last two years; sufficient stimulus for the time being.

But, to ensure that everyone is fully aware of the precariousness of our economic position, despite our currently healthy prognosis, wage increases across the board in the public service, and extending to Members of Parliament and senators, to be capped at 1.5% for the next few years. That's sad news, but we've been there before, and better that than utter disaster with lost jobs and a failing economy.

Stop. Go no further, that's quite enough. But unfortunately, the kind of caution generally practised by a minority government somehow went awry, succumbed to clumsily inappropriate partisanship. That little item, so insignificant as to hardly be noticed in the larger text - a proposal whereby taxpayer subsidies to political parties reflective of their vote percentage, be eliminated - oops.

Democracy, as it happens, has a very real obligation toward itself and the people it represents, to foster and support party diversity for the greater health of the country. It is fair and just and represents funding well directed for a wealthy country to encourage its serious political parties - supported by a significant proportion of the voting public.

The rashly incautious move to eradicate this subsidy must surely represent a monumental loss of judgement. Is this kind of behaviour geared to assure Canadians that our near future in this very edgy, nervous-making global tribulation is held in sober, thoughtful, integrity-assured hands? Can the minds that hit upon the elimination of that subsidy be considered sufficiently politically and socially mature to earn our trust?

That the Conservative government succumbed to the allure of sticking it to their political opponents in this shabby manner is beyond comprehension. What's the matter with them? Indulging in some kind of exotic mind-altering substances? This kind of partisan absurdity reflects a juvenile, nit-picking mindset. Not merely because the Liberals are severely disabled, posing no really imminent threat to the Conservatives.

These are the actions of self-righteous bullies, not responsible administrators. That the fury of the opposition parties in Parliament is sufficient to bring down the House is understandable to some degree; that the Conservatives, eyes wide open, brought this upon themselves - and upon the Canadian electorate which most certainly does not deserve the prospect of another election - is mind-boggling.

A word of advice to the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Greens in this great country that is Canada. Grow up. Assume the mantle of adulthood. It's long past time.