Be afraid, be very afraid. It’s election time.
OK, so the 42nd Canadian general election isn’t until October, but our federal political parties appear to be in full campaign mode nonetheless.
(Really though, when have the federal Conservatives not been campaigning? Case in point: those classy attack ads in 2013 targeting then newly elected Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.)
While Trudeau and Opposition leader Tom Mulcair are in the Conservative’s crosshairs, Harper and Co. also appear to be attempting to inspire fear in the Canadian public.
In a recent interview with a Quebec radio station, Prime Minister Stephen Harper once again elucidated his thoughts on the CBC, and how “a lot” of the employees at the national broadcaster “hate” Conservative values. He equated those values to lowering taxes, staying tough on crime and cracking down on the threat of terrorism. A perk of being prime minister, or at least Prime Minister Harper, apparently, is being able to redefine abstract concepts to synch with your political agenda.
Of course, it was blatant campaign rhetoric.
The “lowering taxes” spiel is textbook and trite. Getting tough on crime? We’ve been hearing that one from the Harper government for a long time, yet crime rates don’t appear to be getting out of hand – nationally, they’ve been steadily dropping. The legal system, however, is another matter – one that seems in much greater need of attention.
As for cracking down on terror, that’s an interesting one.
Harper, Justice Minister Peter Mackay and others among the federal Conservative ranks, have put their spin on terrorism. Suddenly, all Canadians are living in a state of fear, and want/need a government able to stand up to this clear and present danger.
Fuelling this anti-terror fervor are the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), and the recent ISIS-inspired bloodshed on Canadian soil that resulted in the deaths of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, as well as their killers, Martin Couture-Rouleau and Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. In B.C., the trial of John Nuttall is underway. Nuttall and wife Amanda Korody are being tried on terrorism-related charges for plotting to set off bombs in the B.C. legislature. The two were recent converts to Islam, and said they were inspired by al-Qaeda.
The personal histories of Zehaf-Bibeau and Nuttall indicate they were not lifelong terrorists, but were/are among the nation’s vulnerable dealing with mental health issues.
Regardless, these individuals have localized the threat of terrorism, providing the Conservatives further justification to push their anti-terror response, Bill C-51, through Parliament. Harper says this bill reflects the real concerns of Canadians. As though the threat of terrorism has somehow superceded our concerns with the faltering economy and Canadian dollar, jobs, the environment, financial disparity and the ever-increasing cost of living.
Are Canadians truly shaking in their long-johns over the threat of terrorism, or is the Harper government just using it as part of their arsenal to win the October election?
Former U.S. president candidate and author Ralph Nader sees a parallel between the Conservative’s spin on C-51 and fear politicking in the U.S. He has written an open letter to Harper warning of the folly of this approach, and asserting Bill C-51 would be hazardous to democracy in Canada.
“If passed, this act, piled on already stringent legal authority, will expand your national security bureaucracies and their jurisdictional disputes, further encourage dragnet snooping and roundups, fuel fear and suspicion among law-abiding Canadians, stifle free speech and civic action and drain billions of dollars from being used for the necessities of Canadian society. This is not hypothetical…,” writes Nader. “You may think that Canadians will fall prey to a politics of fear before an election. But you may be misreading the extent to which Canadians will allow the attachment of their Maple Leaf to the aggressive talons of a hijacked American Eagle.”
While it would be unwise to dismiss the influence of the Islamic State, I concur with Nader. History shows the “war on terror” has not made the world a safer place. And further embracing it above the 49th parallel will not address the creation of future Michael Zehaf-Bibeaus and John Nuttalls.
Interestingly, Bill C-51 would also provide sweeping police powers to crack down those who might attempt to “undermine the security of Canada,” or interfere with the federal government’s abilities regarding “economic or financial stability.” So, if you’re a Canadian whose values include protecting the environment, and are opposed to an oil pipeline running through your backyard, congratulations: you’ll also be in the crosshairs under Harper’s war on terror.