So, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper squirms like everyone else when he gets caught. The only problem is that our democratic institutions could be the real losers. On April 29th the opposition parties voted in favour of a Bloc Quebecois motion for the Parliament to reiterate its “full and complete confidence” in Elections Canada and Canada’s commissioner of elections. The vote passed, 152-117, but this apparently foregone motion, has raised serious questions about Conservative motives and actions.
The first question is: why did not all of the Conservative Party support the motion? The second question is: Why didn’t Mr. Harper have the courtesy to attend the vote?
The answers to both questions relate to ongoing investigations by the commissioner of elections and the RCMP into possible Conservative overspending during the last federal election. On Tuesday, April 15th, William Corbett, the elections commissioner, requested a search of Tory party headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In documents filed in support of the search warrant, Elections Canada stated that it believes that the Conservatives transferred money in and out of different ridings during the closing days of the election in order to avoid spending limits imposed on national campaigns. This “in-and-out” process enabled the Conservatives to exceed their campaign limit by over a $1 million dollars and involved the participation of 67 candidates, including four cabinet ministers.
What arrogance, especially coming from a government that pledged to clean up the political landscape. More seriously, Conservative actions and denials endanger not only our reputation abroad, but our democracy at home. Elections Canada has long trained elections officials world-wide and has monitored disputed votes in such places as Haiti, Iraq, and the Ukraine. In addition, not voting in favour of a motion in confidence of Elections Canada, an institution that has evolved to ensure fairness and legality in our voting process, brings into question how much respect the Conservatives have for Canadian democracy.
The outcry by the Opposition parties against the Conservatives attitude puts the danger into clear view. Michael Ingatieff, Deputy Liberal Leader, stated in an interview given to the ‘Montreal Gazette,’ that “I find it unbelievable that a governing party in Canada would refuse to support a motion expressing confidence in the institution that keeps our country’s elections fair. I just find it unbelievable.” Though he agreed that Elections Canada and Canadian political parties have had their disputes over the years, he said that the institution should be respected and to not do so was “shameful” and “dangerous.”
Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party agreed. “I think the Conservatives are once again adopting a typical arrogant attitude toward the institutions that we’ve created here in Canada to look after our affairs. I think most Canadians should be worried when you’ve got a government that’s not even willing to express confidence in Elections Canada which is the organization that runs our elections.” Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Quebecois and the initiator of the vote, stated that “I think it is rather sad and it gives a strange image of Canada when its government says publicly that it does not have confidence in an independent body called Elections Canada which supervises elections around the world.”
Mr. Harper, of course, wiggled and struggled on the hook. In a news article put out by CBC News he responded to the charges by saying that his party has “followed all the laws” and principles “that have been used for years, allowed by Elections Canada, and used by every single party.” He also stated: “In fact, by our own lawsuit, we are required to provide that documentation, and we believe, Mr. Speaker, that as a consequence, that raid broke Elections Canada’s own rules.”
Both of these statements do not address the fundamental facts of Mr. Harper’s arrogance and distain for Canadian organizations, or the charge of “in-and-out” accounting during the Federal election of 2006. It appears that if individuals, or organizations, do not fit in with Harper’s approach to governance, then they are punished in some manner. Examples are easy to find. In the CBC News article ‘Tories Oppose Bloc Motion Supporting Election Canada’ on April 29, 2008, Gilles Duceppe, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, drew attention to the fact that Harper has fired the heads of several independent agencies, most notably the ethics commissioner, the environment commissioner and Linda Keen, the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. “Mr. Harper doesn’t feel at ease with civil servants, with independent organizations or offices, with journalists, with the opposition-in a word, with democracy,” said Duceppe.
Canadian democracy will probably not be taken away in some cataclysmic event such as a coup or an invasion. How we will lose our democracy is through small attacks here and there: limitations to the press, removal from their positions of those people who oppose government decisions, or contempt for those institutions and organizations that form the basis of our democracy. The Conservative Party, and Mr. Harper, in particular, has done all three. Be aware – our democracy is at risk.
