Harper government: 1 year later...

The Harper Government celebrated its first anniversary on Wednesday May, 2.   I would give them a C+ on the first year; there were successes, and plenty of scandal.  There are definitely lots of ways to improve.

I am mostly satisfied with the job Stephen Harper is doing as Prime Minister. Harper is still the steady hand on the tiller.  He is going for a balanced economic course; there are plenty of free-trade deals at various stages of negotiation.  The way his government has handled the two major labour disputes (Canada Post, and Air Canada) was probably the highlight of the year.  He fulfilled the promise to end Canadian combat operations in July of last year by bringing the troops home- another highlight, because a politician that keeps his promise is a rare thing indeed.  The foreign policy of this government concerning Afghanistan, and Syria has continued creating what I would say is a uniquely Canadian identity on the world stage.

Where he could have raised his grade was the budget.  He really should've take a look at the bigger picture before raising the age from 65-67 on Old Age Security (O.A.S.).  The bigger picture is that there are many people my age, who are having trouble finding a job, and the move with O.A.S. only makes it that much tougher.  There should've been some balance applied; raise the age on O.A.S., and find a way to help private industry create more jobs for younger people.

There are a couple of other places the Harper government falls down.  We all remember Bill C-30 that gave birth to the twitter hash tag #TellVicEverything.  There were clear flaws in that legislation; if people had read and studied that bill perhaps the whole controversy could have been avoided.  Another is again the budget specifically the Environmental measures that would see the Assessment process shortened for resource projects.  I would mention it in the budget, and then create a separate piece of legislation for it, and look at reforming the whole process instead of the relative piecemeal way it was done.  Also there really should be more discussion on the consequences of these actions.

Then there are the scandals.  Peter MacKay and his chopper rescue, Bev Oda and her 5 star London hotel at our expense; and that's just the higher profile ones I know I'm forgetting a few.  The ministers in question haven't paid any consequences for their follies, and this is a second offense for  Oda.  We still haven't gotten to the bottom of both the F-35 debacle, and the Robo-Call scandals.  I wonder if these scandals are the reason right now they trail the N.D.P. by 10 points.

Whether the Harper government learns from the mistakes of its first year remains to be seen. I hope they can, because the scandals and lack of focus on the larger picture make them seem like a tired government.  One that in my books will stay at its C+ grade. 

My Stories To Watch: April 2-9 2012

Stories to watch this week....

1. Ontario Budget Drama:  What price will the N.D.P. demand of Dalton McGuinty to keep him in power? Andrea Horwath is set to give her demands, or let us know if she intends to follow fellow Opposition Leader Tim Hudak and vote it down.  In an interview with Moore in the Morning today, Horwath refused to say if she even been talking to the Liberals over the weekend.

2. The Three Amigos meet: Prime Minister Stephen Harper is meeting in Washington with President Barack Obama, with Mexican President  Calderon. Items on the agenda include greater trade ties, and how to tackle the Mexican drug cartels.

3.  The Rafferty Trial: Chapter #4 of the Crown's case against Michael Rafferty continues this week.  Today the jury takes a tour of the field where Tory Stafford's body was found.

4. Air Canada: The union representing airline's machinists are taking the federal government to court.  They're arguing the federal government's anti-strike legislation is unconstitutional because it violates the freedom of association.  The pilot's union has started a similar challenge.

In Local Politics...
Note: Tonight's Community Services Standing Committee meeting has been cancelled.  

Justin Trudeau: Genius or Jackass

On the surface he's a genius if he runs for leader.  His latest controversy has done three things.  First he positions himself as a National unity figure in Quebec, and a champion of traditional "Liberal"  Canadian Values to the rest of us.  Second, he gets attention for his party- a hard task that usually falls to Bob Rae. It further cements the Liberals as the unofficial opposition... has anyone heard from Turmel lately?  And third; it starts attacking Harper; another long-standing tactic of any political party attack the other guy instead of telling me what you will do for me.

Circumstances could still turn him into a jackass. Quebec Separatists are already spinning  Trudeau's latest remarks to their advantage.   A federalist, especially one with the last name of Trudeau saying under certain circumstances he would support a separate Quebec... well that's a veritable gold mine for the Parti Quebecois and Bloc Quebecois.  When taken with Charest's unpopularity, it could awaken the Quebec soveriegnist movement everyone thought was dying off.

People could also wake up and realize that guess what; this Prime Minister Stephen Harper guy isn't so bad.  It's been six years, and the country isn't that bad off.  The thing is every time the issues of abortion, and same sex marriage come up he has refused to re-open the issue.  He even quashed a private members bill on Abortion from his own party; what more does the guy have to do?

The jury is still out for me.  At the moment though, I'm putting him down as a genius, but circumstances can still make him a jackass.