Harper's Contempt of Canadians The Reason For This Election

Ralph Goodale discusses Harper government's "pulling of the election plug".

ELECTION CAUSED BY HARPER’S CONTEMPT FOR CANADIANS

Liberals are running on two strong national themes in this election:

• Integrity in how government operates; and

• A strong economy focused on families.

The Harper government was defeated last Friday in the House of Commons on a clear finding of Conservative contempt against Canadians – the first time in the Commonwealth that a government has been so disgraced.

The Conservatives were facing two contempt proceedings for suppressing financial data, falsifying documents and failing to tell the truth. They are being investigated by the RCMP for tampering with government information and influence peddling. And four senior Conservative officials (including two Harper Senators) are in court on charges of violating election laws.

So Mr. Harper fell from power because of his contempt. But also significantly wrong are his economic choices.

He’s using up all of Canada’s fiscal capacity on three big expensive risky projects -- $30 billion for stealth fighter warplanes, $30 billion for extra corporate tax cuts, and $10 billion for US-style mega-jails.

As a result, family care-giving, child care, healthcare, education and pensions get pushed off the agenda. A Liberal government will put these bread-and-butter issues front and centre where they belong, and we’ll do so in a fiscally responsible way that does not increase the tax burden on families.

Here in Saskatchewan, among other things, Liberal candidates will also be emphasizing greater leverage for Saskatchewan in Ottawa.

The Harper regime has badly used and abused this province. Think about equalization, income trusts, carbon capture and storage, cellulosic ethanol, rail service and costs, the RCMP Heritage Centre, PFRA, the Canadian Police Research Centre, potash, downtown urban renewal. In every case, Stephen Harper has just taken Saskatchewan for granted.

A Conservative political monopoly here (controlled and manipulated from Ottawa) only hamstrings Saskatchewan’s ability to protect its interests and get things done.

VICTORY FUND