WE'VE BEEN PROROGUED!

I can't help but think that we are heading down a dangerous road. Prime
Minister Stephen Harper is spitting in the face of democracy, and
seemingly flipping the bird to the Canadian public.

He has, again, prorogued the government. What does this mean? All of the
work that has been done over the past year has been pretty much tossed out
the window-and don't forget that all the money spent on salaries drafting
legislation, sitting in the House, and debating bills, is at the expense
of taxpayers.

Yes, we are getting the shaft again, by a guy who took power of our
country with thirty percent of the vote-thanks, Alberta!

Harper has basically thrown a temper tantrum because his
ideologically-based legislation was getting "gutted," as it has been said
(which it really wasn't, but that's another editorial), and he was under
so much pressure about Afghanistan. Bills such as C-6 and C-15-the
Consumer Product Safety Act, and the proposed amendments to create
mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes, respectively-were not being
based on any type of logic.

In fact, most experts brought in to give testimony in front of the House
were against them. But still, the Conservative minority pressed on, and
when they didn't get their way they prorogued the government.

Here is, what I consider, the criminal act by Harper. He was, admittedly,
frustrated that the Liberal majority Senate made amendments to C-15, and
then within weeks Harper prorogued the government. Now he has the chance
to appoint more (Conservative) senators, which will put the balance of the
Senate in the favour of the Conservatives. This will essentially give
Harper a blank check for creating laws, as long as Ignatieff continues to
support him. Senate is supposed to be a place of "sober second thought,"
not a fan club. This should be criminal!

To me, it is no different than insider trading, or fixing a poker game.

Harper has said that the government is funding an expansion of the
Canadian prison system, and has also said that he will be reintroducing
the crime Bill C-15 in its original form-without the amendments from
Senate-and will no doubt get it passed with his stacked Senate. Canadians
should be very concerned; the writing is on the wall. More criminals means
bigger prison populations. Bigger prison populations means a bigger burden
on tax payers.

I can imagine, two years from now, Harper announcing that Canada's prison
population is costing too much, and in order to ease the burden, prisons
will be made private.

We cannot allow this to happen.

There should be no corporate financial interest in having people break the
law. Why? Just watch your civil liberties get stripped away a dozen at a
time until you can be deemed a criminal-not that they aren't being already
in the name of "national security."

There is a glimmer of hope, though.

The morning of writing this editorial, I heard on the radio that in the
most recent poll, the Conservatives have fallen behind the Liberals. I
hope that when the government opens back up, the opposition will have the
balls to make a non-confidence vote, and topple this Bush-like government.
Not that I trust that the Liberals will do much better, but anybody is
better than the Conservatives. I will personally dedicate all of my
activist energy to persuading the younger folks to get out and vote. We
need change.

The Conservatives are making a mockery of democracy, and we the people are
the only ones who will suffer (not including our environment, but again,
that's another editorial about Harper's unwillingness to address climate
change). It's time we take heed in what Bob Marley preached:

"Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!"