But, funnily enough, not the Age of Aquarius. Though I can’t help but have that song in my head as I type this post. Damn!!!
Well, the boy bashed in the face with a bag of spanners Stephen Harper followed through on one campaign promise, tabling his repeated ad naseum Federal Accountability Act today in the House of Commons. Yes, the strength of his platform against [somewhat] former Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Paul Martin was cashed in today. Not that he had any choice. If Mr. Harper didn’t do something about it before his minority government gets defeated. Looks like Stephen may have studied the history of Conservative Minorities. The last two led to Trudeau surges.
To avoid re-typing nauseating Conservative propaganda here on this site dedicated to free speech, read this Conservative load of bollocks here.
The main flow of this act is this. The incumbent governments will be watchdogged by officials, with a legal based background, to make sure they don’t spend or recieve monies in exchange for business or political favours. So, to bring this into lamens terms, Harper and the Conservatives are going to give money to specific, legally experience parties to execute a specific political agenda. Is it just me, or does it sound like this program in at least some small way engages in an event that it is trying to prevent?
Well, maybe that is a bit far fetched. But as a Canadian who voted, I really am quite indifferent to the nature of this program. Yes, the government should be held accountable, no question there. But to institute such a program as Mr. Harper suggests seems to require a considerable commitment of tax dollars. Yet, for anyone who tunes into C-PAC (or any democratic countries broadcast of their elected officials debating the various bills presented), the reason for such debates are (get ready for this)
LIMITED AMOUNTS OF TAX DOLLARS TO SPEND
I wonder if somebody told Harper that the Canadian government is not the rich, crazy, money laden universe that exists in Calgary, a city that is rich with oil money. As a voter, instituting a program, diverting money from child care, health care, and public service to create more beauracracy just does not encourage me to vote for him (as I did NOT vote for him in the previous election).
So how do we hold the government accountable? Well, there is the election process. But, in addition to it, how about plain freedom of speech? From our neighbors down south, we do learn how askew that right becomes under the control of the right. But however we propose accountability, we have to remember… the government is accountable to the people, not to themselves.
I just hope Canadians don’t forget that.
That is all.
