Harper: Taking advantage of Canadians' apathy.
IT’S HARD TO get all that excited about Canadian politics, even during an election.
Whether it’s because nothing genuinely thrilling ever happens in Ottawa – compared to Washington or London, at least – or it’s simply that Canadians are apathetic about how our country is run, the fact is no one seems to care all that much about the goings-on in our capital.
This sad truth was brought into sharp relief this week as the Liberal Party, Canada’s official opposition, attempted to stir up public outrage over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s suspension, or proroguing, of Parliament until March (once the Vancouver Winter Olympics are over).
Ignatieff: Not an attractive alternative.
The Liberals – led by Michael Ignatieff, who despite all his efforts has never gained much traction with Canadians – are accusing Harper of shutting down Parliament in an effort to avoid answering questions about a scandal over the torture of Afghan detainees.
Whatever Harper’s reasons for halting the political proceedings in Ottawa, and despite the furor the Liberals have tried, and failed, to generate over the matter, the whole thing seems to have been greeted by Canadians with little more than a shrug and a yawn. (Mind you, there has been a Facebook group launched in protest – oooh, yeah, that oughta show that pesky PM!)
It’s kind of curious. I can’t imagine Americans or Brits not giving a hoot if their leader suddenly pulled a move like this. Harper’s actions are really quite audacious, as satirist Rick Mercer noted in an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail this week:
Snow days don’t apply to adults unless you happen to be the Prime Minister of Canada, who with one phone call has the ability to give every member of Parliament two months off…
Our Parliament has been suspended for no other reason than the Prime Minister simply can’t be bothered with the relentless checks and balances that democracy affords us.
He doesn’t want to have to stand in the House of Commons and hear anyone question him on any subject. I don’t blame him. Parliament is filled with jackals, opportunists and boors. The problem is, like it or not, they were elected.
It’s obnoxious that our PM knows he can get away with such antics scot-free. But as radio host John Moore wrote in his National Post blog, Harper “enjoys an uncanny skill at divining what the people don’t care about.”
And he’s obviously well aware of what I’ve said before in this space: the one and only thing Canadians do care about collectively as a nation is hockey – and there’s been plenty of that to focus on lately.
Canadians were more concerned with our junior team's showing than with Harper's antics.
Indeed, our team’s performance over the last few weeks at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon, Sask. – including a heartbreaking loss to the American squad Tuesday night – was of far greater concern to most canucks than a bunch of lame politicians giving themselves an extended vacation.
That Harper can pull such a move with seemingly no consequences underscores another reality about this country: our governments usually enjoy free rein simply because there is a lack of a viable alternative. Ignatieff is nowhere near adequate, polls suggest. And the left-leaning New Democratic Party never has and likely never will form government at the national level.
Harper realizes this, and he seems to be taking full advantage. After all, long as there’s hockey on TV, he knows Canadians have far more important things to focus on than what he’s up to – even if it is basically putting democracy on hold.
>> The Economist weighs in: Harper goes prorogue: Parliamentary scrutiny may be tedious, but democracies cannot afford to dispense with it
