- And as long as the Moderate Majority don't consolidate and don't vote, Harper will continue to drag Canada to the Right Extreme

Posted: 10:50 AM on April 22, 2011 The Globe and Mail

The Supreme Court: How a Harper majority could really change Canada, Adam Radwanski, Globe and Mail, April 22, 2011
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/the-supreme-court-how-a-harper-majority-could-really-change-canada/article1995432/

Choosing who sits on the Supreme Court of Canada is only one example of the exercise of executive power by the Prime Minister.

Appointing Senators is another - as we have all seen, ever after Harper promised that he would not simply appoint them.

(Toronto Star, 23 Dec.'08 - when Harper's future as PM was in doubt)
"Harper senators have blue hue
. . .
Harper whined on the weekend that he wanted to appoint elected people to the Senate but the provinces wouldn't go along with him, so he had no choice. But one is reminded of what Mulroney said to then prime minister John Turner about Senate appointments in a televised debate: 'You had an option, sir. You could have said "I'm not going to do that, it's wrong for Canada."'"

There are many, many examples, and a myriad of positions, of where the exercise of executive power by the Prime Minister is unchecked, unvetted, unannounced and in cases, unbeknownst to any kind of oversight by the people of Canada or their representatives.

In this insidious way Harper has been, and is, dragging Canada to the "Right' (ideologically speaking, as opposed to say morally) extreme

Harper can do this because he is Prime Minister and head of the Executive Branch Government, which in Canada can have a far greater impact on our lives than Parliament or the Judiciary (the two other branches).

These branches were intended to counterbalance each other.

However, the exercise of power by the PM pre-supposes that the PM has the best interest of all Canadians at heart and not a small minority lying at an extreme of our political spectrum.

Up until Harper this was generally the case.

But Harper is in power because

He and the Con's have a core (33%) of die-hard right-wing supporters who will support Harper no matter what - even if he appointed Carson Minister of Justice - someone make Harper promise he won't

And as long as the Moderate Majority don't consolidate and don't vote, Harper will continue to drag Canada to the Right extreme.

Just think if Harper had a majority - we could expect much, much worse.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html