- Next Harper Edict - Everything Must Have "In Harper We Trust"

Posted: 10:27 AM, March 8, 2011 The Globe and Mail
Raising stakes in name game,
Grits go after ‘Harper regime’, Jane Taber, Globe and Mail Update,March 7, 2011
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/raising-stakes-in-name-game-grits-go-after-harper-regime/article1933029/

"It's official: Stephen Harper rules.

And lest anyone forgets, a directive went out to public servants late last year that “Government of Canada” in federal communications should be replaced by the words 'Harper Government.'" (G&M, 4 Mar.'11)

This Edict from the Harper Regime is an affront to the integrity and dignity of Canada, all Canadians and the Civil Service.

Not only is it untrue and misleading, but deliberately

It seems to me that employees of the Canadian Government in the Civil Service would have not only every right to refuse to carry out this Con but an obligation.

Perhaps the reason they don't is

retribution by the "Harper Regime" - vis.:

"None would speak on the record for fear of retribution. It's a well-grounded concern given the treatment of a senior government scientist who was fired in 2006 after rebelling against a directive to use “Canada's New Government” in government communications.
Andrew Okulitch was subsequently reinstated after his story became public, and the Conservatives finally retired the “Canada's New Government” handle after 21 months in office." (ibid)

(So much for the Con whistle blower policies.)

I would be very surprised, when it got right done to it, if this were not an 'administrative dispute' (to coin a phrase) - vis.:

“It is one thing for journalists or even the public to use the more partisan ‘Harper government,' but it is another thing for the state to equate the Government of Canada with the leader of the governing party,” said Jonathan Rose, a specialist in political communications at Queen's University.

He said such language is expressly forbidden under an Ontario law that prohibits partisanship in government messaging."
(ibid)

and if not

then it's time to get tough on Con's and implement some rules against this.

For Stockwell Day, or any other Con, to suggest that the Liberals did the same is, of course, nothing more than an obfuscation, a crass deception.

Apparently the only examples Harper PMO could give were a few one-off's done by Ministers in very political settings, and not a general policy to be carried out by all civil servants - vis.:

"The releases during Chretien's tenure are all headlined 'government of Canada' and use those words throughout. The only reference to the "Chretien government" comes in quotations from ministers.

Indeed, most of the examples provided by PMO, which included texts of speeches given by former Liberal ministers, involve quotes from ministers."
(Winnipeg Free Press, 4 Mar.'11)

Soon Harper will order the saying on currency to "In Harper We Trust" - oh, sorry, he hasn't made us part of the US, yet.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html