- With Harper we can all kiss our 'social safety-net' goodbye

Submitted: 6:58am, PST, 9 Mar.'11 Winnipeg Free Press - not posted - who knows???

re-submitted: 12:38pm, PST, 9 Mar.11
The 'state' of Harper affairs, Frances Russell, Winnipeg Free Press, 03/9/2011
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/the-state-of-harper-affairs-117634863.html

. . . continued

One need only look at Harper's background to predict how he would negotiate Health Care, equalization and social transfers when they become open in a couple years, especially if he had a majority.

Stephen Harper's speech to the Council for National Policy, June 1997 (when you read the speech it doesn't sound like he's joking):

"First, facts about Canada. Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it."

Harper, National Post, Dec. 8 2000 p. A18
"Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status."

oh, and by the way did I mention:

Harper: (Speech to the Colin Brown Memorial Dinner, National Citizens Coalition, 1994)

"Whether Canada ends up as o­ne national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion… And whether Canada ends up with o­ne national government or two governments or ten governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what the constitutional status or arrangement of any future country may be."

Further, this pervasive and insidious movement to the extreme right is representative of the values of only a small minority of Canadians.

Harper is in this position not because the people of Canada want it. But, for two reasons:

Harper has 33% core of die-hard, right-wing extremists, that would support him just about no matter what.
and

As long as the 66% Moderate Majority don't consolidate then Harper can continue like he owns it, like it's the "Harper Government"

excerpt: Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html