Harper the Schemer Survives

      G.G. Michaelle Jean made the wrong decision. She should have sent Harper back to face parliament, not for the vote of non-confidence but to try and work something out with the opposition and then to come back with his request to prorogue. Instead , she has allowed him to wriggle out of the predicament of his own making. She has rewarded him for his divisive, manipulative and ruthless behaviour. She should have taken more time to study the situation and not be rushed to give an immediate answer. She has many good qualities, and has served Canada well, since taking office, but she has little constitutional knowledge and even though she could have  asked for advice from experts, she chose not to and gave in . She could have served the country better, if she had let Harper stew for a while, just to teach him a lesson, that he cannot always get his way. 

      Canada is a complicated country to govern with regional, linguistic, religious, ethnic and cultural cleavages. The politics of compromise and consensus must be practiced. Harper is an idealogue steeped in fundamentalist religious values. This is what defines him and what makes it impossible to govern successfully. All successful Canadian Prime Ministers knew this...Macdonald, Laurier. McKenzie King ( the Great Compromiser famously noted that " while some countries have too much history, Canada has too much geography "), Pearson and even Trudeau, Chretien and Mulrooney. Those who chose to govern by playing one part of the cleavage against the other Borden, Diefenbaker and now Harper ( playing the West against Central Canada or the English against the French, Canadians against immigrants, are doomed to fail.

      Harper is ill-suited to be Prime Minister. There are others in his party eg. Jim Prentice who are better equipped to do so. He has done great harm in his extreme lamguage, his demonising of the Bloc, his contempt for parliament and his distortions. Truth is elastic in politics, but extremism in any fiorm is destructive. 

      He has been given more time to scheme, and  to plot the demise of the other parties ( tax subsidy having failed ). He will be more wary and wily, but Harper is Harper, he will not change ( the sweater was a sham ). Come Jan. 26, he will get his come-uppance, but only if the Liberals get their act and their loyalty together. This may prove to be too difficult for some of them and their ambitions. In the meantime, the fiasco in Ottawa has given a boost to Jean Charest and in all likelihood has propelled him to a majority in next Monday's, Dec.8, election in Quebec. He was made to look quite erudite and responsible.