It appears that Stephen Harper has struck again, this time rescinding a $5,000 grant from a Canadian artist. Why? Because she painted unflattering cartoons about the PM. So much for freedom of expression. Let’s take a David Letterman stance on this and we’ll do a Stephen Harper top 10 screw ups.
• No. 10 : Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau. I’m sure it will be discovered the PM and his office knew all about the whole affair; the opposition couldn’t have said it better when they said, “The worst three appointments since Caligula appointed his horse to the Senate.”
• No. 9: Muzzled scientists so they could not speak of global warming or the dangers of pipelines.
• No. 8: Changed the status of the Humpback whale from and “endangered” species to a “species of concern,” to open up shipping lanes for oil. He also removed Federal protection on countless rivers, lakes and streams to pave the way for industrialization.
• No. 7: Ordered Canada Revenue Agency audits of organizations who dared to oppose his views or policies.
• No. 6: Made it a mandatory six month jail sentence for possession of seven pot plants (twice the amount of jail time for a first time pedophile).
• No. 5: Lost members of his own party because they lost faith in his leadership (smart people).
• No. 4: Signed a horrible deal with China, leaving Canada open to multi-million dollar lawsuits if the interests of the Canadian people are put before the bottom line.
• No. 3: Pardoned Graham James, convicted serial pedophile — so much for his tough stance on crime.
• No. 2: Did an about face with respect to the veterans at the eleventh hour, just to win their vote in an election year.
• No. 1: Took back a $5,000 grant from an artist because his feelings got hurt. Guess he can’t take the political heat.
I will not even mention the dictatorial, tyrannical bill C-51, which preys on the fears of Canadians and will mean we will lose many of the rights we have fought for over the past 148 years. What absolute wussies we have become to sit back and allow this to come to fruition. For you Harper supporters out there, do you still think he is a great leader?
On a completely different note, I was recently informed that Alison Redford, former disgraced Premier of Alberta, will not face a single criminal charge after everything she did. Is anyone surprised? If Sir John A. MacDonald and Sir Wilfred Laurier could see what was going on in Ottawa, they would be rolling over in their graves. I doubt this was their vision for Canada’s future.
Mark Billesberger
Penticton