10 headlines capturing the "work" of the Harper Regime

The Globe and Mail has released a photo slide show titled "A look back at the biggest headlines from Canada's 40th parliament" with 8 of the 10 headlines either critiquing or outright slamming the Harper Regime's path of governance.

The two exceptions? The first was the state of Jack Layton's health. The other was the notable retirements of Jim Prentice, Stockwell Day and Chuck Strahl. As shocking and tight-lipped as their departures will be from the House, one has to wonder whether or not they exit politics because of Harper's style of 24/7 electioneering and strongman governance. Considering the countdown of headlines, it is a bloody miracle that 75% of the country has not turned it's back on Harper.

10. Prorogation
9. G8 & G20 Summits - costs and police presence
8. Long-form census debacle
7. Jaffer and Guergis Affair
6. Security council loss
5. Afghanistan withdrawal date and shift in mission
4. Layton's health
3. Harper Party Retirements
2. Fighter Jets
1. Contempt

Today we hear a number of stanzas from the usual CPC choir ("COALITION!!!!", "no one cares", "we're too fragile for instability", "face it (LPC/NDP) you lost the election", etc, etc.) and the ever familiar chorus everyone knows so well: "we (the Harper Party) do not want an election."

And yet they release election-style attack ad, after attack ad, after EAP ads, and so on. They go on wildly expensive EAP promotional tours and pitch new money and new plans and chatter like squirrels in trees about all the good the "Harper Government" of Canada is doing for Canadians. And we're not supposed to believe we (as in the entire country and our political economy) are not in election mode?

When Harper moved the Opposition Day from two weeks ago to Friday he did it exactly because he wants to fall on his budget. The Harper Regime message is clear: we do not need an unnecessary election to "disturb" our economic "fragility"- which is an odd thing to say considering those CPC ads that claim our economy is one of the strongest in the world... but not SO strong that we can "weather the storm" of political debate and democracy.

But Ignatieff has a counter. A good one that I like. Economics, democracy and politics are all interrelated. And they cannot trust Harper and his party with the economic management of the country if they are found to be in contempt of parliament. If they lie in the House, withhold documents about the costs of projects, and manipulate the bureaucracy then how can we possibly begin to trust them to put us back on track?

Flip-flop Flaherty said that there would be "no new spending" -- but as we saw yesterday there is 2 billion worth of new spending. And how much new revenue is being brought in by closing loop holes? Hundreds of millions. Not bad. Oh wait, that's over several years. Meanwhile, we'll spend 6 billion on corporate tax cuts, 20 billion on fighter jets, and hundreds of millions on prisons -- effectively TAXING AND SPENDING well into the 21st century.

I know Canadians will not sleep away the election campaign, yawning to themselves that this is a waste of time. I know Canadians will pay attention. I believe Canadians will come out and vote. And I know that when each one of us really searches within themselves they'll elect representatives that respect our democracy and put this country back on the right track.