Despite the fact that NDP leader Jack Layton is campaigning to become Prime Minister of Canada, the idea of that actually happening is confined to Smilin’ Jack and a few ardent party supporters.
Liberal MP Bob Rae perhaps gave the best description of Layton when he said that although Jack thinks he’s Barack Obama, he’s really Ralph Nader. No, when the dust settles and the votes are tallied after tomorrow’s election, either Stephen Harper or Stéphane Dion will end up with the top job.
To wads of complaints by Canada’s Liberal supporters, Harper began the election campaign going to negative on their leader. Dion was attacked early on as being “not a leader”. The only change that has occurred since then is that Stéphane Dion has proved them right.
The clearest example of Dion’s total inability to lead came last month when he faced a dilemma concerning Leslie Hughes, the Liberal candidate in the Manitoba riding of Kildonan-St. Paul. It surfaced that Hughes, a former CBC reporter and radio host (surprise, surprise), had written an article three years ago with the usual claptrap about Israel and the United States having had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and Israelis having vacated the World Trade Centre before September 11, 2001. Dion’s big comment to this was that he was having “discussions” with the Canadian Jewish Congress (which, if there was truth in advertising would be required to be called the Canadian Liberal Jewish Congress). Later, presumably after having these discussions, the Liberal leader dumped Ms. Hughes as the party’s candidate in her riding. True Grit that she was, Leslie Hughes became the victim.
Stéphane Dion is, or at least we are told, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leslie Hughes was a duly nominated candidate of that party. It was Dion’s decision to make whether what she wrote was a firing offence. Canadians were left, at least with the appearance, that the Canadian Jewish Congress actually made the decision to dump Hughes. Dion’s conduct was disgraceful and an abdication of his position as a party leader. If Steffi can’t run his party, how can he be reasonably expected to lead the country? The short answer is that he can’t.
Dion is ideologically driven, almost to the point of obsession, with the environment and his Green Shift that will substantially alter how Canadians are taxed. Even if it could be argued that Dion’s environmental plans is a sound idea in good times or even ordinary times, the current state of affairs can be described as neither good nor ordinary. We are in the middle of a worldwide financial crisis, the likes of which has not been seen in almost 80 years. Dion’s reaction to the crisis was to have a meeting within 30 days of becoming PM. He has no idea what that meeting will solve. His plans to have a meeting shows that he believes that something must be done although he doesn’t have a clue what that something is. His plan to do something indicates that he is simply panicking and panic, so prevalent in these troubled financial times is the last thing that Canadians need in their prime minister.
Dion’s insistence that a Liberal government would go ahead with his Green Shift plan, a major overhaul of Canada’s taxation system, regardless of the state of the worldwide markets, is foolhardy at best. This is not the time for Canada to choose a leader who puts ideology over reality. After the US economy began to tank, the greatest criticism of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is that he’s not panicking enough. And it didn’t help the Conservative leader that he commented that people should be buying stocks now, showing a disconnect from those Canadians who are worried about their jobs and pensions. Nevertheless, the ability to remain cool through an impending crisis shows leadership.
Canada’s banking system is being internationally recognized as one of the strongest in the world. Unlike US and European countries, our government doesn’t have to take any major steps such as bailing out banks because it’s not necessary. The best the government can do is not to panic over the worldwide crisis. Calling a meeting without knowing what objectives are to be achieved is a sign of panic, not leadership.
Stephen Harper is the only viable alternative to lead Canada through what is sure to be difficult times ahead.
