Speaking as one who endured ten years in Australia under a Howard government, it concerns me greatly that Harper’s government appears so intimate with ex-Prime Minister John Howard’s camp. Back in the 2006 election, Harper was receiving advice form Brian Loughane, John Howard’s campaign director.
Further, it has now emerged that an overly-enthusiastic former speechwriter so indiscreetly lifted substantial portions of a John Howard speech for Harper, a speech that supported the incursion into Iraq by the US.
This should concern all Canadians. If this apparent resemblance between Harper and Howard is more than a passing one, Canadians should be seriously considering whether they want to live in a Canada led by Harper.
The ten years under Howard saw the Australian government falter, embarrassingly and disastrously, in respect of its national and international obligations.
The examples are varied and numerous, but most egregiously:
1. Those ten years saw the disgraceful affair of the Tampa, which resulted in the “Pacific solution” and mandatory detention of refugees and asylum seekers arriving at Australia by boat. Under the Pacific Solution, islands were retroactively excised from the Australian migration zone to stymie the claims of those seeking asylum in Australia. The Australian Defence Force was deployed to prevent boats from entering Australian waters. Several Pacific islands were paid off to host detention camps, off Australian territory, to hold asylum seekers, thereby circumventing the various international law requirements of the UN Human Rights Committee’s 1951 Refugee Convention.
(Getting paid to host detention centres sounds pretty good if you’re a country like Nauru, a tiny impoverished island in the South Pacific once rich from mining the phosphates delivered by bird droppings, and now struggling as the resources have been depleted.)
Most of the asylum seekers were found to have legitimate claims for asylum. But many were held in detention centres for years before their claims were processed.
2. John Howard has also found fame in steadfastly refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
3. Howard also received the dubious distinction of being appointed “sheriff” of the Pacific by George W. Bush following his loyal support for the illegal invasion of Iraq.
4. Under the Howard government, Australia was condemned by the UN Human Rights Committee for its treatment of its indigenous population. The UNHCR and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination found that Australia engaged in systemic discrimination against its indigenous peoples.
5. Howard oversaw labour reforms that intended to eliminate collective bargaining rights.
What vision does Harper have for Canada? I will assume he does have a vision. Even if it is not one that is identical to what Howard saw for Australia, if the Conservatives stay in power, the outlook is grim. From Australia’s experience, Canada could expect a poorer quality of life for Canadians and a blatant disregard for Canada’s national and international obligations. Canada currently enjoys the international perception that it is a tolerant, responsible, humane and diverse nation that takes pride in its environmental stewardship. If Harper is serious about aligning his vision with that of John Howard, his government could take Canada towards a culture of conservatism that would gravely threaten these qualities. This is not the “leadership” we should be choosing.
One Trackback
[...] or mainstream’ and those who are members of the elite.’ Mr. Harper has utilized the services of a number of Howard and Australian Liberal Party advisers in the three election campaigns in which he has led the Conservative Party of Canada. (And note [...]