The longer "The Harper Government" stays in office, the more radical — and transformational — it becomes.
It is dismantling, layer by layer, nearly 150 years of Canadian parliamentary democracy. Into the trash can has gone respect for the institution and traditions of Parliament, moderation in public discourse, toleration of differences of opinion, respect for civil society's institutions and even, at times, respect for the rule of law.
Politics outside Parliament has descended into a cesspool of perpetual savage political attack ads. The poisonous hyperpartisanship of the American permanent election campaign is the new Canadian norm. Inside Parliament, the opposition is largely unable to hold government to account because ministers treat opposition MPs with flippancy, disdain, contempt, derision and insults.
Ouch. That's harsh.
Harper's personality cult prompts Prof. Rose to recall French King Louis XIV and his 17th-century divine right of kings: "L'État, c'est moi" (The state is me). The prime minister yearns to replace Canada's constitutional monarchy with the American presidential-congressional system. He objects having to be accountable to Parliament, abruptly shutting it down in December 2008 to avoid defeat by the opposition. And, like the American Supreme Court, which recently abolished all limits on third-party political advertising, he believes the thickness of one's wallet -- not the democratic principle of one person, one vote -- should rule.
No matter how you feel about Harper's policies, I don't think you can deny that he's been trying to move Canada to a system closer to the president-centric American one. Unfortunately for him, if we were a republic, he still wouldn't be president. He would be the Leader of the House.
Anyway. Talking about "Harper's personality cult" reminds me of this:
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