To the Editor:
On March 4 our MP Tony Clement was very visible, front and centre, in Parliament applauding the budget. Like his cabinet colleagues, he was wearing a grin on his face and a Canadian flag pin in his lapel.
Is this Conservative affectation of wearing a flag pin simply a copycat case of emulating the U.S. Republican innovation? Are these politicians trying to portray themselves as uber-nationalists? Or is it, perhaps, simply a sign of insecurity? Most likely they are nagged by the feeling that sans the pins the Canadian public might mistake them for American congressmen!
Canadians have increasing reason to mistake this government for American Republicans. In refusing to hand over Afghan detainee documents to parliament, the Harper government is effectively claiming executive privilege – that the government is equal to or above parliament. This is not the Canadian way; it is, in fact, against our constitution. It is the American way. Remember Nixon and his refusal to release the Watergate tapes?
Perhaps even more egregious is the sale of irreplaceable Canadian resources and leading-edge technology to foreigners. It’s a long and depressing list: Nortel has been sold off piecemeal. Inco, with government help, could have been amalgamated with Falconbridge. Instead, it is owned by Brazil’s Vale and Falconbridge ends up with Anglo-Swiss Xtrata. Inco workers have now been on strike since last July. Industry minister Clement has sanctioned a cell phone start-up by Egyptian-backed Globalive, despite refusal by the CRTC.
PM Harper wants Canada out of the medical isotope business by 2016. And, in the meantime, none of the Chalk River crown corporation’s isotopes are reserved for Canadian patients. Now foreigners are being invited to invest in our uranium resources and Amazon is being encouraged to have a bigger presence in Canada.
Investment, which results in Canadian headquartered head offices with jobs and improved productivity - created by imported innovation - is helpful. But so far foreign ownership has only created more branch plants and loss of sovereignty. This direction is also shortsighted from a strategic standpoint. With a burgeoning Chinese population, in particular, resulting in huge demand for diminishing minerals of all kinds, ownership of resources will become of paramount importance.
I suggest that Harper and Clement, and others of their ilk, wear “Canada For Sale” lapel pins in parliament to show their true colours and allegiance – not the Maple Leaf.
Tim McDonald
Bala