"He's stealing Canadian democracy in plain sight and nobody is screaming about it," noted Elizabeth May last week, at lunch with Laura Stone.
Actually, many people are screaming about it. There must be a dozen or more Facebook groups like Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper. There's a big twitter presence -- in particular @HarperBeGone -- and the ongoing discussion in #cdnpoli. There's even the occasional article on the Huffington Post.
Ms May said this weekend, "Democracy is being stolen in plain sight, but no one seems to notice." Well, no, actually. Canadians have noticed. The problem is that few know what to do about it. Fewer still are willing to do anything. And only one person can put a stop to it.
To paraphrase Henry II, "Will no one rid us of this turbulent PM???"
There's only one who can: the Governor General. Because, like-it-or-move, the Governor General is at the top of responsible government. He is there almost entirely to deal with this sort of thing - a government running amok over the Citizens. Let's face it, practically anyone could tour foreign palaces and host the Queen-of-Wherever. No, we need a Governor General because we need a stop-gap, a pressure relief, an authority of last resort, someone to which we can appeal when everything comes apart, someone with the ability to listen to the people, and the power to make government behave.
There is only one person in Canada with more rank and authority than Stephen Harper, and that is former lawyer David Johnston, Governor General and Commander in Chief.
Now you may not like the Monarchy. You may think the Governor General should be elected or even dispensed with. You may believe the irony of having the Governor General save responsible government by dispensing with the duly elected PM is offensive. But it doesn't really matter what we believe - facts are facts: the only person capable of bring down Harper now is the Governor General.
And now is the time to appeal to him. The wheels have come off the bus. The system has almost failed. The arse is near tore out of her. Stephen Harper has managed, against all odds, to seize universal control of the Commons and the Senate, to treat citizens with open contempt, to be found in contempt of Parliament three times, to use prorogation as a defence strategy, and to silence huge swathes of Canadians Citizens with Loyalty Policies and threats. His Party won't stop him. The Opposition can't stop him. We citizens can't even get him to listen; Stephen Harper treats us with open contempt.
Case in point:The Journey of Nishiyuu
Forget the veterans and scientists and every other citizen who has held a placard or chanted a slogan begging for his attention. Three hundred young Citizens walked 1600 kilometres during the winter, through the worst conditions Canada can throw at you, they walked to Ottawa. Walked. For months. To get the attention of the Prime Minster of Canada, to explain their problems - the absolute right of every citizen in a democracy.
Where was Stephen Harper? The PM was Petting Pandas at Pearson.
If there is a clearer example of contempt for citizens, I don't want to know. That one caused enough intestinal illness.
Stephen Harper is unstoppable and uncontrollable. Parliamentarians cannot kennel him, nor can citizens bring him to heel. He is well on his way to being Autocrat of Canada.
There are some Canadians who are itching for the next scheduled election in 2015. I don't know why. Look back at where we were in 2011. See how far we have come towards tyranny? How can you still have faith that there will be an election in 2015, if we allow this to continue for 2 more years??? Because in 2005, none of us would have believed a Canadian Prime Minister would be able to achieve this level of tyranny. In 2011, few of us would have believed Stephen Harper would be able to silence dissent so effectively. In 2013, most of us still cannot understand how he is able to do it.
So what makes you believe we will get another election, other than wishful thinking?
I don't think we'll get to vote again. I think we'll have a Government consisting of Stephen Harper, with all who oppose him silenced, threatened, or bullied - as they are now; or perhaps imprisoned, sent to exile, or possibly shot - if things get much worse.
Even if we get to election and vote Harper out; he will still have set the standard for all future politicians - he's proven that Citizens will lie down and take it. That we will simply shrug off violating election laws, contempt of Parliament, forcing all civil servants to be loyal to the PM, and violating humans rights, nationally and internationally. If we don't rise up and reject him NOW, then we are tacitly approving all of those tactics for all future Governments. And if not The Harper Government, then perhaps The Baird Regime, or The Trudeau Council, or The Peoples Party of Mulcair.
If we intend to avoid that, then we need to stamp down on it. Hard. Now.
Unfortunately, the only legal method is the intervention of the Governor General, which also happens to be the only option not involving violence, so if you don't want Canada torn apart by war, this would be the way to go. And the Governor General is not going to act unless he knows, with absolutely certainty, that Citizens will support him. We have to let him know we have his back.
How do we tell him? Luckily, there's this handy petition...