If you have been wondering what Prime Minister Harper is planning for the Conservative Party’s Halloween Convention in Calgary, here is a suggestion. The keynote address is currently scheduled for five pm, Calgary time, on the Saturday. In the East, that means we will miss some of Hockey Night in Canada to watch him. It might just be worth it. One of the more interesting options is Stephen Harper announcing his resignation as Prime Minister.
What are Stephen Harper’s choices? He is now the Richard Nixon of Canadian politics. He is accused of being one of the Plumbers in the Canadian Watergate. It is not the act of perverting the purpose and membership of the Senate of Canada that he stands accused of but the cover-up, the lies, the stonewalling.
This is not to suggest that he might not try to continue with his claims of innocence. He is good at that. He usually just ignores the questions. In his mind, he is innocent. His concern at this stage is for his legacy. He will protect his legacy at any cost. If he destroys the Conservative Party in the process, so be it.
Sure there will be a lot of cheering Conservatives spending Halloween in Calgary but this Senate thing could cost him a majority government. The Tories will be lucky not to lose seats in Alberta.
Harper can hardly keep throwing his key people under the bus and expect to have lots of friends left. Sometimes you have to take the blame. You have to respect Toronto Mayor Rob Ford more. Look how he sticks with his friends—even the convicted criminals.
It certainly looks like Senator Mike Duffy has made his bones. In one inelegant speech to his fellow Senators, Duffy has destroyed a Prime Minister. He called the man for lying. Whether you believe Duffy or not, the Conservatives have lost the next federal election. There are simply too many Canadians who heard about what Duffy told the Senate. He was credible, believable and the entire scenario snapped together like a set of Legos.
The problem with the Calgary speech is that it will not just be the resignation. There is still some bragging to be done. There are years of stewardship of his party to talk about. There are his supposed accomplishments as Prime Minister. There is also a potential free trade with the European Union to crow over.
Whoever wants the Prime Minister job—and there are more than just James Moore and the Bobbsey Twins (John Baird and Jason Kenney)—might have a leadership convention next May or June. And until then, Harper will continue to micromanage everything.
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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