Who We Just Made Our Prime Minister…

This post brought to you by bitter, bitter tears.

“Mr. Speaker, the issue of war requires moral leadership. We believe the government should stand by our troops, our friends and our allies and do everything necessary to support them right through to victory.”

– Stephen Harper, supporting the American invasion of Iraq, House of Commons, April 1, 2003.

“In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don’t feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don’t feel bad about it themselves, as long as they’re receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance.”

– Conservative leader Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

“You have to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada; people who live in ghettos and are not integrated into Western Canadian society.”

– Conservative leader Stephen Harper, in Report Newsmagazine, 2001.

“Well, I’ve always believed that we have to be a lot tougher with undocumented refugee claimants. Whether the best thing is to send them right out of the country or simply detain them until we get full information, we can look at either but, no this is a problem that does need to be fixed. Particularly post 9/11, we can’t take these kinds of security risks.”

– Stephen Harper, CHML Radio AM 900 Hamilton, June 3, 2004.

“It will come as no surprise to anybody to know that I support the traditional definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, as expressed in our traditional common law.”

– Stephen Harper, Hansard, Address in the House of Commons on Bill C-38, February 16, 2005.

All of these from HarperWatch.ca.

What about the other people in Harper’s party?

Brilliant comedian Rick Mercer did a great bit with them, matching the ludicrous (but true) quotes of various Conservative candidates with cabinet posts that Harper might assign them.

It’s funny until you realize that this is now the governing party.

Some examples:

Stockwell Day: When he was questioned as to why his party did not offer condolences to the Palestinians when Yasser Arafat died Stock responded by sending out a column by David Frum that speculated that Yasser died of AIDS.

David Sweet: “There’s a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It’s not that women aren’t co-participators. It’s because Jesus knew women would naturally follow. Men, on the other hand, had to be called.”

Darrel Reid: “I think every Christian’s under an obligation to change laws to reflect biblical values.”

Rob Anders: “Nelson Mandela is a terrorist.” (Harper says: “Rob is a true reformer and a true conservative. He has been a faithful supporter of mine and I am grateful for his work.”)

Here’s what Rick says about Vic Toews:

Vic is the current Justice Critic and he takes the bull by the horns. He believes the notwithstanding clause should be used to override minority rights. He calls it the “ultimate tool” and so it is. The notwithstanding clause can be used to take away the rights of gay people to marry each other or the rights of the Chinese to drive. If you’re white and straight the chance of this being used against you are slim to none. This is for uppity minorities only. In case of emergency uppity-ness please break glass.

Vic did get elected, and I just saw him on TV saying that there will be a “free vote” on same sex marriage. I don’t know how that means anything, since the Supreme Court has been clear that any law forbiding it is unconstitutional, so in order to get around it the government would need to invoke the notwithstanding clause, and I don’t see any minority government doing that.

Art Hanger: “Immigrants are choking welfare systems, contributing to high unemployment, and many cannot read.”

Myron Thompson: “Let’s lower the age to ten”, commenting on the age at which he believes one should be tried as an adult