Entries from August 2008 ↓

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA

August 26, 2008
Ottawa, Ontario

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to Represent Canada at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Honour the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will represent Canada at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, to be held on September 6, 2008.

The Lieutenant Governor will travel to China instead of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

BULLETIN:
Snap election all but certain, Harper says.

Two items. Civility. The way forward.

On civility, I would like to thank those who posted in the last 24 hours, the vast majority of whom said what they came to say, with respect. There were relatively few attacks, slurs or instances of shocking or hurtful language. As a result, we had an excellent discussion. I will look forward to this daily, especially as we go forward into critical hours.

This request of mine has also come with the departure of one or two regulars who, of course, are paid Conservative Party operatives. They know they’ll be far less effective in an atmosphere of civil debate, when they can no longer stir passions, retorts and angry rebuttals with the use of taunts and falsehoods. By dragging down the level of debate on this blog, they seek to discredit and marginalize us all.

You might remember Harry. Over the last two days he tried four times to post a juvenile comment about Doug Finley and my beard. I deleted it, of course, as irrelevant. All of his issue-oriented posts, as quasi-racist and goading as they were, got airtime. However, when I put the hammer down on disrespect, Harry left within hours.

Why? Because his venom and negativity cannot survive in an atmosphere of civility. But, of course, he had to lie his way out. This is what Harry posted on the Halton Conservative site as he left ours:

I think I was the last ‘non-Liberal’ allowed to post, but it became very evident that Garth couldn’t maintain opposing views savaging the Liberals and their leader Dion. Several of my valid comments were withheld and I knew Garth’s limit had been reached. He didn’t want to step over the Liberal party line.

Garth’s exercise in ‘digital democracy’ has now failed and he is left with entertaining the angry detritus of Canadian Liberals and covert Dippers too. I somewhat pity him.

I am sure the PMO will send new folks in here, or reengineer the old ones. And I am sure we know how to defeat their message of division. Mr. Harper will not be allowed to do here what he has done to the country.

And on that note, Stephane Dion had the support of those of us around him today when he refused to take the prime minister’s call. PMSH was summoning him to a meeting in order to lay down the conditions for avoiding an election in the next few days. Those conditions would have included capitulation and surrender. Mr. Dion would be asked not to oppose, not to represent the almost 70% of Canadians who did not vote Conservative, and not to stand for the ideals he embodies, or the Canada that can be.

That we have a prime minister who’d seek such a thing is beyond regret.

So, don’t make plans for October the fourteenth.

And, boss, bring it on.

Related:
Election call a step closer as Dion delays meeting
Harper ups ante on election ultimatum

Before we proceed to slightly more important issues, a word on decorum, honesty and digital democracy.

This is prompted by several things, not the smallest of which is the spectre of a quick federal election, should Mr. Harper have his way. The coming of the writ will surely turn garth.ca into an even more caterwaullingly cacophonous place than it is now. Partisans will flood in. Hormones will flow. Careers will die.

Regulars will notice that in recent weeks two regular posters here were warned, then periodically deleted, then banished back to the primordial blogs from whence they arose. Just this weekend another frequent contributor was banned.

It is not what these people have to say about politics, leaders, policies, parties or the country that caused them to marched before the garth.ca firing squad. Far from it. A quick scan of comments left here every day will show I don’t fear any ideas. In fact, this blog is far more interesting and worthwhile for the chorus of voices it attracts.

What will earn a bullet, however, is disrespect and pure ad hominemism. Personal attacks here have simply gotten out of hand, as has the flippant and gratuitous use of foul language. I am spending too much time combing through comments wiping away expletives which add zero to the strength and impact of what the writer had to say. From now on, such comments will get the middle finger on the third key.

Also gone will be references to people in public life as fat, retarded, fascist, Marxist or criminal. No more Nazi references, no Republican monkey jokes, no more one-liners calling someone a moron or a water head. Nothing, in short, you would not say to a fellow citizen in person. The anonymity of this medium is seductive and empowering, I know, but it’s no excuse for the degrading treatment of those who dare not think as you do.

That includes me. This is my blog. I’m an MP, and by simply running this open forum I expose myself every hour of every day to political danger. I am a candidate in the coming election, and I will be working hard to win so I can serve my neighbours. You want to defeat me? Move to Halton and vote.

Now, let’s show the country this can work. Or else.