I don’t understand why every government continues adding more and more austerity programs and tax cuts to stop this depression. How does stealing from the poor and giving to the rich helping in any way at all?
And now I have a fictional conversation with Stephen Harper using actual quotes:
Steve I wish you’d stop telling Brazil “Canada is in good shape and other countries can follow its example if they also adopt a disciplined fiscal agenda.” The previous government had years of surpluses, you wiped them out and ran a large deficit BEFORE the collapse.
“We must aim to make Canada a lower tax jurisdiction than the United States.”
- Stephen Harper, Vancouver Province, April 6th 2004.
Now the deficit is just out of hand, largest in our history, but keep cutting taxes for corporations and the extremely rich, that should get us caught up to the US.
Any plans for the unemployed?
“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.”
- Stephen Harper then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy
Can we just agree that the right wing in the US has become too extreme not able to compromise or negotiate?
“Your country (the USA), and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world.”
- Stephen Harper then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy
Oh.
I see.
Cool fact; since the US has been downgraded to AA+, all countries with AAA credit have Universal Healthcare.
“I know this is a dangerous subject. My advisors say don’t talk about it, but the fact is sometimes provinces have allowed in the past few years, they’ve brought in private services covered by public health insurance… Why do I care and why do we care as a federal government how they’re managed? What we care about is whether people can access them. This is just an ideological agenda.”
- Conservative leader Stephen Harper at the leadership debate, June 15th 2004, conceding that he shouldn’t talk about his positive view of privatization of health care.
I agree that people should have as much access to healthcare as they need but, don’t you think it’s about more than just access? Maybe it’s about everyone being able to use it, even people who aren’t rich?
“It’s past time the feds scrapped the Canada Health Act.”
- Stephen Harper, then Vice-President of the National Citizens Coalition, 1997.
“What we clearly need is experimentation with market reforms and private delivery options.”
- Stephen Harper, then President of the NCC, 2001.
“The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things.”
- 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.
Please no one else tell me that the Canadian Conservatives are closer to the Democrats in the US than the Republicans. Don’t force me to look up more quotes to have another fictional conversation. I don’t like listening to/reading what that guy has to say.
