Or was he converted by 'angry Westerners' at the Calgary Stampede and BBQs in Alberta?
When Harper faced the loss of power due to the LPC-NDP coalition agreement and Bloc supporting agreement, he and his Tories reacted by lashing out at the Bloc and accusing the LPC and NDP of immorality. In interviews and speeches the Tories came perilously close to denying the right of Quebeckers to choose MPs of their choice, and to have those MPs have rights in Parliament equal to those of other MPs from other provinces.
The Toronto Star editorial of December 3, 2008 on Harper's demonization of the Bloc:
"In their campaign to hang onto power, the ruling Conservatives have zeroed in on the separatist Bloc Québécois' support for the opposition coalition that seeks to replace them.
"The balance of power would be in the hands of the separatist Bloc," says a Conservative radio ad that began airing yesterday. "(Bloc Leader) Gilles Duceppe will be calling the tune each and every day," warned Transport Minister John Baird in a radio interview yesterday. "The Government of Canada would be at the mercy of people committed to destroying our Confederation," alleged "Rally for Canada," a pro-Conservative website.
And then there was this retort from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an exchange with Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion in the Commons yesterday: "This deal that the leader of the Liberal party has made with the separatists is a betrayal of the voters of this country."
Scary, if true. But it's not."
And in March Harper called any coalition with the Bloc 'undemocratic':
"Rather than announcing a new approach, Mr. Harper's address restated his view that the proposed coalition is undemocratic and would be harmful for Canada during an economic downturn."
But some commentators realized that Harper's demonization of the Bloc MPs could be counter productive:
"The Tories have bitten down hard on chewing out Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and NDP Leader Jack Layton for dealing with the Bloc Quebecois in recent days. For example, on CTV's Mike Duffy Live Wednesday, Industry Minister John Baird suggested it was "morally wrong" to let the Bloc Quebecois anywhere near the government…. But the Conservatives' sharp criticism of Bloc Quebecois is seen as a worrisome move, experts say, because it only adds to many Quebecers' fears that the federal government doesn't respect their views.
Antonia Maioni of McGill University told CTV's Lloyd Robertson Wednesday that Harper's "burned a lot of bridges in Quebec" with his actions this week.
"I think that many Quebecers are wondering if they vote for the Bloc Quebecois . . . whether or not they have a voice in Canadian parliament --- they've all been labelled (now) as MPs who are representing people who don't have a voice in parliament. " Maioni said. "That's a very serious affront to many Quebecers. Maioni also says that the Conservatives and Harper in particular, are throwing away any chance of winning support from the province."
The results in Quebec were plain to see – a precipitous fall in voter support for Harper and his Tory government, with support plunging down to below 15% and only recently rising to an abysmal 17%.
Now the Tories are fighting to prevent Ignatieff tabling a vote of no confidence in their minority government in September. The Tories are once again framing the issue as one of morality: the basic thrust of their argument is that for the Liberals to gain power, they must be supported by both the NDP and the Bloc, and that such support would amount to a coalition (either a de facto one or an open, legally binding agreement). And their conclusion is that it is immoral and undemocratic for the Liberals to rely on the NDP and the Bloc MPs in order to gain power.
Explicit in this framing by the Tories is their warped view of our constitution: they argue in essence that Canadians in Quebec have no right to elect MPs who favour separatism.
And now Ignatieff seems to have been converted to the same view that Quebeckers are second class citizens and do not enjoy the same right as citizens in other provinces to elect their MPs; he has come out openly and said that he would not as prime minister leading a minority Liberal government enter into any kind of agreement with the Bloc because of their strategy of breaking up the country.
This is Ignatieff's statement on entering into any agreement of any kind with the Bloc (note the final words):
"A: I am telling you I would not go into coalition agreements with the Bloc Québécois, period. That rules it out. In a situation of minority Parliaments, Canadians have to get used to the idea that it is responsible for political leaders to envisage the possibility of creating agreements or accords or political arrangements to govern in order to secure stable government, but not with the Bloc."
To summarize: Ignatieff would enter into 'agreements or accords or political arrangements to govern' but 'not with the Bloc."
This latest view of Ignatieff is contrary to the views he expressed when he fought for the LPC-NDP coalition a few months ago.
And this leads us to three questions:
First, who converted Ignatieff to the views that Canadians in Quebec have second class citizenship rights in Canada? Harper? Angry Westerners? Or did he come to that change of heart on his own, while thinking thoughts over the summer?
Second, does this diminished view of the rights of Canadians living in Quebec find favour with our Liberal MPs?
Third, why do Harper and Ignatieff stop their stealth efforts to diminish the citizenship rights of Quebeckers and rather openly advocate removing those rights through amendments to our constitution?
If these two men do not believe that every Quebec citizen has a right to elect an MP of their choice, and that those MPs have as much right to participate in the governance of our country on Parliament Hill as all other MPs do, then they should openly state this (instead of using code words), and commence an open debate in this country on whether we should embark on constitutional change to remove the rights of Quebeckers to vote for MPs who favour separatism.
Let us at least have an honest, open debate about this issue, rather than the Tory penchant for misleading statements and misrepresented positions.
And if Ignatieff and the Liberal Party leadership is not onside with Harper and the Tories regarding the diminution of the rights of Canadians in Quebec, then please state so clearly and openly, and also engage the Tories on this issue.
The Liberal Party has always stood for defending the rights of Canadians in every province of the country. Let us continue with this core value, and take Harper to task for his campaign to reduce Quebeckers to second class citizens.
