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Spring 2011 PRACTICAL AND AUTHORITATIVE ANALYSIS OF KEY NATIONAL ISSUES EditoRial Harper’s Canada: dissecting the revolution icies. Families get small tax credits for a REvolUtion ManqUé BY daniEl dRaCHE arper was elected as a no-nonsense sports equipment, apprenticeship tools, daniel drache is the acting director of conservative who promised to and trucker’s lunches. Harper has added H the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies some big-ticket items such as the tax-free shrink the size of the government and at York University. reduce its role in the economy. His “red- savings account and added to the child meat” conservatism promised to lower ance and return the national accounts to tax benefit that replaced the discredited taxes and usher in an era of smaller gov- the black has failed. The government’s Keynesian-inspired family allowance. ernment, but after five years in office, his actual and projected deficits are larger For young families, these giveaways lend governance revolution has stalled. than any the Liberals managed to achieve. credibility to his “conservative-who- New hires in the civil service and On fiscal management, Harper is hardly cares” image. military have added more than 30,000 a textbook conservative—the Pentecostal Ideologically, though, his government people to the government’s payroll. preacher espousing small government. revolution will not be remembered for Spending jumped both pre- and post- Significantly, many Canadian families these small gestures. If one looks at the recession. The plan to restore fiscal bal- like what they see from some of his pol- Harper’s Canada, page 3 The Man and the REvolUtion 2010 in review: Canada’s values tion, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives The Democratization BY MichaEl adams of EverytHing have now governed for half a decade and Michael adams is a noted commentator Canadians are apparently unperturbed ocial and technological changes over on social values and social change in by the steely hierarchy over which the the past half-century have produced north america. the founding president S prime minister is said to preside. powerful tensions that leaders who of the Environics group of research and communications consulting companies, would seek to govern highly educated Michael adams is the author of HoW WE SEE Ourselves societies like Canada must navigate. six books, including the most recent, What do Canadians think about how Socially, the decline of deference toward just published by Penguin Canada, their country is faring these days, with traditional forms of institutional authority Stayin’ Alive: How Canadian Baby Boomers its perennial minority governments and has meant that bureaucrats and elected Will Work, Play, and Find Meaning in the Second Half of Their Adult Lives. its old-fashioned top-down leader? Are leaders can no longer assume that the 2010 in review, page 5 public will assent to their decisions or in by WikiLeaks—whose teeth have assume that mandarins know best (even proved a little sharper than those of Can- when they do). Technologically, the ada’s increasingly dysfunctional access The contents of this issue are listed in the Features box on page 2. Internet has enabled an incredible pro- to information regime. liferation of disruptive practices, from Even as online idealists herald the citizen journalism published on blogs, to “democratization” of everything and Twitter-fuelled activism, to the forced advocate for open data, open govern- transparency imposed from the outside ment, and new forms of citizen participa- Canada Watch is a publication of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies of York University PRACTICAL AND AUTHORITATIVE ANALYSIS OF KEY NATIONAL ISSUES Canada WatCH SPRing 2011 PRACTICAL AND AUTHORITATIVE ANALYSIS OF KEY NATIONAL ISSUES the Harper governance Revolution: EditoR Daniel Drache, Acting Director Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, taking Minority government to its limit York University fEatURES Managing EditoR EdiTorial Global RetreaT Laura Taman Harper’s Canada: Full SpeEd AheAd ColumniStS in tHiS iSSUE Dissecting the revolution Canada the middle power: Daniel Drache Paul Heinbecker By Daniel Drache . .1 Lost in translation By Paul Heinbecker . 23 Michael Adams Tim Kaposy The MAn And thE RevoLuTion Our leader and the Obama charm: Tom Flanagan Imre Szeman 2010 in review: Canada’s values The good leader syndrome Seth Feldman Philip Resnick By Michael Adams . 1 By Tim Kaposy and Imre Szeman . .25 Political paralysis in C. Scott Clark Janine Brodie Death By onE THousand contemporary Canada Peter Devries Simon Black Cuts: NeoLiberalism’S By Tom Flanagan . .7 Win – Lose STratEgy Doug Peters Roger Keil He’s still here Canada’s fractured Arthur Donner Errol Mendes By Seth Feldman . 9 political culture Peter H. Russell Fred Fletcher Philip Resnick . 28 Fiscal Conservatism Christian Nadeau Liette Gilbert And HArper’S RescuE Manufactured ignorance: oF thE EConoMy Harper, the census, David Schneiderman Robert Kellerman The Harper revolution: Fiscal social inequality PRoduction conservatism—Yes, no, maybe By Janine Brodie . 30 WordsWorth Communications By C . Scott Clark and Peter Devries . 11 Conquering the urban nation The global meltdown: By Simon Black and Roger Keil . 32 ContaCt foR information Fiscal stimulus and Canada Watch the structural deficit The Full MeaSurE oF 7th Floor, York Research Tower thE MAn And HiS PoLiCies 4700 Keele St. By Doug Peters and Arthur Donner . 13 The revolution of Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 HArper: The unLikely the night watchman Phone 416-736-5499 ConstiTuTional RevoLuTionAry Errol Mendes . 35 And thE Battle AgAinst Fax 416-650-8069 The Harper government’s Prorogation www.robarts.yorku.ca communication strategy: Prorogation—Prime ministers For information regarding future issues, The message, the message, must not become kings contact Laura Taman, Coordinator, the message Robarts Centre. By Peter H . Russell . .16 By Fred Fletcher . 37 Please address comments to Constitutional rule bending: Daniel Drache, Acting Director, Politics of immigration and When angry citizens push Robarts Centre. the controversial refugee reforms back and fight for democracy By Liette Gilbert . 39 Canada Watch is produced by By Christian Nadeau . .18 the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies Tough on crime, big on prisons Constitutional reform by stealth: of York University. By Robert Kellerman . .41 The creeping transformation Copyright © 2011 of executive authority The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies By David Schneiderman . .20 Printed in Canada ISSN 1191-7733 real world challenges demand different angles, different approaches, and different attitudes. www.research.yorku.ca/home/index.html 2 Canada WatCH • SPRing 2011 Harper’s Canada continued from page 1 bigger picture, the Harper government between his values and the priorities of cannot claim to be minimalist in the lives Harper’s mixture of Canadians. of Canadians. It has already added $200 ruthless pragmatism billion to the national debt, and only The Trust faCtoR: WHat YoU some of this was used to fight the reces- in dealing with SEE Is not WHo HE REallY Is sion. The government’s approach to the Nik Nanos is one of Canada’s best poll- massive structural deficit it created is to Parliament, the sters in tracking the shifting moods and ignore the opinions of experts who micromanagement of expectations of Canadians. A February 14, advocate restoring the cuts to the GST 2011 poll revealed that none of Harper’s and eliminating any further tax cuts to government, and the red-meat issues are top priorities for Canada’s corporations. Ronald Reagan Canadians. Nanos asked over one thou- in the United States and Brian Mulroney relentless strategy of sand Canadians, What is the most were “tax-cut” conservatives who spent important national issue of concern? billions and created a poisoned chalice one-way messaging Health care, at 22 percent, was the top of massive debt mismanagement. response; jobs and the economy came has provided him with second, while 10 percent prioritized the Success by a Thousand CUtS the tools to govern as environment. Only 5 percent of respond- Harper’s own agenda is not very different ents put debt and deficit reduction as in broad outline from that of other con- if he had a majority. their top priority. servative leaders, like Ronald Reagan, For the Conservatives, the million- who ran up massive deficits. However, dollar question is how to increase his made-in-Canada, kick-ass conser- cannot continue to row or steer the national support from the current 35.9 vatism has changed the institutional machinery of the state effectively. For a percent to win a majority government. makeup of Canada and its state – citizen prime minister who prefers stealth to Pollsters tell us that 35 percent of Can- culture. The HST has jacked up the cost accountability, what better way to achieve adians would give the Tories 138 seats if of consumer goods, and the tax grab the first and most difficult of his govern- an election were held today; that is 5 pushed Gordon Campbell to resign as ance objectives? There is none better. seats less than they currently hold. The the premier of British Columbia. Globally, Michael Ignatieff is the weakest Lib- Liberals, even under the lacklustre lead- Canada’s role has been downgraded, as eral leader since John Turner. The ership of Ignatieff, continue to garner the the Harper government has become an struggle for control between the Jean support of almost 30 percent of Canad- avatar of US geopolitics in Afghani stan Chrétien and Paul Martin loyalists left the ians. Amazingly, the Liberal brand and elsewhere. Human rights and Liberals divided, feckless, and confused remains a powerful vote-catcher. If an middle-powership, once the foreign pol- in the eyes of the Canadian public. The election were held today, projections icy signature of Canada, have been put Liberal Party has been kicked around in claim that the Iggy Liberals could pick on the back burner.
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