News and Views from Canada

Mitt Romney and Stephen Harper Singing from the Same Right-wing Corporate Hymn Book

Don Currie, Editor Focus on Socialism

Member Editorial Board, Northstar Compass

January 4, 2012

Mitt Romney US Republican Presidential candidate and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, both posing as moderate conservatives have remarkably similar views on the value of publicly funded social programs in the two countries.

Mitt Romney in the Republican Iowa primary accused President Barack Obama of turning the USA into a “Northern European welfare state”, without of course explaining why that is such a bad thing considering the fact that more than 40% of US citizens are without adequate health care.  [1]

Stephen Harper 15 years ago as vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition an Alberta right wing think tank, speaking at a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the right-wing U.S. Council for National Policy said:  “Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it.” [2] without of course explaining why Canadians shouldn’t be proud of a hard won welfare system since every Canadian does have access to a publicly funded health care system.

The Canadian Health Care Act that imposes restrictions on private delivery of health care, routinely violated with the complicity of right-wing federal and provincial authorities, is up for renewal in our country in 2014. Already the extreme right wing for-profit interests are campaigning to weaken and ultimately privatize the Canadian health care system. Progressive health coalitions, labour and poverty actions groups are fighting back. A big struggle is underway in Canada to preserve its publicly health care system that will culminate in the next federal election probably 2016.

The situation in Canada will not be news to citizens of any developed capitalist state since similar struggles are underway in all EU, NATO countries. In the former socialist states struggles are being waged to restore what they lost during the counter-revolutionary events of 1989-90. During the period of Soviet and European socialism the only concern of the people was how to make the fully funded, free and accessible health care system better, since it was fully guaranteed in their constitutions.

Not satisfied with being on the same page with arch conservative Mitt Romney on social welfare issues, Prime Minister Harper further devalued Canadian sovereignty by assuring Democratic President Obama on December 23 2011 that the Conservative government of Canada is on the same page as the democratic government in the USA on so-called “joint security”. Standing beside President Obama in Washington, Prime Minister Harper said:

“What threatens the security and well-being of the United States threatens the security and well-being of Canada…Canada has no friends among America's enemies.” [3]

It is not for this Canadian observer to presume to speak for citizens of the USA on what threatens their security and well being, but speaking as a Canadian I reject my Prime Minister’s assertion that Canada has no friends among America’s enemies. Such hyperbole places our country in hostile opposition to most of global public opinion and innumerable governments and states that disapprove and resist US imperialist global and military strategic goals.

On the same day Prime Minister Harper made his weak kneed declarations in Washington his foreign minister John Baird imposed a long list of sanctions on the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria including illegally freezing Syrian assets and interfering with business and investment agreements between the two countries. The Harper Conservative government is well into another secret collaboration with its G7 NATO allies and their supporters in the Arab League to launch another Libyan style attack on a sovereign member state of the United Nations that poses no threat to Canada.

NATO’s attack on Libya was under the command of a Canadian Lieutenant General Charlie Bouchard. Bouchard was in charge of bilateral US-Canadian command as Deputy Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and has close ties to the US Air Force. [4]

Canadian CF 18 fighter jets conducted 946 sorties, making up 10 per cent of NATO strike sorties and dropping 696 bombs of various types. Canada’s Defence Minister Peter Mackay boasted:

"Canada once again punched above its weight as part of an international coalition…The men and women of the Canadian Forces confirmed their leadership position at NATO and the role they can play in successful international operations."

MacKay avoided saying how many civilian casualties were inflicted on Libyan citizens or how Canadian fighter pilots operating at 40,000 feet distinguished between Gaddafi supporters and NATO backed so-called “transitional government fighters.” In time the full horror of what was inflicted by NATO on the Libyan people will be fully revealed.

What is important to note in Canadian government complicity and obeisance by the Conservative Government of Prime Minister Harper for US-NATO imperialist strategy whether it emanates from the Obama Democrats or the arch-right wing Republicans, is that when it comes to foreign policy, and war, the combined Liberal and social democratic NDP opposition parties in Canada’s Parliament provide full support to Prime Minister Harper. The Liberals and the Social Democrats seek to convince Canadians that Canada can wage imperialist aggression abroad and retain a progressive social safety net at home.

It is all the same. State monopoly capitalism, imperialism in the 21^st century is the problem, and socialism is the answer.