“If you want to be a government in a minority Parliament, you have to work with other people.”
The above quote was said by Stephen Harper in an interview with Evan Solomon in 2004. At the time, Harper was the leader of the Opposition.
How have things changed since Harper has become PM of 2 minority governments? How is this a flip flop?
Well, let’s take a look, with Harper as he wears his flip flops, on this stroll down memory lane:
- He prorogued parliament twice because saying that the parties couldn’t work together when he himself is at fault for this (especially when he claims that the only way his party can get work done is when parliament is prorogued)
- He called an early election stating that the parties wouldn’t work with him and that Parliament was dysfunctional
- He has created a manual for his MPs on how to be obstructionists during committee meetings
Sure this list may not be a long one, but all these issues speak to the heart of democracy. We have a PM who when in Opposition, claimed it was vital for all parties to work together in minority governments, but now that the shoe (or rather flip flop?) is on the other foot, he simply won’t work with others. In fact he thinks they should be the ones who work with him. It’s truly a flip flop of epic proportions.
