This story isn’t about black clad idiots who get off on creating havoc and mayhem. It isn’t about police who view their fellow citizens as terrorists and threats instead of neighbours and friends. This story isn’t about the violation of our rights and freedoms, nor is about the success or failure of the meetings happening inside the fence.
This story is about the arrogance and ignorance of our Prime Minister.
All of this could have been avoided. It could simply have been sidestepped. All the Government had to do was hold the G20 summit a remote resort location. For the record, Canada has plenty of remote. Graeme Kirby, a security expert who has planned security fro summits of this nature before, claims that it is well known in security circles that you just don’t hold summits of this nature in urban, populated centers.
There are plenty of people in the blogosphere that claim that this was a deliberate attempt to somehow punish Toronto for not voting Conservative. I doubt it is anything as Machiavellian as that. I think this is just one more indication that Mr. Harper doesn’t know how to run a country.
Much has been made in media as of late about how Mr. Ignatieff hasn’t found his political sea legs after more than a year on the job. I disagree with them, but that’s beside the point. Where are the articles on how the Conservative Government generally, and the Primer Minister specifically, have not yet learned how to run a country in over four years on the job. If the security experts knew Toronto was a bad idea, then why are we having the G20 in Toronto? Either Mr. Harper didn’t ask for advice, or ignored it once he received it. Either way, it clearly demonstrates that he has no business trying to run a country.
I don’t think Canada needs many more reasons to not vote for Stephen Harper and his Conservatives in the next election. But not voting for someone is not enough. You need to be convinced to vote for someone else. Michael Ignatieff understands this, and is going to be travelling across this country to convince you that he is the best alternative. I strongly encourage you to go listen to what he has to say this summer, and make up your mind from personal experience rather than the limited and often skewed perspective given by the media.
Toronto was turned into a war zone this weekend because Stephen Harper created the circumstances for it to happen. Whether he created this situation through ignorance or intent, he does not deserve to lead this country anymore. Remember this the next time there is talk of an election. Remember it when you go to the polls. Show the world that Canada is better than the petty thugs we have elected to our Government.
