Mallick, Decrying Harper's Proroguing of Parliament, Says Prime Minister Wants to Make Canada a "Pale Watery Version of the US"

Heather Mallick writes in the UK Guardian, "If there was a gold medal for shafting democracy at the Winter Olympics, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper would win it. Just before the games open in Vancouver, he has halted parliament in its tracks, suspending it for the second time in little more than a year."

Mallick calls Harper, "that strange vengeful man you will see in February clapping awkwardly as Olympicans leap off mountains and shoot past in the luge..." and says he has been "on a mission since his youth to turn Canada into a pale, watery version of the United States of America."

"Even then, the US was well into its identity-switch into the undereducated, paranoid, self-destructively aggressive overspent mess we watch now with grim fascination."

His intent, Mallick says, was to smother a scandal and "halt a highly embarrassing and public inquiry into the Canadian military eight years into its weird little war in Afghanistan---handing over prisoners to the Afghan 'government' while knowing they would be tortured.  Another reason was to stack the unelected second house, the senate, with five more Conservatives..."

It is distressing that Harper has quelled an inquiry of this import, rather than taking responsibility and apologizing for what appears to be a terrible injustice and betrayal of Canada's policy towards human rights. 

Of all the things Canadians might protest about as the world's attention turns to Vancouver, Harper has provided the most compelling issue of all.

In a front page editorial entitled "Deocracy diminised, accountability avoided, The Globe and Mail had this to say: "By suspending Parliament, Stephen Harper allows the governing party to elude the detainee issue, a move that undermines the democratic rights of the people..."

Mallick says since she couldn't contact her MP, she felt powerless to do anything other than join a Facebook group, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament.  After reading Mallick's piece, I joined it, too.

And if you're ready to remove Harper for negligence, click here and sign a petition.