Harper’s Conservatives deserved re-election

The Conservative Party’s re-election was based in a series of successes that have solidified their position as the most responsible government to ensure domestic stability while remaining a moral voice internationally.

As the governing party, they have demonstrated that their economic plan is the best suited to promote a strong Canadian economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects our economy to grow at the same level as the United States this year, about 2.8 per cent.

Comparatively the United Kingdom is expected to grow by 1.8 per cent. Although government spending under the Conservatives has increased at rates well beyond inflation, they still represent the best means of ensuring the success of Canadian businesses and our job market in the years to come. We are doing well as a country economically, which in part has to do with Conservative policy.

While the Conservatives need to wise up on reporting their spending practices, as do a majority of MPs who refused to allow their office budgets to be audited by the auditor general, this election will in no way solve the problems surrounding parliamentary supremacy in Canada.

After five years the Conservatives finally have a majority of support in the senate, which in the past had stonewalled their efforts towards creating more accountable government. If voters were looking for a stable and responsible government to be formed this election, the Conservatives were the best choice.

Despite the claims of the opposition, their record with respect to democratic renewal and promoting liberty is no better or worse than past Liberal governments. The Conservatives, like the other political parties in power, failed for instance to spearhead Michael Chong’s proposed parliamentary reforms.

With respect to civil and economic liberties the G20 summit in Toronto last year, the Conservatives demonstrated that they were no more competent in managing the civil and economic needs of urban Canadians than the Liberals were in the 1997 APEC summit in Vancouver or Quebec City’s 2001 Summit of the Americas.

In lieu of this, urban Canadians should not allow the sensationalism being promoted by the opposition to blind their judgement.

Despite the G20, the Conservative government has shown the least propensity towards federalist thinking with respect to Canadian cities than any other federal government in recent Canadian history. The lower taxes being supported by the Conservatives are part of a larger formula needed to ensure the success of Canadian cities.

Internationally, Canada has been a continued voice of sanity within organizations like the United Nations (UN), which, in a tantrum, gave a financially broke Portugal a Security Council seat over Canada. We rightly opposed binding international climate treaties and, in particular, those that did not require heavy carbon dioxide polluting countries like China to reduce their own emissions.
Canada was also avid in our support of Israel, one of only a handful of democratically elected countries in the Middle East.

Additionally, Canada’s treatment towards the passengers of the Sun Sea and its listing of the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization have established Canada as a voice for human rights and respect for the rule of law. Anyone who wishes to see Canada continue to promote these two ideals would be wise to continue supporting the Conservatives.

The last five years of Conservative rule have not been without controversy.
Although Canada would do well with a more conservative government, the Harper government has done well in its five years in power. It remains the best choice for Canadians.