A rchive Date
[ 23-01-2006 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
|
[http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Columnists/Brodbeck_Tom/2006/01/21/1405353.html
Canadian values & the Liberal record
Tom Brodbeck
Sun, January 22, 2006
Values. Canadian values.
It's a term we've heard a lot of during this federal election campaign. It seems every political party has a platform that is more in tune with "Canadian values" than their competitors. Especially the Liberal platform which - according to party leader Paul Martin - is much more reflective of Canadian values than the other guys.
Of course, there is no such thing as "Canadian values." There is no set of universally held principles, standards and beliefs on issues that Canadians consider most important. There are some commonly held beliefs and principles and pockets of shared "values" throughout Canada.
But let's face it, Canada is a very diverse country - culturally, religiously, politically and economically. We part company on many thorny issues.
Take same-sex marriage. There are strongly held values in favour of calling gay unions "marriage." Some people see it as a human right. But not everyone.
There's a large segment of mainstream Canada that do not see it as a human right or any right at all. Their values dictate that marriage is the exclusive domain of a man and a woman. So there's no such thing as being in touch with the "values of Canadians" on same-sex marriage.
It's the same with abortion, immigration laws, aboriginal issues, welfare, global trade, just to name a few. Canadians have very diverse values in these areas. What's funny about the Liberals, though, is that they've been very much out of touch with some of the more commonly held values in Canada.
For example, if there's one thing Canadians have in common is that they expect their governments to abide by the law. Canadians may disagree on policy. But most of us want our governments to operate ethically and legally. When the very people who make the laws break the laws, we get lawlessness.
We don't like lawlessness. We strive for order. It's certainly one value you could call a "Canadian value" - no different than in most other democracies.
So when a government, like the Liberal government, cooks up an elaborate kick-back scheme to defraud taxpayers of hundreds of million of dollars - like the kind we saw in the sponsorship scandal - it goes against the "values" of Canadians. Criminal justice would be another area where there are a lot of commonly held values in Canada.
I don't know many people who think giving house arrest to violent criminals, including repeat offenders, is consistent with their values. Most Canadians believe violent criminals and those who commit serious crimes should be held accountable for their actions. And that usually includes a period of incarceration that is proportionate to the seriousness of the crime.
The Liberals have abandoned that value. Through the enactment of conditional sentences, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and other federal policies, the government has instructed the courts to minimize the use of incarceration in sentencing. As a result, rapists, killers and drunk drivers who kill often get off scot-free. It's hardly consistent with any Canadian values I know of.
Health care is another good example. Most Canadians value our universal health care system. They don't necessarily like it administered as a government monopoly (as public opinion polls are now showing). But I'd say it's a Canadian value to ensure that everyone, regardless of income, can access a doctor and a hospital.
Yet, the Liberals gutted funding for health care over several years in the mid- and late-1990s. They did so while they had money for new, discretionary initiatives like the sponsorship program and the gun registry. The cuts caused great harm to provincial health care programs and universal health coverage was compromised.
Talk about being out of touch with "Canadian values."
I remember former Ontario premier Mike Harris use to call on the Liberals to at least give the provinces what Brian Mulroney used to give them for health care. "We want the Brian Mulroney deal," he used to say. Under the Liberals, health-care funding fell below the level it was in the late 1980s.
If you're looking for a political party that reflects any semblance of your "Canadian values" - however you interpret that term - the Liberals are probably not for you. Unless you like corruption in government, slap-on-the-wrist treatment of violent offenders and a spotty commitment to universal health care, that is. If you do, then Paul Martin's the man for you. If not, there are about six or seven other parties out there to consider.
Think about it.
Tom Brodbeck is the Sun's city columnist. He can be reached by e-mail at: tbrodbeck@wpgsun.com.
Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@wpgsun.com.
Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
|