Stephen Harper’s introduction of his new cabinet suggested his contempt for Canadian voters is even deeper than the contempt evidenced by his letting only the right sort, the chosen and sanctioned believers, attend his campaign rallies.

Of course given that In the Middle East citizens are dying as they demonstrate and march to win a say in their future by winning the right to vote – in open, free and fair elections, while in Canada citizens voted for an autocratic Harper majority government because “they didn’t want to have to vote again in two years” a certain distain for Canadian voters is understandable.

But not the level of contempt contained in Mr Harper’s appointment of three defeated Conservative candidates to that golden public feeding trough – the Senate.

Although I suppose one should not be surprised by the level of contempt demonstrated in Mr Harper’s Senate appointments. It is in keeping with Mr Harper’s demonstrated lack of need for either ethics [his reappointment of Bev Oda to cabinet as International Cooperation Minister after she repeated lied to parliament (and the Canadian people)] or honouring his stated positions [appointing three losing candidates to the Senate was not simply contemptuous of Canadian voters if reaffirmed that Stephen Harper only believes in something, such as his opposition to the Senate and the Liberals appointing Senators, when it is to his political advantage to do so and that as some as it is to Mr Harpers advantage he abandons his principles for expediency (after opposing the Liberals making Senate appointments Mr Harper appointed enough Senators to have a Conservative majority – and continues to appoint Senators)].

Despite Conservative claims of being good financial managers the Conservatives continue to mismanage Canadian federal finances, squandering the surpluses and solid economic management they inherited from the Liberal government; running record large deficits and running up the national debt to record levels and abandoning solid economic and fiscal policy in favour of ideology.

The Conservatives pay lip service to getting the deficit under control; then Mr Harper appoints his largest cabinet ever (rather than reducing cabinet in a show of leadership on deficit reduction) at a cost of an extra $9 million to the budget – and Canadian’s pockets.

If Mr Harper does in fact look to reduce the deficit his behaviour, actions and attitudes make it clear that restraint will not apply to Mr Harper or his conservative government. Which suggests that restraint and cuts will not fall on programs (billion dollar fighter plane boondoggles or billion dollar prison spending on programs that have been demonstrated in US state after state to accomplish noting – except the impoverishment of taxpayers) or groups (the wealthy, corporations, corporate executives) favoured by Mr Harper.

Not exactly an encouraging picture of the future, but as George Bernard Shaw said “Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”

And given the current behaviour of Canadian voters they do not seem to be deserving of a government of sound fiscal management, rational and considered decision making or that focuses on improving the life of all Canadians – not just corporations and the wealthy.

Unfortunately the consequences will fall not just on those who voted Conservative, but on all Canadians.

I am not a fan of the Federal (or BC) NDP because the party and its members have failed to demonstrate an acceptable degree of financial understanding to enable them to govern in a financially responsible manner; having said that, this may be the election to vote NDP.

Not as a party or policies I choose to support, but because in the current state of Canada’s electoral system – where voters are forced to vote not for a party and policies but against a party (or parties) and policies – the NDP look like the lesser of evils choice for the current federal election.

A truly sad state for a person who was raised a Progressive Conservative to find himself in. But ever since the Traitor demonstrated the worthlessness of his word and promises by selling out Progressive Conservatives, I have been a member – along with the majority of Canadian voters – of those who are without anyone to speak for or act in their best interests and are reduced to voting for the party that will do them the least harm.

Several months ago I told our local NDP candidate (Dave Murray) that until the Federal (and BC) NDP build a solid financially responsible wing in the party I did not see how I, with the importance I place on solid financial behaviours by government, could vote NDP – despite favouring socially balanced and progressive policies.

But… “Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, or the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are.”

The primary reality regarding voting for the NDP in this election is that, even if the Harper Conservative’s fear mongering proved accurate as to the negative financial effects of the NDP party forming the next federal government came to pass, the NDP would still do far less damage to the finances of Canada than the financial behaviours and budget plans set out by Harper’s Conservatives.

High Irony is it not, that the financial fear mongering Conservatives are in reality the party to be feared vis-à-vis the financial damage they will do to Canada in pursuit of their ideology.

Factor in the damage the Harper Conservatives have done to date, and will continue to do, to Canada and Canadians in pursuit of their ideology and the need to repair the damage already done to Canada and what it means to be Canadian by the Harper Conservatives and voting NDP moves to the top of the least evil vote list.

I know, what about the Federal Liberals? They have failed to show the discipline and determination that had the Liberals (under Paul Martin’s tutelage) not only balance the budget but run surpluses and pay down the federal debt – the only government in recent decades that reduced the federal debt. More importantly…Dion then Ignatieff….raises serious questions about the judgment of the Liberal Party of Canada when it comes to leadership and the governing of Canada.

I do have a serious disagreement with Jack Layton. While I accept that the parties and their leaders will make promises using our own tax dollars to bribe voters into voting for them, Jack Layton’s promise to forgive the $1.6 billion owed to Ottawa should BC voters vote to repeal the HST is unacceptable behaviour from the leader of a national party. 1) Is he going to give $1.6 billion to every province? 2) it sets a disastrous precedent for the way provinces use funds transferred from the federal government – as in why should the provinces not allow the privatization of health care simply because they agreed not to in order to get federal health care dollars?

Fortunately for Mr. Layton his opponents, particularly Mr Harper, have numerous unacceptable behaviours for persons seeking to form the next federal government of Canada.

Fortunately for me my words to our local NDP candidate about voting for the NDP were (for me) soft and sweet as I face the prospect of eating those words and voting NDP.

Because I do not want to live under the Harper Government, in the Nation of Harper as Harper destroys what it is to be Canadian and what Canada is about.

I want to live under the Government of Canada, in the Nation of Canada as a Canadian, a true son of the True North strong and free, not some Harperized wannabe American.

I AM Canadian, I am proud of that; what Mr Harper is doing to Canada and Canadians is unacceptable to me and it is time to tell Harper that Canada is a nation for all Canadians, not just the wealthy privileged few – then send him and his ideology packing.