Old speeches lead to new targets

Oh dear.

I know that many people have heard about Stephen Harper's mysterious and so-called "hidden agenda," but what about the "I love Canada" incident? In late November, a reporter asked a simple question of the Tory leader: "Do you love Canada?" This was the response:

"Well, I said Canada is a great country. You know, all of us who get involved in public life spend a lot of time away from our families to go across the country, probably get in many ways the most rewarding experience you could ever have...and the traveling I've done, especially in the last seven or eight months, you get a real sense of Canadians, where they live, who they are... I think the country has unlimited potential..."

Paul Martin caught wind of this little gaff and said: "This morning I am told that Stephen Harper had a little difficulty saying this, so let me say it: I love Canada."

It wasn't so much that he flubbed the question -- rather, it seems that he tried to dodge it entirely.

I know it's very easy to say, "From this, one can clearly interpret that Stephen Harper doesn't love Canada!", but that's not the message I got from his speech. However, I did get that from a speech he made in 1997 before an audience of Americans, when he slammed Canada for being a Northern European welfare state "in the worse sense of the term" and took a stand against abortion rights and, unsurprisingly, same-sex marriage.

Other items in the speech included this: "In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance."

And Harper concluded: "As long as there are exams, there will always be prayer in schools."

Aides and friends say that the speech was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and was not in the context of the election. True, it's definitely not presentable as election material. Yes, it's old, but it certainly gives Canadians a better look and understanding of the man who wants to be Prime Minister of this country. And, no, I saw no humour whatsoever in what he said, especially when he makes such harsh criticisms, not of the Liberals, not of the Conservatives, but of Canada and Canadians. No wonder saying "I love you, Canada" is so hard for him.

How very chilling: Suddenly, that agenda of his is not so hidden anymore.