Toronto Star endorses the NDP

[Keith Bee]

Unless the pollsters have totally misread the mood of the voters, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives look to be heading for another victory. As we said on Friday, that would be bad for the country. The last thing Canada needs is an affirmation of a government obsessed with control, dismissive of critics, and determined to further diminish the role of the state in charting a better future for the country.

Voters who believe that Canada can — and should — aim higher have an important decision. Until 10 days ago, they had only one realistic alternative to the Conservatives — the Liberal party under Michael Ignatieff. Today, that is no longer the case.

The New Democrats have been reinvigorated under the leadership of Jack Layton. After Monday, they may well challenge the Liberals as the principal national standard-bearer for the roughly two voters in three who disagree fundamentally with the course charted by the Harper Conservatives. Progressive voters should give them their support.

<SNIP>

Fortunately, this time there is a real choice. Voters who believe Canada should aspire to something greater than the crabbed, narrow vision offered by the Harper Conservatives should look to Jack Layton and the New Democrats on Monday.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/983376--toronto-star-endorses-the-ndp

I have 3 friends and 1 relative who live in Toronto, and they assure me that the Star is not a "leftist" newspaper, but rather a staid, solid, "establishment" publication. The fact that it's supporting the socialist New Democrats is very illustrative of how Stevie Boy Harper has managed to piss off the politest people on Earth.

[Keith Bee]

1. JackRiddler, is that you???

C'mon, admit it! :evilgrin:

[Foolacious]

2. It's not "leftist", but...

... it's "left" compared to the other major newspapers in circulation in the Toronto area. The other Toronto-specific paper, the Sun, is a Conrad Black publication so you can guess which way it's going. The National Post is a relatively recent national all-business all-the-time paper, trying to be the Canadian Wall Street Journal and, again, you can guess its political leanings.

Finally, the Globe and Mail is the national newspaper of record (although the Star actually has the highest circulation in the country); surprisingly, it's endorsing the Conservatives, despite pointedly and frequently criticising Harper's leadership, especially, and justifiably, in the areas of ethics, hyperpartisanship, and military adventurism (Harper wanted Canada to join in the Iraq war, but he was not in power then). This is even more surprising given that the Globe and Mail is a strong and eloquent supporter of the arts, cultural awareness and diversity, and the social bonds in Canadian society -- all values under overt attack by Harper and the Conservative party. But they say that the country needs four years of economic stability under a Conservative majority government while the NDP and perhaps the Liberals get their legs under them. This is stunning, given that the Conservatives are, contrary to their name and reputation, the biggest deficit spenders of the five major parties (the same way that Republicans are in the US, and for the same reasons).

It's also stunning because the Globe and Mail believe an election would happen after four years. They've apparently forgotten that, although Harper did push through legislation early in his administration mandating federal elections on just such a regular schedule, he has simply ignored that law ever since; it's so blatant an abuse of power that folks hardly even acknowledge it any longer, being more wrapped up in the military and G8/G20 spending binges, the ongoing scandals (outdoing even the Liberals in their frequency and gravity), and Harper's twice breaking all precedent by proroguing (suspending) parliament to prevent challenges to his party's leadership.

Needless to say, the Globe and Mail's endorsement of the Conservatives and Harper is disappointing. It's counter to what they've been writing over the past several years, and to their long-standing values.

P.S. A bit of happy news (previously reported on DU): Recently, Harper backed the founding of Sun News, AKA "Fox News North", and attempted to pave the way by having the courts overturn Canadian law that requires news agencies to tell the truth. Thankfully (to understate things), the courts refused to cooperate.