Canada's Reputation Destroyed!

Whispering in the Wind:  (November 11, 2013) WITW 4

Two international surveys have labeled Canada as the world’s most “reputable” nation.  Undertaken about a year ago, the survey respondents viewed Canada to be a stable and honorable nation with a governance system that should be held in high esteem.  The recent scandals and a number of other important events in Canada have cast a dark shadow over Canada’s image, both at home and abroad, with some observers saying that Canada’s image has been severely tarnished with others more politically motivated, suggesting that Canada’s reputation has been blown out of the water.  To judge those assessments in light of recent events is to judge the performance of Canada’s governance system and its political leadership – particularly and more specifically, Mr. Harper’s government and his focused leadership on the economy.  Following is my assessment of Canada’s political landscape and how it might have changed – hopefully for the better and in the end, hopefully making Canada a better, stronger nation. 

The Senate Expenses Scandal – has tempered a bit with the suspension of Senators Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau but there is more to come with the RCMP investigations.  What I find so disturbing is that the charges and counter charges made were made with a lot of political-speak with decisions railroaded through without due process.  In the absence of transparency and fair play I have concluded that there was a vendetta against the three Senators because they would not tow the Conservative Party line and the interference from the very top – so much for the independence of the Senate when passing judgment. 

The City of Toronto Scandal – the Rob Ford saga is proving to be a real tragedy for the mayor, the city and the country – and there doesn’t seem an acceptable political process to fix the problem.  One criteria for judging the world’s most “reputable” countries, is to have vibrant, dynamic cities to live in, to be safe in and to do business in and those goals  are being threatened with the way the Rob Ford saga is unfolding – at least in Toronto.   What I find surprising is that the province of Ontario isn’t stepping in to remove the mayor from office – after all Canadians expect provinces to maintain “peace, order and good government” within its municipalities.  The City of Toronto isn’t the only city suffering from an image problem.  The City of Montreal is also suffering from an image problem – in just one year the City of Montreal has had four mayors, two of which have been thrown out of office and are facing corruption charges. 

Prime Minister’s Role in Senate Scandal – has negatively impacted Prime Minister Harper’s image, both within Canada and around the world.  The prime minister’s refusal to be forthright when asked direct questions on his role in the so-called Senate Expenses Scandal and his direct, interfering role in the so-called “independent” Senate decision to suspend Senators, has left many people, both here and abroad, agreeing with former prime minister Joe Clark who suggested that Prime Minister Harper needs to “bring people into the facts” and tell the real story about what went on between Senator Mike Duffy and  Nigel Wright, Mr. Harper’s former Chief of Staff.  At this point in time Prime Minister Harper is severely damaging Canada’s reputation abroad.

Prime Minister’s Role in Nation Building – has become a big question mark!

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