Just out in time for this election and available FREE online, The Harper Record, edited by my trusted friend Teresa Healy.

Here’s the summary from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

This book is one in a series of CCPA publications that have examined the records of Canadian federal governments during the duration of their tenure. As with earlier CCPA reports on the activities of previous governments while in office, this book gives a detailed account of the laws, policies, regulations, and initiatives of the Conservative minority government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper during its 32-month term from January 2006 to September 2008.

The 47 writers, researchers and analysts who have co-written this book probe into every aspect of the Harper minority government’s administration. From the economy to the environment, from social programs to foreign policy, from health care to tax cuts, from the Afghanistan mission to the tar sands, from free trade to deep integration, and to many other areas of this government’s record, the authors have dug out the facts and analyzed them.

The Harper Record was necessarily researched and written long before an election was called, but its publication does coincide with an election campaign and thus may help citizens to make informed choices about the future of their country. Regardless of the election outcome, its contents will continue to be relevant between elections. In detailing what a minority Conservative government really did, or failed to do, it may serve as a guide and model for future elections.

Here is the Sault Ste. Marie riding, none of the five local candidates are particularly strong. NDP incumbent Tony Martin wins elections because the NDP have an experienced machine locally and his opponents tend to run weak campaigns. Whenever Tony has faced a strong opponent, such as Liberal David Orazietti provincially, he’s lost by a landslide – twice (once head-to-head while Tony was the provincial incumbent, and a second time through Tony’s surrogate Jeff Arbus).

However, Conservative candidate Cameron Ross is seen as largely absent, which favors Tony. The Sault is still a working class riding and thus impossible to win without a strong presence among the working class and ethnic communities. Similarly, after promising a star candidate, the Liberals parachuted Paul Bichler into this riding. I’m sorry, but appearing on CBC’s Dragon’s Den does not a celebrity make – rather it’s an answer to a trivia question. Yes, Paul grew up in the riding, but he’s been living in Southern Ontario for the past few years. As for Luke Macmichael, the Green candidate, he’s got potential; but both he and his party are still new (dare I say ‘green’?) to the political limelight.

Finally, there is Cory Mcleod of the First Peoples National Party, who is a well-known organizer within the local Anishinabek community. While the party needs to do more groundwork before it can take the riding, the potential for inroads is there. Our local Anishinabek community is known for producing hard-working leaders, including hockey coach Ted Nolan. And Cory also has a natural constituency outside of the Anishinabek community in that he’s an avid hunter and proponent of responsible firearm ownership. Our riding has an unusually high number of hunters and recreational shooters, who are frustrated with having to bear the brunt of laws enacted for Toronto’s violent crime problem. Tougher anti-gun legislation is one of the issues that cost the Liberals this riding during the last federal election.

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