The party is over for Stephen Harper
A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
I don’t know about you, but when it appears that someone you’ve been wanting to see leave for a long, long time is finally going to do you and the country a favour and do it, I want to see a promise of that in writing – just to make sure!
That was certainly the case for me in the late hours of this past October 19th when Canada’s outgoing prime minister came out to deliver his concession speech following a78 day election and a CBC broadcaster reported that he would not be using the speech to announce that he will be leaving his leadership role in the Conservative Party but his decision to make his exit will be made public in writing.
As someone who has been praying for years to see the back of Stephen Harper, who has lead his Conservatives in gutting environmental protection and so many other policies and programs that matter to at least some of us in this country, I certainly wanted to see his decision to leave in writing before cueing the celebratory balloons.
And here it finally is, released in the form of a statement this October 20th, 2015 from the Conservative Party of Canada’s president, John Walsh. Call me one of those hate-filled meanies inflicted with an acute case of ‘Harper Derangement Syndrome’ if you like. But if you haven’t already read this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I read it this morning and will again tomorrow morning, just to make sure what happened this Monday was more than a wonderful dream.
Statement from John Walsh, President of the Conservative Party of Canada
October 20, 2015
“I have spoken with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, he communicated to me a request to initiate a number of actions pursuant to my responsibilities as laid out in the constitution of the Conservative Party of Canada.
I thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership on behalf of our party. Stephen Harper has changed Canada for the better, having built a durable, national Conservative movement focused on building a fair, more prosperous and globally significant Canada.
The Prime Minister indicated that he will continue to sit as a Member of Parliament and asks that a process to both select an interim leader and initiate the leadership selection process in our party begin immediately.
First, I am communicating to the newly elected House of Commons caucus their responsibility to elect an interim leader as soon as is possible.
Second, I will be convening a meeting of the National Council to create a Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) to set out the rules, dispute resolution mechanism and logistics related to the selection of a new leader.
Third, I am tasking Dustin van Vugt, the Executive Director of the Conservative Party of Canada, to initiate a transparent process to review the 2015 campaign.
While the election result was not what Conservatives across Canada hoped and worked so hard for, we respect the outcome of our democratic process. I want to take this moment to thank the hundreds of thousands of Conservative activists in every part of Canada who volunteered their time, money and ideas, allowing our party to serve our country as government since 2006.”
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(NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)
Niagara At Large 
That’s the democratic process. The pendulum swings and it was time for change. I can only hope that it’s for the better. I still believe that most of the resentment of outgoing PM Stephen Harper was overblown and unjustified, even media-inspired to the point of getting people caught up in it who didn’t even know why. However, it’s over, and I have to salute the new PM in the collective positive spirit of our great nation. Our leaders need our support and prayers for the uncertain times ahead. It behooves us all to stick together.
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Astonishing, Robert where, or better stated what planet have you been on the past ten years? This so called conservative party started out with a lie perpetuated on the peoples of Canada by two Judases in the form of Peter MacKay and Harper and from there it was all down hill for WE THE PEOPLE
Trade deals formulated in back rooms to make Harper look the consummate diplomat fall flat as they literally took away Canada’s sovereignty and in turn invoked a sense of wonderment and despair to so many who loved and trusted Canada as the bright light that not only spoke of PEACE but were the enablers of PEACE.
Good riddance to a party steeped in secrecy, deceit and arrogance, a party far from any resemblance of the once “Progressive” Conservative Party of old and a party that has taken away from we sane Canadians that respect and admiration once held high and guarded by a PEACE KEEPING CANADIAN MILITARY.
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Harpo-con is gone, I hope. So much power! So much misuse of power! We Canadians need to somehow pare down the potentially excessive power that is given to our prime ministers. We can all believe Stephen Harper is truly gone when Justin Trudeau is sworn in.
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William
I truly hope the liberals under this younger Trudeau do not fall prey to the Corporate agenda formulated in Back Rooms and Board rooms of this nation, that they consult the people before signing Trade pacts that surely eliminates the Sovereignty of this nation and makes it nothing more than a third world wanna be with little to look forward to for our children and grand children. In my opinion there are certain Liberals, in the recent past and present, who have succumbed to positions within the Corporate Sector with little or no concern NOW for the people they once governed.
Justin, your father Pierre loved this country and dedicated his life to making it a stable place to live and raise a family….I hope you Justin, follow in his foot steps, pick up the torch and hold it high.
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Hopefully the transparency of the review of the 2015 campaign will be more than the transparent government Harper promised
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As a long-time post-partisanship person, I simply hope, hope that transparency and consultation thrive. It has been far too many years, with whichever government we had, that the citizens/residents/taxpayers were ever truly consulted by any of the Feds.
Please, ‘boy Trudeau’ as one of my political junkie friends who despises him, calls him, call on Elizabeth May, Tom Mulcair, and some other parties ‘angels’, yes, even the finest among the Cons, to work with the government, and return respect and integrity to scientists, archivists, historians, and the multicultural group that includes all Canadians.
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Even in victory, your hatred for the past fulminates. I’ve been on a great planet and in a great country. Your resentments might be of this world, as they would be inspired by a satanic influence in this his temporary kingdom. Hey, but have a look at this, and see if your prejudices might take a holiday. Please disregard the source, and somehow keep an open mind…>> http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/10/19/harper-leadership-never-felt-like-thievery
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If Robert Tripp is referring to my comment as opposed to those of the publisher and other commentators, that is too bad, as I admire this blog for allowing such huge variance of opinions, and I particularly admire Mr. Tripps sense of humour, his irony.
I am not one who feels this Liberal majority is in any way “victorious” —- quite the opposite. I had dearly hoped for a Minority gov. of any kind, one that would use collaborative minds and ideas to move ahead. Yes, I am a librarian/archiivist/historian by trade, and we and our compatriots in Sociology and The Sciences have been severely muted, shut down, forced to be quiet, abslutely muzzled the last ten years.
I can attest to that precisely as former MP Dykstra made a mockery of the Can. Library Associations ‘Constitution and Mission statement” so much so that the CLA blackballed the St. C. Library years ago. Mr. Tripp knows nothing of that, being outside the city, so fair enough. R.Tripp tells us to ignore the source. Hard to do, it being PostMedia, but still an interesting link to read, with some thoughtful editorial remarks.
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Fair enough, Gail. Truly, I in fact did not know that. I was with you there too, hoping for a Minority, and perhaps a bit better balance and accountability, without anyone steamrolling their policies through. More debate and wise deliberation is needed to bring about properly refined and appropriate solutions.
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