In my personal experience, the trouble with trying to talk politics with a supporter of Stephen Harper is they will immediately dismiss you as a leftwing hippie if you question Harper’s stance on … anything. That’s precisely what he wants, and it’s a shame it’s what he gets.

It was announced last month that if re-elected, he’ll make it a convictable offense for Canadians to travel to what he considers a “terrorist hotbed.�? And he’ll also boost military reservists to 30,000 people in 4 years.
Contrary to popular propaganda, Canada is not constantly under fire from abroad. We can all agree terrorism is horrible, but since the year 2000, it has killed fewer Canadians on Canadian soil than vending machines. Likewise, moose have killed more Newfoundlanders than terrorism in Canada.

This article is not bandwagon-hatred of Harper. I’m simply a Canadian citizen infuriated that my prime minister is condescending enough to think I’ll fall for what he’s really doing: trying to scare me into voting for him.
Harper’s weird “Travel Ban�? announcement and promise to beef up military is his way of seeming tough on terrorism, because his opponents seem relatively weaker against it. All this talk of terror and war is just Harper deflecting from questions about the state of our economy.

Not once, but twice during the MacLean’s debate, he claimed Canada has a balanced budget. We don’t. The Parliamentary Budget Officer doesn’t lie, and says Canada will run a deficit of $1 billion this year. And while Harper claims otherwise, that makes this his eighth deficit in a row. He has the worst financial track record of any prime minister since WW2. Numbers don’t lie, unlike Harper.

Mulcair and Trudeau are trying to make him accountable for Canada’s struggling economy, but instead of addressing their questions, Harper is making the conversation about terrorism, not the economy. And oddly enough, hundreds of thousands of Canadians still think a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for a solid economy … despite wild news headlines like 2013’s, “Canada can’t account for $3.1 Billion in anti-terror funding, Auditor General finds.�? That’s the epitome of financial irresponsibility.

I’m not sure what voodoo magic the Harper Government made work, but there are plenty of people who think that Mulcair is too leftwing, and Trudeau is too young to be fiscally responsible. The facts don’t lie: Harper is responsible for EIGHT DEFICITS IN A ROW!

Harper is full of plans for national security, and little else, from what this voter can tell. The reality is Mulcair and Trudeau aren’t weak on terrorism because they are in disagreement with Harper on his travel ban … or Harper’s other anti-terrorism incentives, like Bill C-51. They’re just smart enough to know this travel ban won’t work. To quote Tom Mulcair, “I don’t know of too many flights between Toronto and these war zones. Most terrorists are going [to terrorism hot spots] through other countries, so the ban won’t make a big difference, practically speaking.�?

People respond to fear and Harper knows it: it’s a primitive survival instinct. But the only thing to really be scared about here is another 4 years of this man’s bullshit and outmoded values. While Harper slashes funding to things like CBC to try and balance the books, Mulcair and Trudeau speak of actual remedies for our economy. For example, Trudeau – putting wisdom over looking good – wants us to eat 3 more deficits while he doubles spending on infrastructure that will, in the long run, truly reignite our economy.