Former Prime Minister accuses Stephen Harper's government of trying to "dumb down" Canadians

[marmar]

from the Toronto Star:





Susan Delacourt Ottawa Bureau


WINDSOR, ONT.—Former prime minister Paul Martin is accusing the Conservative government of trying to “dumb down” the country by doing away with census information that has been vital to budget-making and Canada’s international reputation.

“This country is not going to be dumbed down by a federal government that doesn’t care if in fact we make good policy based on good evidence,” Martin told a cheering Liberal crowd in his hometown of Windsor on Sunday.

And Ontario’s Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan, says that the province intends to keep up the fight against the Harper’s government’s decision to do away with the mandatory long-form census.

“This is not the way to run a democracy,” Martin told reporters on Sunday, when he and Duncan appeared at a rally in his hometown of Windsor with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

Martin says he sees the census decision as part of Stephen Harper’s larger attempt to clamp down on information and free discussion among Canadians. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/census/article/845380--paul-martin-accuses-tories-of-dumbing-down-canada?bn=1

[Canuckistanian]

1. Good for him

I never much agreed with Martin when he was in power and he still is a pawn of corporate interests. But he at least knew the basics of running this country.

I have no fucking clue what Harper is trying to do, other than create a government based on the failed ideas of the Bush/Cheney regime.

[Newsjock]

2. The puppet strings on George W. Harper ...

... reach all the way back to Washington, to places like the AEI and the Heritage Foundation.

[applegrove]

3. You go guy!

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Harper appears intent on bringing the best of US corporatism

to Canada.

Not that they have any shortage of it in any case.