Shawn Murphy , M.P. for Charlottetown

After several months of “recalibrating” the Harper Government delivered to Canadians its third Speech from the Throne in fifteen months. 

 

A Throne Speech is a statement of the Government’s agenda for the upcoming Parliament. Since we had a Throne Speech in November 2008, January 2009 and now in March 2010, it came as no surprise that this was mostly a regurgitation of old ideas and aspirational statements. Even the title of the Throne Speech “A Stronger Canada; A Stronger Economy; Now and for the Future” was more or less taken from the John Howard Government of Australia.

 

The joke going around Ottawa is that Harper had to suspend Parliament to “recalibrate” government. This was a very weak statement and I don’t know what is getting people more annoyed: the Throne Speech or their decision to re-write the lyrics to O Canada.

 

What we are seeing here is democracy playing itself out. The Harper Government is getting tired, stale and is running out of gas. This invariably happens to every government, some sooner than later.

 

The federal budget will be tabled today at 4:00 PM – stay tuned.