The 143rd Speech from the Throne - “Economic Renewal” for Whom?”

Prime Minister Harper has crafted the Speech from the Throne to forestall consideration of any proposals for economic “renewal” not designed to protect banking and corporate wealth first. No sooner had Governor General Michaëlle Jean stepped down from the regal dais, right on cue, Premier Stelmach of Alberta announced a freeze on royalty payments for the big oil companies.

The throne speech ignored the needs of labour. The Prime Minister remained mute on the urgency of expanding the EI system, freezing mortgage payments of unemployed workers and protecting pensions of the retired. An immediate start on a government funded low costs housing construction program and urban and rural infrastructure programs which could ease the impact of the crisis on the working people was off the table.

The speech selected all of the proposals of the November 10th first minister meeting and the November 15th G20 meeting that strengthen the global banking system and continue the discredited neo-liberal stratagems of privatization deregulation and decentralization. The speech refloated the discredited corporate cap and trade “environmental” strategy that rewards the energy giants for polluting.

The speech calls for a freeze on government spending which means less money for health care and social programs to alleviate poverty. The speech promotes P3’s, support for the Alberta-BC and SPP backed trade investment and labour mobility (TILMA) the latter, a plan to drive down wages and labour standards to the lowest common denominator. For the farmers Harper promised to proceed with the scuttling of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Prime Minister Harper dares the opposition to question escalating military spending brazenly restating his government’s plan to carry forward, in the midst of a depression a 20 year $482 billion plan to revamp all three branches of the armed forces. The speech pledges to continue Canada’s support for US-NATO wars of interference and the Bush Doctrine of the so-called “right to intervene”. Harper is floating the idea with a new name, “new non-partisan democratic agency”. More ominously the Conservative Government plans to table a National Security Statement. Every time the Conservative Government mentions “security” it results in a loss of civil and democratic rights.

The Speech from the Throne is in essence a reactionary appeal for big business class “solidarity” against the victims of the coming depression, the working people of Canada.

What the opposition may or may not do in the debate on the speech from the throne is not yet clear. Next comes Finance Minister Flaherty’s economic update next week as the economy sinks daily deeper into recession. The initial statements of Dion, Layton and Duceppe are not encouraging.

The idea of bringing down the Harper government and forming a reform coalition government to implement a genuine program on behalf of labour and the farmers, and all people who must labour to live, seems to be beyond their imagination.

Left Turn Canada!