An Open Letter to Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP)

Dear Mr. Layton

The Harper Conservative Government is a minority government of wealth and privilege. The first priority of Prime Minister Harper and Finance Minister Flaherty during the current global economic crisis has been to ensure that investor classes that live parasitically from corporate, bank, energy and arms profiteering are protected first. These are the interests that form the political support base of the Conservative Party.

The Harper Conservative Government has no record of protecting wage earners thrown out of work and onto the streets. Where is that record?

The Conservatives beginning with Brain Mulroney are the party and government that undermined the unemployment insurance system, turned it over to general revenue where it was plundered and used for everything except insuring the lost earnings of the unemployed.

Canada’s unemployment insurance benefits are far below the OECD average tied for last with Great Britain. To suggest as you and your advisors are doing, that by giving this discredited minority right wing government NDP Parliamentary support, you can charm and inveigle Prime Minister Harper to act in the interests of the unemployed is illusory.

There is one issue confronting Canada and its people in any confidence vote arising in the House of Commons in the days ahead. That issue is the overriding urgency of dealing a crushing defeat to the right wing Harper Government and to rid the country of its poisonous affect on democracy.

The majority of Canadians have never supported the right wing extremism represented by Prime Minister Harper. A direct and unambiguous rejection of its policies accords with what most Canadians want.

We call upon you to go over the heads of your clever advisors, over the heads of Parliamentary in-fighting and go directly to the labour movement, the peace movement, the environmental movement and Canadian electorate with a simple statement of unequivocal opposition to Conservative rule.

No NDP support for the right-wing Harper Conservatives.

Don Currie, Chair,
Canadians for Peace and Socialism