Stephen Harper hits hard on carbon taxes, open borders and more in new book

[Thiel]

I am going to post a few articles here by Anthony Furey.



Stephen Harper was the best minority pm we have have ever had. He guided this country through the worst economic downturn in seventy years.



He showed Bush, Obama, the American congress and the Europeans the right response in a severe downturn.



It's no surprise he is one of the most respected statesmen in the world today.

The most compelling part of Stephen Harper's new book, Right Here, Right Now, is that it lives up to its title.



It's not a trip down memory lane, like so many political memoirs, where a politician out to pasture regales the reader with stories of the past.



In fact, this isn't a memoir at all. It's the former Canadian PM's take on the most pressing and hottest public policy issues of the day. And Harper pulls no punches.



Trade, Trump, carbon taxes, open borders — it's all here. Even the NFL protests make a cameo. Whatever your politics, this is the must-read political book of the year.



The chapters that wade through President Donald Trump, Brexit and other populist schisms present Harper as something of an earnest referee in a saga that has been too often fuelled by shoddy reporting and a deliberate misrepresentation of others' motives (like constant unsubstantiated allegations of racism).





Harper's message is simple: Listen to regular people. Don't talk at them or down to them. Their concerns are earnest and legitimate.



When it comes to Canadian politics, Harper has made a point of keeping a low public profile since losing the 2015 federal election to current PM Justin Trudeau. In keeping with the convention practised by former PMs and U.S. Presidents, he's offered no aggressive criticism of his successor. He's only spoken out twice — on the Khadr pay-out and, via a memo to his clients, concerning NAFTA.



For those hoping Right Here, Right Now bucks that trend, they will be somewhat rewarded. Harper does not outright mention Trudeau by name. There is no partisan politics in this book. This solely is a book about issues.



But Trudeau haunts every second page of this book. Because so many of the issues Harper weighs in on are issues Trudeau now faces.



Like how the former PM has zero time for carbon taxes, finding it surprising the number of business people who champion it.



"Such thinking reflects a dangerous disconnect between elite consensus and regular citizens."



Harper describes carbon taxes as revenues tools levied against regular voters that "are not effective at reducing emissions."



The chapter on immigration is more about Trump's wall and the DACA troubles, but it's hard to imagine Harper wrote it without the Roxham Road border crisis — where Trudeau seems to enjoy fanning the flames — coming to mind.



"We are witnessing the liberal left openly embrace extreme views on immigration as a matter of principle," he writes. "The 'open borders' position is the clearest example."



The current PM uses concerns about borders to question peoples' motives and call Conservatives bad names. Harper has a message for those at risk of taking the bait: "We no more need 'closed borders' than we need 'open borders'," he advises.



He elsewhere stresses that "conservatives should remain pro-market, pro-trade, pro-globalization, and pro-immigration at heart... And being pro-immigration should never mean sanctioning the erasure of our borders or ignoring the interests of our citizens."



There are a couple sections that are than thinly veiled digs at Trudeau, ones that the current PM's detractors and Harper supporters will say were a long time coming.



Such as the former PM's insistence that "it is the principal responsibility of national governments to protect and advance the interests of their citizens. The notion that we live in a "post-national" world is theoretically unsound and factually incorrect."



And who was it who famously claimed Canada could become the first post-national state? Trudeau, of course.



While Harper repeatedly speaks positively about immigration, he also stresses the importance of integration. One example he gives of an integration policy that he championed was the updating of the citizenship guide.



"We included, for example, a passage about how female genital mutilation, honour killings, and other similar customs constitute 'barbaric cultural practices'," he writes. "Only politicians seeking support in the darkest corners object to stating such basic norms."



Trudeau had a problem with that wording when in opposition and last year his government removed it.



A recurring theme throughout the book is Harper's concern about the troubling direction society has drifted in recent years. Such as how he decries that "left-wing education systems" have sheltered students from "understanding the real economic and human costs of economic collectivism." Or his worry that "a return to socialist economics in this day and age would take Western countries on a certain, irreversible, long-term decline."



But Right Here, Right Now is not a critical rant.



It's predominantly a story with a positive message to convey, about how earnestly listening to regular peoples' concerns amidst this era of populist disruption can help re-align public policy to the advantage of all.



It's a refreshing change to see a former parliamentarian offer a look forward, rather than tales from the past. It's also a sign that Harper is far from done weighing in on the issues of the day.

[Thiel]

FUREY FACTOR: Harper socialism warnings & "corrosive" Liberal elite politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... UVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk

[Thiel]

FUREY: Illegal border screenings "incomplete security portrait"— RCMP doc

An internal national intelligence report from the RCMP obtained by the Toronto Sun breaks down some of the security challenges caused by the recent influx of asylum seekers crossing illegally into Canada.



"The surge of illegal (between the ports) migration into Canada in summer 2017 placed a considerable strain on Canadian border and immigration resources," explained the January, 2018 report, obtained through access to information laws. "The screening of these subjects through CPIC, NCIC, Interpol and PROS — time permitting — provides an incomplete security portrait, as subjects might hold records of criminal activity within local databases of their countries of origin. The RCMP requires access to local holdings to improve the detection of previously affiliated crime/gang members attempting to illegally enter Canada."



Their concerns are connected, the report explains, to the presence of the notorious MS-13 and 18th Street Gang operations in both El Salvador and North America. The RCMP sought access to the Grupo Conjunto de Inteligencia Fronteriza (GCIF), an analytics centre with access to dozens of Salvodorean intelligence databases.



A number of stories in Canadian media have told of El Salvadoreans fleeing the severe gang violence that they allege has victimized them. But these documents suggest border agents are not always able to guarantee that the very people causing asylum seekers to flee in the first place do not also enter Canada.



This summer the Sun first reported on how U.S. border agents arrested an 18th Street Gang member who crossed illegally into the U.S. after having first made it into Canada.



The office of Bill Blair, the minister of border security and organized crime reduction, referred questions on the matter to the RCMP.



"We work closely with our international partners and maintain strong relationships with law enforcement agencies around the world," Sgt. Tania Vaughan, from the RCMP's national communication services, told the Sun. "These relationships are fundamental to our ability to ensure Canada responds to the globalized threat from terrorism and other criminal threats to our national security."



But the RCMP would not confirm whether or not they now have access to the GCIF database and whether it is used at the controversial Roxham Road border crossing, explaining that they do not disclose details on operational matters.

[Thiel]

FUREY: The numbers are in — Canada's border crossers keep on coming

It's been a funny phenomenon, the conversation around Canada's illegal border crossings. It was a big deal back last year when the problem was first reported upon, albeit a little late and more than a little begrudgingly, by my venerable colleagues in the press.



Since then, it dies down and flares up every couple of months. Like in April, when Conservative MP Michelle Rempel proposed making the entire border an official point of entry. Or in July, when federal Liberal minister Ahmed Hussen inferred Ontario PC cabinet minister Lisa MacLeod was "unCanadian" for her questions on the file.



Now, it only makes sense to bring up the issue again when there's something new to report, say a new development or policy revision and so on. But these lull periods in the news might give people the impression that these are also lull periods when it comes to the actual numbers. And that when we are not talking about all of these people crossing illegally into the country every month that's because they aren't doing it or at least not a much. That is not the case. Far from it.



On Thursday, the government released the September numbers and they tell an interesting story. They haven't really gone up all that much, depending on what month you compare them to. But they haven't really gone down either. They're just there. Constant.



And that's the thing. Canada's illegal border phenomenon hasn't gone way. It's staying put. It's the new normal.



Last month, a total of 1,601 people crossed "irregularly" into Canada and made an asylum claim. That's far fewer people than the record high of last August, which was 5,712. But it's higher than several months out of this year, including June's tally of 1,263 people.



If you average out all of the reported monthly numbers since the problem began at the beginning of 2017, you get 1,729 as the monthly average number. So right now we're just slightly below average, with around 50 people a day making the journey.



That is not the 200 or more that some experts worried would become the new normal. But it's still a major departure from where we were at before this all began. In 2016, there were 2,464 people apprehended. That's not just for one month. That's the whole year.



Back in August, Louis Dumas, a senior public servant with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, told the city council of Cornwall — which is Ontario's unofficial welcome wagon to the Roxham Rd. crossers who decide they won't stay put in Quebec — that we're now witnessing migration patterns similar to what's happening in Europe.



"Canada is no longer protected from this reality," he said.



Looks like he was right.

It is illegal to cross the way they are. But, don't expect Trudeau to do anything about the problem he created.

[Anonymous]

FUREY FACTOR: Harper socialism warnings & "corrosive" Liberal elite politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... UVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk

I agree with the former prime minister about politicians labelling those that disagree with them..



It's bullying people out of exercising their democratic rights.

[Anonymous]

FUREY FACTOR: Harper socialism warnings & "corrosive" Liberal elite politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... UVrn3u-MKk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=LUVrn3u-MKk

I agree with the former prime minister about politicians labelling those that disagree with them..



It's bullying people out of exercising their democratic rights.

I was not a fan of Stephen Harper, but this country has never had a pm I liked. I liked what he had to say in this video. And let's face it, a mop and bucket is superior to Trudeau.

[Anonymous]

I want to download his book.

[Anonymous]

I want to download his book.

I like some of the things he said in the video. But, he is a conservative. I don't trust them.

[Anonymous]

I am going to post a few articles here by Anthony Furey.



Stephen Harper was the best minority pm we have have ever had. He guided this country through the worst economic downturn in seventy years.



He showed Bush, Obama, the American congress and the Europeans the right response in a severe downturn.



It's no surprise he is one of the most respected statesmen in the world today.

The most compelling part of Stephen Harper's new book, Right Here, Right Now, is that it lives up to its title.



It's not a trip down memory lane, like so many political memoirs, where a politician out to pasture regales the reader with stories of the past.



In fact, this isn't a memoir at all. It's the former Canadian PM's take on the most pressing and hottest public policy issues of the day. And Harper pulls no punches.



Trade, Trump, carbon taxes, open borders — it's all here. Even the NFL protests make a cameo. Whatever your politics, this is the must-read political book of the year.



The chapters that wade through President Donald Trump, Brexit and other populist schisms present Harper as something of an earnest referee in a saga that has been too often fuelled by shoddy reporting and a deliberate misrepresentation of others' motives (like constant unsubstantiated allegations of racism).





Harper's message is simple: Listen to regular people. Don't talk at them or down to them. Their concerns are earnest and legitimate.



When it comes to Canadian politics, Harper has made a point of keeping a low public profile since losing the 2015 federal election to current PM Justin Trudeau. In keeping with the convention practised by former PMs and U.S. Presidents, he's offered no aggressive criticism of his successor. He's only spoken out twice — on the Khadr pay-out and, via a memo to his clients, concerning NAFTA.



For those hoping Right Here, Right Now bucks that trend, they will be somewhat rewarded. Harper does not outright mention Trudeau by name. There is no partisan politics in this book. This solely is a book about issues.



But Trudeau haunts every second page of this book. Because so many of the issues Harper weighs in on are issues Trudeau now faces.



Like how the former PM has zero time for carbon taxes, finding it surprising the number of business people who champion it.



"Such thinking reflects a dangerous disconnect between elite consensus and regular citizens."



Harper describes carbon taxes as revenues tools levied against regular voters that "are not effective at reducing emissions."



The chapter on immigration is more about Trump's wall and the DACA troubles, but it's hard to imagine Harper wrote it without the Roxham Road border crisis — where Trudeau seems to enjoy fanning the flames — coming to mind.



"We are witnessing the liberal left openly embrace extreme views on immigration as a matter of principle," he writes. "The 'open borders' position is the clearest example."



The current PM uses concerns about borders to question peoples' motives and call Conservatives bad names. Harper has a message for those at risk of taking the bait: "We no more need 'closed borders' than we need 'open borders'," he advises.



He elsewhere stresses that "conservatives should remain pro-market, pro-trade, pro-globalization, and pro-immigration at heart... And being pro-immigration should never mean sanctioning the erasure of our borders or ignoring the interests of our citizens."



There are a couple sections that are than thinly veiled digs at Trudeau, ones that the current PM's detractors and Harper supporters will say were a long time coming.



Such as the former PM's insistence that "it is the principal responsibility of national governments to protect and advance the interests of their citizens. The notion that we live in a "post-national" world is theoretically unsound and factually incorrect."



And who was it who famously claimed Canada could become the first post-national state? Trudeau, of course.



While Harper repeatedly speaks positively about immigration, he also stresses the importance of integration. One example he gives of an integration policy that he championed was the updating of the citizenship guide.



"We included, for example, a passage about how female genital mutilation, honour killings, and other similar customs constitute 'barbaric cultural practices'," he writes. "Only politicians seeking support in the darkest corners object to stating such basic norms."



Trudeau had a problem with that wording when in opposition and last year his government removed it.



A recurring theme throughout the book is Harper's concern about the troubling direction society has drifted in recent years. Such as how he decries that "left-wing education systems" have sheltered students from "understanding the real economic and human costs of economic collectivism." Or his worry that "a return to socialist economics in this day and age would take Western countries on a certain, irreversible, long-term decline."



But Right Here, Right Now is not a critical rant.



It's predominantly a story with a positive message to convey, about how earnestly listening to regular peoples' concerns amidst this era of populist disruption can help re-align public policy to the advantage of all.



It's a refreshing change to see a former parliamentarian offer a look forward, rather than tales from the past. It's also a sign that Harper is far from done weighing in on the issues of the day.

Harper governed under some of the most unfavourable times and under the most unfavouable conditions(minority government). When he finally got his majority, he bucked the global trend and held the line on spending.  



There were a lot of blunders, but his government  was the best in the Western world for the times he was in office.