If you need a reason to get out and vote this week, here’s a reminder of what the Harper government is, and what the Harper government is turning Canada into. When we’re talking about the Harper Conservatives, we’re talking about a party that is:

Autocratic

• The Conservative government has routinely been blocking journalists from asking questions
• Conservative MPs have been instructed to skip debates and avoid media
• Harper campaign events are by invitation only and being allowed attend includes a body search and a gag order

Oil-dependent

• Harper lied about oil subsidies as part of his campaign
• A Conservative candidate stated that oil spills are not a problem because it is a natural substance
• The Conservative government is being taken to court by First Nations to overturn the conditional approval of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline

Colonialist

• In a video interview Harper said a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women is not on his radar, then later denied saying it
• A Conservative MP said lack of jobs is the cause of missing and murdered Indigenous women because they can’t stay on the reserve “where we want them to be”

Militaristic

• Harper is campaigning on militaristic foreign policy
using fear tactics to justify hostility

Xenophobic

• Harper personally interfered in order to prevent the arrival of Syrian refugees
• The Conservatives tried to prevent women from being able to choose to wear a niqab in the Canadian citizenship ceremony
• A Conservative MP told prospective Canadians wanting to wear a niqab at their citizenship ceremony to “stay the hell where you came from”
• Harper created an Islamophobic RCMP tip line to report “barbaric cultural practices”

Homophobic

• A Conservative candidate defended gay conversion therapies, referring to homosexuality as “unnatural behaviour”
• The Conservative platform is heteronormative and their official policy declaration states that they support legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman

Criminal

• As part of his campaign, Harper defended appointing Duffy to the Senate, who is currently on trial for fraud
• Elections Canada has warned staff to be on the lookout for increasingly sophisticated tactics of voter suppression

Although this post might look comprehensive, it’s not. These articles don’t span the last decade of Harper’s government, they span the last few weeks. This government is toxic, and it’s time to end it.