Steve's good (and safe) to go

[bob vernon]

The day after the Crown announces that they won't appeal the Mike Duffy trial, Steve Harper announces that he's retiring as an MP. Sitting MPs can't be compelled to testify in a court. By staying in the House of Commons, Steve could avoid being called as a witness. What a standup kinda guy.

[occasional thoughts]

Interesting. Would he be so strategic and cynical? Oh yeah, gotta remember who we're talking about. I had once upon a time come to kinda like Preston Manning. I found Mr. Harper borderline despicable in his style and values and I had not previously realized how amoral conservatives had become.

[SmokeOnTheWater]

The day after the Crown announces that they won't appeal the Mike Duffy trial, Steve Harper announces that he's retiring as an MP. Sitting MPs can't be compelled to testify in a court. By staying in the House of Commons, Steve could avoid being called as a witness. What a standup kinda guy.

Who's Harper ?
Out with the old, in with the new.
Everyone waves bye bye now.

[Urbane]

I have a different take, and a minority one, when it comes to our politicians. The vast majority of them, IMHO, run for office to serve and to try and make the country a better place. Stephen Harper is no exception. I voted Liberal in last year's election and I was glad to see fresh faces elected to run the country. However, I don't hate Harper, I don't think he's a cynical conniving rascal who's only in it for himself, and I acknowledge the good things that he did. I wish him nothing but the best in his retirement from politics.

[occasional thoughts]

Urbane, you are too much of a gentleman! I don't like disliking people, but Stephen Harper truly took my breath away some times with who he hired, who he appointed, who he defended, what happened under his watch, & etc. While I might never have voted for "Reform", I was impressed with the apparent integrity (and what else would one expect from Rev. Manning's son) while he was leader of his party; Harper came from Reform, but he didn't have the values of Manning. Cunning, et al, yes in spades, and based on the conservative cadre on the forums, that is what conservatism is all about these days as I'm understanding it and them.

Pierre had has issues but he was not bad; Joe Clark was pretty good; Mulroney was Mulroney, a red Tory I guess and that was the old Conservative dominants; Turner was a joke in office; Chretien was a physical and political thug and an intellectual nothing; Martin had promise but he truly disappointed me; there was another Liberal, Stephane?, who came and went so quickly he hardly had a persona with us. And Harper as I said above and Justin, we'll have to see; at least he's centrist but I don't like some of what is emerging from him and about him.

To prove that I don't dislike everybody, I loved Harcourt as premier, thought he should have been premier for life, but he was undercut by the thug Clark. I really liked Christy earlier on, but she's slowly but surely disappointing on the ethical/open govt side of things.

They say the people (voters) are always right and get what they want, but we need a primary system like the U.S. IMHO to break some of the stranglehold the parties and insiders have on Canadian politics.

[GordonH]

Thanks for the memories (good... cough... bad & just ugly), and Farewell.

[The Green Barbarian]

Who's Mike Duffy?

[Graham Adder]

Who's Mike Duffy?

Wasn't that Rob Ford's cousin or something?
I dunno, maybe I just imagined them together at 88 Grand Buffet.
Bellies up!

[FreeRights]

Extraordinarily suspicious timing to announce retirement...

[occasional thoughts]

Shall we bash Mr. Harper for costing the Canadian taxpayers an expensive byelection. like good right-wing nut bars? Of should we grant him the benefit of the fact/doubt granted to most MPs and other elected representative that staying until an election is not compulsory in our system.

[jimmy4321]

That`s a short term memory gripe what about the actual extended federal election that showed him the door, there`s a whole catalogue.

[The Green Barbarian]

*removed*

[Glacier]

I have a different take, and a minority one, when it comes to our politicians. The vast majority of them, IMHO, run for office to serve and to try and make the country a better place. Stephen Harper is no exception. I voted Liberal in last year's election and I was glad to see fresh faces elected to run the country. However, I don't hate Harper, I don't think he's a cynical conniving rascal who's only in it for himself, and I acknowledge the good things that he did. I wish him nothing but the best in his retirement from politics.

Good post. MPs don't actually get privilege, but even still, I'm not as conspiracy theorist as the OP and others. The optics of resigning right away would look like he's a sore loser. Plus, in my view he probably only considered resigning after getting offers from the private sector. The speculators will disagree, but hey, it's a free country, you can hold whatever theory you want.

As for the facts in the matter, we do know that Harper was never the conservative extremist we were led to expect.

[Omnitheo]

Paul Martin announced he was stepping down after he lost. He didn't appear to be a sore loser. He knew he lost and he gave his announcement and people were sad, but he never lost what remaining respect people had for him.

S***bag Steve though neglected to do the honourable thing. He made Canadians continue to pay his salary while he made only token appearances in parliament. He hid on the sidelines and bided his time for duffygate to blow over before resigning at the first opportunity that wouldn't caused him to get pulled into court.

[dieseluphammerdown]

S***bag Steve though neglected to do the honourable thing. He made Canadians continue to pay his salary while he didn't show up for parliament. He hid on the sidelines and bided his time for duffygate to blow over before resigning at the first opportunity that wouldn't caused him to get pulled into court.

Thanks for a great ten years Steve.
It's just to bad you had to lose to a shmuck who in his first six months in office plunged us 30 billion into debt and with that total still climbing.
It's to bad that We now have so many potheads in Canada that would throw their support behind a clown who's biggest accomplishments are failing at acting, failing at grad school and failing as a teacher.
I hear though that your replacement was a professional ski board instructor, and can roll and smoke joints with the best of them though.
Yes Steve you will be missed, at least by Canadians that still hold this country in a higher regard than our new PM and his following who think it's all about selfies and travelling and *bleep* away tax payers money.