The Canadian media has been pretty stingy in their praise for Stephen Harper so it is refreshing to see the prestigious Economist magazine and German Chancellor Angela Merkel come to his rescue with some well deserved accolades for leadership in his stubborn resistance to European pressure for a new global tax on banks.
Harper has not only managed to generally govern quite admirably for the past four years but, without the advantage of a parliamentary majority, has successfully guided our economy through the current economic turbulence, which is no mean feat.
He deserves credit for the attention given the Arctic with the building of a commercial fisheries harbour, geo-mapping to upgrade Arctic research and plans to build the John G. Diefenbaker icebreaker. Significant progress on social policies has been achieved like making Employment Insurance available and extending parental benefits for the self-employed, strengthening Internet child pornography laws and increased funding for health inspection of food. The government has been strong on crime and justice issues, defence and military policies, continues to work for Parliamentary reform and has supported quite generously specific initiatives such as the Olympics.
Harper and the Conservatives have progressed well beyond empty rhetoric with concrete achievements and deserve the chance to prove what they could do with a majority government.
Gerald Hall, Parksville, B.C.
