Categories: Need to know

Canada doesn't have a constitutional monarchy. It has a “Harper government."

Tories re-brand government moniker in government communications

by macleans.ca on Friday, March 4, 2011 12:07pm - 107 Comments

It’s official: the Harper government is now calling itself the Harper government. Public servants were told in a directive late last year that the “Government of Canada” moniker in federal communications should be replaced with the words “Harper government.” Dimitri Soudas, the Prime Minister’s spokesman, told The Globe and Mail that this “a long-standing practice that accurately reflects the government’s leadership, regardless of who was the prime minister.” He pointed to government releases in the past that referred to the “Paul Martin government” and the “Chrétien government.” So what’s the big deal? Journalists routinely use the phrase when reporting the Conservative government’s actions. Says Jonathan Rose, a specialist in political communications at Queen’s University: “It is one thing for journalists or even the public to use the more partisan ‘Harper government,’ but it is another thing for the state to equate the Government of Canada with the leader of the governing party.”

The Globe and Mail

Tags: Parliament

Trudeau lover

How dare "Harper" use the media's phrase of the "Harper Government"… who does "Harper" think he is Trudeau? If "Harper" thinks he's going to change Trudeauvia into "the Harper Government" he's sadly mistaken. Trudeauvia will never die!! I hope the media and the Liberal/Separatist party keep up the hysteria surrounding everything "the Harper Government" does or doesn't do… Long live Trudeauvia!!!

Moi-de Saint.

One of trudeaus, in an outs? lol

stephen

Now I understand why Baird was referring the coalition as a coup back in 2008
ladybinford

So when does Steve start wearing colourful military garb replete with rows of shiny medals or maybe even a little turban and long flowing robes and is followed around by a bevy of virgin female bodyguards.
And this is before he sits under the glass ceiling in the new parliament building. Can hardly wait to see what happens after he's been sitting under glass for a whlle. A tin foil hat maybe?
wilson

And the next new shiny thing for Libs and their media
Podium-gate
http://drdawgsblawg.ca/2011/03/conservative-news-…

D.D.S

I don't know if I would be sharing this Wilson….It's fairly damning….except for the "Dear Leader" cultish followers that is

W.B.

Let's just say the Conservatives are only 1/4 of the way to where they really want to go with a majority.
It's 2015. What's it like now?
Holly Stick

The same Conservatives who don't recognize a crime as a crime when Conservatives commit it probably think this was a real clever thing to do.

JenniferMack

Mr. Harper has gotten one step closer to alienating this conservative voter… :S

hollinm

Not by a long shot. The term Harper Government is used by the media and the opposition parties as a derisive moniker in most instances. So Harper has turned a positive into a negative. Now the media will start referring to the government as the Government of Canada to show Mr. Harper. He wins again.

JenniferMack

Interesting interpretation, but I still don't like it.

Judge Roy Bean

Never see this story if it was still the Chretien or Martin governments. The hypocrisy form the left is so common and so unrelenting it seems normal. Should have showed 'the corrupt Creten governent' and 'moronic Martin government'.

Holly Stick

Chretien was never narcissistic enough to want to name the government after himself. What's wrong with you Conservative slaves?
D.D.S

yeah…..except for the fact that RIGHT NOW…it is the Harper Government…are they responsible??……ever??…….or is everything ok because "The Liberals did it"….

craigola

Remember that in this case, the Liberals didn't do it, ever. JRB is trying to make up for his inability to think rationally with a vivid imagination.

maudie

What we're living with now is not The Harper Government, it's The Harper Coalition.
Moi-de Saint.

Whatever! The Citizens of Canada are flocking to him. And even FAR better, the quebec ISN'T!
In fact, here is what les french are expert at! lol

CARAQUET, N.B. (CP) — Anyone with an aversion to loud noise would be well advised to stay clear of the annual Tintamarre event in Caraquet on New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula.

The point of this celebration is to make a raucous din — in theory, to demonstrate audibly the presence of Acadians.

Participants march with noisemakers and handmade instruments during Tintamarre, one of the flagship activities of the summertime Acadian Festival of Caraquet.

It’s not just loud but also messy, according to an article posted on the BBC’s travel website. In fact, Tintamarre is among the "world’s messiest festivals" — events where people just want "to make their mark on the world."

piss't, piss;t! lol
Selena

The term "harper Government" sums up perfectly the attitude of Deceiven' Stephen, his cabal and various and assorted gofers.

Holly Stick

It should always have a qualifier in front: the lyin' cheatin' Harper minority government, or the crooked Harper minority government.

bill_bo

That probably explains why Canada’s “brand” doesn’t have the same value to the rest of the world as before. The only countries that name themselves based on the current leader are places like Libya.
Ryan

I think he did it solely to make a few more left heads exploded. I mean, look at all the explosions all over this comment section! Hilarious!
chet

Why is it being made into a "big deal"?

Because a deserate opposition (and their desperate leftist abbetors in the media) are grasping onto anything…anything…as a pretext to halt Harper's ascention into majority territory.

The problem is, it isn't making everyday Canadians anti-Harper, its making them tune out this hyperpartisan nonsense.

Keith in Brampton

For chrissakes chet – he took the word Canada out of the name of our federal government and replaced it with his own name! We're not talking about the PMO, the HoC or the Senate here – we're talking THE WHOLE FRICKIN' WORKS!!! And threatened to fire people who disobeyed!

He has just put himself above this nation. That's how I see it; that's how many Canadians see it – as a personal affront and an insult to the history of this country and its government.

Many of the other scandals have been minor and – except for the cumulative effect – could be passed off as human error. But this is a deliberate, calculated move. It's a line drawn in the sand. And someone needs to step across that line and smack some sense into that man, figuratively speaking.

For the first time in my 47 years, I may have to join a party and actively campaign. And you can bet I WON'T be in the Conservative camp. IT'S THE G-D GOVERNMENT OF CANADA!!!!! Got it?

Tehc Support

They should have to show a little CONsistency and redo all their political ads' taglines accordingly, then:

Here For Harper
SiggiZ

Yes, Harper sounds more and more like either Stalin (with his personality cult – so famous in communistic states) or like the Maoists (again, the same as the Stalinists with their chinese counterpart of a personality cult). Pretty soon, we the people of Canada, must get big portraits of the "Dear Leader Harper" everywhere and even into our homes, the same way they did not only under the communists' but also under fascists' rulers, e.g. like Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, etc. I know, these regimes have gone to the wayside and their leaders as well, but we still have some of them around today, like in North Korea. Is Harper leveraging himself to that kind of leadership, control and personality cult? He already restricts freedom of speech to certain people, the freedom of association, demonstrations like it was done during the G8/G20; the influencing of elections by fraudelent schemes; the forgery of documents by one of his Minister (Bev Oda); the influence peddling by lobby groups hired by the big corporations; etc.
http://www.facebook.com/TheGypsyDad Dan Sauvé

O Harper Land! http://deadbrokedad.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-cana…
Skinny Dipper

We need to start a new conservative party so that we can split votes from the Harpercons. Let's get some actors to play the role of candidates. Their purpose would not be to win, but to siphon votes from the Harpercons. If a new conservative candidate wins, that would be a bonus for that candidate.
Budster

No doubt the next move will be to rename Canada "Harperland" with little Stevie as Lord of the Manor and the rest of us will be his serfs.
Judge Roy Bean

Does this red rag get a tax deduction for sucking up to the Lieberals this obvious. charlie is dead right, there is virtually no institution left in this country, particularly including our media who deserve any sort of respect. He is further correct in that we are totally and collectively doomed. With absolutely no one to vote for I now stay home. HJopefully the poorer of the choices will get in and we will collapse sooner rather than later so my grandchildren aren't saddled with todays greed and incompetence.
Jenn_

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43549.html
NOT a PM but a KING

If a PM can RUN AWAY AND HIDE (do a PROROGATION) from a scheduled Opposition non confidence vote (our ONLY mechanism to hold a PM in check or accountable) that the Opposition has already publicly announced they would defeat the PM/Government on … THEN the new KING CAN DO ANYTHING the KING WANTS because its already over … I will miss Canada.

The PM must ALWAYS maintain the confidence of the House … HE DIDN'T … that is when HE became our KING since ONLY a KING can RUN AWAY TO HIDE (either you have a KINGDOM or a DEMOCRACY) and HE claimed it was because HE KNEW BEST for us …. YET that was the whole point of the NC vote, HE DIDN'T.

Hail KING Harper … the HARPER Government … is here.
wilson

And the next new shiny thing for Libs and their media
Podium-gate
http://drdawgsblawg.ca/2011/03/conservative-news-…
wilson

Is the media so outraged now, instead of the Harper Government, they will refer to the Government of Canada?

Keith in Brampton

One can only hope…

http://www.facebook.com/leoduister74 Leo Duister

time for the bleeding hearts to stop their government basing
http://www.facebook.com/leoduister74 Leo Duister

time for the bleeding hearts to stop their government basing
http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

I, for one, welcome our new constitutional monarchy overlords
A. Whaltan

This is just Harper advertising the fact that he will and does always put Himself and His party above Canadians and Canada, he does not serve the public interests, he bankrupts the public interest.
Christine

Every person who commented here is basically saying the opposite of what the article says: WHAT is the big deal really. We all refer to the Trudeau government, Chretien Government. AND as far as I see in the news, there is no official directive to change all government of canda releases to Harper Government. This morning there were two releases and not a change to them…
G. Barnstable

If I get a tax bill from some entity called the Harper Government, rest assured it will not be paid. On the other hand, if I get a tax bill from some entity called the Government of Canada, maybe i should assume it no longer exists and not pay it???
Keith in Brampton

That would be a colloquial usage – a bit of shorthand – to indicate which PM was/is leading the party heading the Canadian government during a particular period. But he official name of the government is always the same: the Government of Canada.

The government belongs to ALL of us; not one party or person. Even the House of Commons is not exclusively Harper's; his party is the one with the most seats, but he doesn't even havea majority there. To rename the government the Harper Government is the height of arrogance. If it isn't already illegal, it should be.
Skinny Dipper

There's nothing wrong with informally calling the government of Canada "the Harper government." It's when it become official. That is what Harper has done. Harper is the state. Personally, I prefer "the Harper régime."
A_logician

Calling the government "the Harper government" gives me hope that the policies and practices of the current regime are merely a passing phase, and the pernicious policies and practices will pass when Harper is gone.
Azaelea

Hmmmm… so, I guess next Stevo would like us to address him as "Your Majesty" ???
Laura_Caitlin

I actually laughed out loud when i saw this.
I guess the next step is to re-write the anthem
Christinwe

But is he actually re naming it? If you look at the budget for 2004 it says Paul Martin government on the official budget. I don't recall him renaming the government OR it being this big of a deal…
Nick

There is a world of difference between a document tabled by the government – which is inherently political – being called a Harper document and forcing (on threat of dismissal) the apolitical civil service departments, to refer to the Government of Canada as the Harper Government. I don't care if the Conservatives want to call it the Harper Government – its forcing the apolitical institutions of government, , which do not exist to give free headlines to the PM, to refer to the Government of Canada as the Harper Government which is absurdly wrong. Of all the things they have done which I have disagreed with, this is the first thing which has truly kept me awake at night.

It (this atrocity) is misappropriation of government resources for marketing purposes – which is the least of my problems with it.

If an election had already been called it would be a breach of the Act.

It is clearly wrong to do this; if not explicitly so as it is in Ontario.

The notion that a right wing party and the state are a singular entity is Fascist by definition. When the totalitarian governing party is left wing we call it Communism. A right wing totalitarian regime is fascist.

Harper is purporting to create a fascist state in Canada by equating himself and his rightwing party with all apolitcal actions of the state, and by threatening civil servants who oppose his misappropriation.

This is what kept me awake last night.

Some people cannot make the logical distinction between the institution of government and the party in power; the subtly of the distinction is coupled with fear of reprisal is what helps keep totalitarian regimes in power.
Keith in Brampton

Exactly.
W.B.

Kicking the media (his media) out of a Liberal speech.
Nemo

Isn't the official title "Her Majesty's government"? And aren't the opposition "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition"?

It is so sad to see how much damage Harper has done to Canada, our culture and our traditions.

We are truly evolving into something akin to the Germany of the 1930's.
Athena

The McGuinty government has been "The McGuinty government" in all it's press releases since its beginning. I don't remember it ever being a big deal.
D.D.S

well….someone has started a petition…10 thousand sigs…so far http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43549/sign.htm…
D.D.S

press releases…yeah see I have no problem with that…..it's the whole "official" name change within the civil service part of the Government thing……yup…that I have a really big problem with…..
Dave

It should be, though – it's just as bad when Dalton does it.