It appears our federal government will be ending the year on a series of sour notes.
Recent polls indicate the popularity of the Harper government has been dropping. While British Columbians know well that polls aren’t always an indicator of things to come, it’s difficult to deny the increasing cynicism among the public towards our federal leadership.
Of course, the Senate scandal has certainly captured and, more importantly, continues to hold the attention of Canadians. If anything, it has highlighted the fact that our Prime Minister lacks one of the key attributes of leadership: taking responsibility for what happens on your watch.
Another, more recent bit of poor publicity for the Harper government came in the form of a clearly unscripted sound bite by Industry Minister James Moore. While being interviewed by a Lower Mainland radio reporter, the minister candidly revealed his perspective on the responsibility of the state for its children.
“Is it my job to feed my neighbour’s child? I don’t think so,” said Moore.
At first, the portly Conservative MP for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam assured the quote was taken out of context. When an audio recording of his comments were made public, however, Moore appeared to have a Rob Ford moment and abruptly changed his tune.
Whether or not Moore’s slip will help further sink the Conservative ship remains to be seen. But it does give Canadians further insight into the mindset of the ruling elite and how they feel about being their brother’s keeper.