"When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is when it's rapidly losing its moral authority to govern."
- Stephen Harper, April 18, 2005
"The Prime Minister has the moral responsibility to respect the rule of the House."
- Stephen Harper, April 13, 2005
* * * *
This morning the full force of yesterday's event hit me. I looked at my calendar for next week. Monday says: "Confidence Vote!!!!"
I thought the resisters were safe. I was sure after the coalition formed a government, the deportations and threats of deportations would stop. And now... what?
Believe me, I know the shut-down of Parliament has very serious consequences for thousands of Canadians. People will lose their homes, their jobs, their savings. But the thought that a family with a six-year-old boy with epilepsy - whose only "crime" is a father who was sickened by war and lies and said, "No more!" - could be expelled from this country, and the father put in prison... my heart breaks at the thought.
We can't let that happen. We won't let that happen. But we were so close.
I'd better go read yesterday's post to cheer up!