Friday 3 June 2011

An Act of Civil Courage


A 21-year-old page has lost her Senate job after walking onto the Senate floor during the speech from the throne to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an action unprecedented in modern Canadian parliamentary history. Brigitte DePape, a recent University of Ottawa graduate, carried a sign reading "Stop Harper" and walked out in front of Gov. Gen. David Johnston as he read the speech Friday afternoon.

In a press release, DePape said: "Harper's agenda is disastrous for this country and for my generation. We have to stop him from wasting billions on fighter jets, military bases, and corporate tax cuts while cutting social programs and destroying the climate. Most people in this country know what we need are green jobs, better medicare, and a healthy environment for future generations. Contrary to Harper's rhetoric, Conservative values are not in fact Canadian values. How could they be when 3 out of 4 eligible voters didn't even give their support to the Conservatives? But we will only be able to stop Harper's agenda if people of all ages and from all walks of life engage in creative actions and civil disobedience."

Her action clearly demonstrates the frustration of many of the 61% of Canadian voters who voted against Harper's ideology-driven agenda which puts neo-conservative ideology ahead of any fact-derived vision for Canada.

Well done, Brigitte!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

true
canadian hero

rock on, page depape