Euro Treaty Would Give Harper More Power at Home
Stephen Harper's no-longer-secret agenda to implement a revolution from the right and dismantle Canada has one major impediment that must really stick in his craw. He is constrained in what he can do by the constitutional division of powers which gives the provinces so much political authority.
The really big social items on the political agenda -- health, education, social services -- are matters of provincial jurisdiction. To be sure, he can severely damage all of these by destroying the decades old principle of universality and slashing federal funding. But he can't get rid of them. The provinces also have a mandate on protecting the environment. And regarding labour rights, most working Canadians are in sectors that come under provincial jurisdiction. Lastly, the third level of government is also a creature of the provinces. While municipalities depend on the federal government for financial help, Ottawa has no political authority over them.
These constraints may help to explain why Harper is so enthusiastic about the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
CETA, if Harper can persuade the provinces to accede to its provisions, does what Harper can't do by himself. Like other trade agreements, this one systematically weakens the democratic decision-making authority of all levels of government. As such, it is Harper's Trojan horse. In the guise of expanding "trade" with the EU, he makes progress in his goal of emasculating democratic governance.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/09/24/Harper-Treaty-Power/
