On differing messages

The Globe and Mail reports on PMS' anniversary speech to his caucus. And if there's a reason why most of the Cons' internal caucus dealings are so thoroughly suppressed, it may be because PMS' public priorities seem to bear little relation to the ones being pushed to the Cons' MPs:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper celebrated the first anniversary of his election victory by pledging to cut taxes and resolve the fiscal imbalance in the coming federal budget...

Canadians also continue to demand safer streets, and more action against gun, gang and drug crime, said the Prime Minister.

"That's why we're going to keep pushing for passage of our crime bills: mandatory minimum sentences for the perpetrators of violent crimes, reforms to the bail system, a crackdown on impaired driving, and protecting children from sexual predators."

Canadians also want decisive action on the defence of Canada's values and interests, he said. "That's why we will continue rebuilding our armed forces."

There was no mention of health care in Mr. Harper's 15-minute, (sic) address. Obtaining a wait-times guarantee from the provinces had been one of his government's top five priorities but seems to have fallen down the list.

And although the recent cabinet shuffle that moved Treasury Board President John Baird to Environment to replace Rona Ambrose was seen as a signal that Mr. Harper was ready to focus on the environment, his speech did not reflect that change in direction. Rather than talk about new climate-change initiatives he had planned for the future, the Prime Minister instead gave a brief mention to some of the environmental announcements his government has already made.

Considering that the environment has become by far the most prominent issue within Canada's political scene, one would expect at least some effort on Harper's part to make it a centrepiece of his talk to his caucus. Instead, he seems eager to tell his own party that the environment is at best a subsidiary issue, behind the same, tired doctrine of slashing taxes and raising prison costs that's already proven to have no chance of making its way through the current Parliament.

Now, it's possible that Harper's motivation was primarily to avoid the immediate wrath of oil-patch MPs who think that any action dealing with greenhouse gas emissions is too much. But it seems far more likely that the face being presented internally more accurately reflects the Cons' intentions than the public one which has focused on the environment lately. And one way or another, the disconnect between Harper's internal and external messages is one which can only make it clear that Canadians don't have much reason to trust him.