What to make of the Alliance government?

Harpoon breezed through Toronto at the end of the week, basically thumbed his nose at 4 million Ontarians and left town, looking smug and self satisfied for having made it clear his minimalist vision of government was intact.

What are we to make of a prime minister who prides himself on being a policy wonk, and who's ambition is to be known as an outstanding leader who leads the country to new heights, but who slavishly follows an ideology guaranteed to define him as one of the weakest of PMs, like Martin and Diefenbaker?

Particularly on taxes, Harper seems determined to follow the example of Mike Harris, deservedly one of the most despised politicians in Ontario's history.

Canadians do not like taxes any more than anyone else. But we are NOT Americans - Canadians have always opted for governments who spend wisely and keep the country ticking along in a healthy fashion.

The federal coffers are overflowing with billions of surplus dollars, thanks to the hard work of the Chretien government which fixed the mess left by successive Mulroney governments which ran up the biggest deficits in our nation's history.

Now, after years of having to forego spending on infrastructure, education, health care, research and development, restructuring, the needs across Canada in these areas run into the billions, billions that the federal government has. Harper has the means to spend money wisely and in a way that would bring terrific improvement to communities right across Canada. His response is one of superiority towards McGuinty and to sneer at Miller and react as if Hazel McCallion is invisible and her views worthless.

Manufacturing is flowing out of Canada in droves, with subsequent job loss and upheaval, particularly in Ontario. Most manufacturing will continue to be done offshore and those jobs are gone for good. But within the bad news is an opportunity to restructure our whole economy. It makes sense to replace manufacturing with new, knowledge-based companies across all sectors. But it will take a partnership with governments (at all 3 levels), business and academia to set new goals. Cooperation and leadership is needed and if ever there was a chance for a Prime Minister to show leadership, this is it. A prime minister who leads at this time would make his party the natural governing party of Canada for probably the next 50 years.

Sadly, Harpoon can't see it and isn't acting even remotely like he knows there's an opportunity available. The man is a man of little vision, a man who knows facts but fails to see how they connect, a man who is more taken up with political gamesmanship and getting even with Liberals than with surging forward in a new nation-building exercise. Sure much of the responsibility for what needs doing is provincial rather than federal. Who cares? Not Canadians who own the money, whether it is in Ottawa or Queen's Park or Victoria or Charlottetown. What helps the country is what matters, not jurisdictional debates that creative leaders can resolve in minutes if they wish.

Harpoon's view of government seems rooted in the disgraced and discredited views of the right wing in the US. He shows no understanding of why right wing governments in Ontario for 44 years and Alberta for almost as long were successful. Both provinces had enlightened leadership from men who were conservative in their management of the economy but who recognized when government needed to be part of the solution. In neither province did they let ideological "purity" or the whining of their radical fringes deter them from acting in the best interests of the people. One could argue that Ernest Manning was much more conservative than Frost or Robarts or Davis but all were smart enough to recognize opportunities to build and strengthen their province. Half the small towns in Canada would not exist if provincial premiers paid half as much attention to jurisdictional conerns as Harpoon.

Harpoon is shoveling tax breaks out at a time when that money could be so much better spent on restoring and strengthening the country. His inability to grasp the opportunity means he will not get a majority in the next election, whenever he calls it. The Liberals will resolve their current leadership challenges and Harpoon will find himself consigned to the ranks of weak, ineffectual leaders, exactly where he deserves to be based on his actions thus far.

I believe history is hardest on leaders who are given great opportunities but fail to take advantage of them. Almost alone among Liberals, I do not believe history will be kind to Trudeau because he had a chance to do so much and he ended up doing so little.

People forgave Trudeau for his churlish, boorish and petulant behaviour because he was a charming rogue. Harper is not. He is a dull, pedantic, stodgy man who must look for respect and acceptance by demonstrating enlightened leadership. Sadly for everyone, there is no sign that he understands the leadership opportunities that exist, only that he is firmly rooted in passe political philosophies and a severely blinkered vision of what could be.