Countdown to the New Year: Top Ten Conservative Lowlights of 2012

As we have successfully moved from the 13th baktun to the 14th in the Mayan calendar – narrowly avoiding the end of the world – it is a good time to reflect on some of the highs and lows of the past year.

New Democrats led the way in 2012, proposing solutions to today’s challenges and effectively holding Conservatives to account for their mismanagement and ethical scandals.

For Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, 2012 was a banner year for getting it wrong. In order to help the Conservatives with their New Year’s resolutions, let’s countdown the Top Ten list of the worst Conservatives lowlights from the past year.

#10 – Tenth worst Conservative lowlight of 2012

Heartless refugee health care cuts

While Minister Kenney has been on the re-announcement circuit since the House rose, (in some cases repeating press conferences almost verbatim,) it’s worth remembering his record of putting partisanship ahead of sound public policy.

Case in point: cutting refugees off from health care treatment and leaving some of neediest members of our communities behind – and provinces holding the bag. All the while, his government demonizes refugees and misleads Canadians into thinking refugees were getting better health care than they were.

Even conservative Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall was critical of the move, stating:

It’s unbelievable that some of the decisions that have been taken federally are having this impact on people who are clearly the most vulnerable, refugees who are obviously fleeing something quite terrible — that’s why they’re refugees.

While Conservatives continue to listen only to lobbyists and their insider friends, New Democrats will continue to provide practical leadership in the New Year, focussed on building a fairer, greener and more prosperous Canada.