Parliament protester ‘relieved’ to see Harper go
DePape, former Senate page, disrupted throne speech in 2011 with ‘Stop Harper’ sign
OTTAWA— There were times over the last four years when Brigette DePape thought it might never happen. But now DePape, who as a young Senate page disrupted the reading of the government’s 2011throne speech with a “Stop Harper” sign, is delighted voters finally turned her admonition into reality.
“Ever since I was of voting age, we’ve been under the Harper government, and that’s the case with many people from my generation. It’s like all we’ve known in terms of the federal government,” she told the Star. “And when I was working as a page in the Senate, I felt really discouraged and concerned about the direction our country was headed. It really felt like stormy days.”
But all that changed Oct. 19, when the election of a Liberal majority put an end to nearly a decade of rule by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.
“I feel relieved, and finally we can change the sign from saying ‘Stop Harper’ to ‘We Stopped Harper,’ ” DePape said. “I really feel there’s a lot more hope these days.
“I feel so grateful for all the people who went out and organized to get out the vote and who voted because together we finally stopped Harper.”
Her unprecedented lone protest on the red-carpeted floor of the Senate chamber took place in June 2011 while Gov. Gen. David Johnston was reading the speech opening a new Parliament. With Harper and stunned dignitaries looking on, the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons escorted the 21-year-old DePape from the chamber.
Her yearlong job as a page — “pour- ing water for parliamentarians,” in her words — was nearly over but she was summarily fired after her anti-Harper demonstration.
“It was a really hard choice to make,” she said of her protest. “I was really scared. I was worried about my family’s reaction. And about getting arrested, losing my job. But it was one of the best choices I ever made even though I lost my job.”
Today DePape said she’s greatly encouraged by the platform on which Liberal prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau ran, including promises of action on climate change, measures to help the middle-class, withdrawing Canadian fighter jets from Iraq, opposing the Northern Gateway pipeline through British Columbia and ordering an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.
Asked if she was a Liberal supporter all along, DePape said her protest wasn’t on behalf of any party — but was about ending Harper’s rule.
DePape now works for the Ottawabased Council of Canadians. She spent the campaign visiting university campuses as part of the Council’s push to mobilize young voters.
“It was truly amazing to see how people have been awakened, how our generation has been awakened through social movements,” she said. “All of those social movements have really been getting stronger and building power and it’s been absolutely incredible to see the young people who have been organizing.
“At the Council of Canadians, our focus has been on getting out the vote, knowing that the majority of people in this country wanted change, and so if we could get out that vote, then we could change the government and that’s exactly what happened.”
The next job, she said, is holding the Liberals accountable for their election promises.