A tone-deaf Tory reboot

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper can’t be faulted for trying to reboot his struggling campaign at the halfway point in this election campaign. There’s a whiff of desperation in the Tory camp.

But at a time when Canadian hearts are being tugged by the plight of Syrian refugees, his bid to pivot the national conversation back onto the Fear Factor subject of Islamist terrorism seems obstinately disconnected from reality.

There he was in Victoriaville, Que., as the week ended, exploiting the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by pounding the terror drum. He accused the New Democrats and Liberals of “reckless disregard” for the terrorism threat, hammered them for not wanting to bomb Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq and announced $10 million for research on violent extremism. This may help resolidify his base, which is in danger of drifting away.

Yet to Harper’s discomfiture, Canadians generally have moved on, stricken by the piteous images of Alan Kurdi, the refugee toddler found drowned on a Turkish shore 10 days ago. They are far less concerned that their political leaders prove themselves to be “tough on terror,” than that they show a modicum of empathy for the victims of Mideast carnage. They want Harper to grant far more Syrians immediate asylum, and to stop throwing bureaucratic roadblocks in the way.

The grudging Tory response to pleas from everyone from Premier Kathleen Wynne to Toronto Mayor John Tory, church leaders and refugee advocates has been shameful.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has urged asylum for 25,000 Syrians and New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair for 10,000 now and another 9,000 annually over the next four years. Both have also sought talks with the government to forge a broad cross-party consensus. Days ago Harper promised to take “concrete steps” to speed resettlement, but the country is still waiting to hear what those steps will be.

The government’s tone deafness extends beyond refugees. In seeking to cast this election as a stark choice between “security and risk,” Harper seeks to deflect attention from other pressing national concerns including bread-and-butter matters that engage the public far more directly. Trudeau and Mulcair spent Friday speaking to some of those issues. Trudeau rolled out a $1.5-billion program to create much-needed jobs for young people, and Mulcair pushed his plan to invest $1.3 billion annually in public transit and other underfunded infrastructure.

The picture that emerges, mid-campaign, is of a Conservative party in panic mode that has been too long in office and has lost touch with the people.

Harper’s mantra — that he may not be perfect but only his Tories can provide the security and economic leadership that the country needs — has a tinny ring to it. Canadians know that the terrorism threat, however real, has been cynically exaggerated and exploited by this government. And that its economic stewardship has been mediocre at best.

As the Mike Duffy trial reminds us, political scandal dogs this hyper-partisan, ethically challenged, divisive government. So does recession. The usual campaign complement of bozo eruptions. And now the Syrian refugee fiasco.

The polls suggest the Conservatives have lost whatever appeal they once had beyond their hard-core base. Harper is not going to win back swing voters by pounding the terror drum when the nation is calling for compassion.

Stephen Harper seeks to deflect attention away from pressing national concerns by casting this election as a stark choice between “security and risk”