Canada Protest Song About Prime Minister Brings Suspension & Investigation

And you American folks thought you had a lock on being oppressed, shut up, shut down and bullied by your Govt?

Welcome to the New Canada!

An environmental scientist working for a Canadian government agency has been suspended and will be investigated for recording a protest song about the prime minister, Stephen Harper, according to union representatives. The song is called Harperman and was written by Tony Turner, who worked at Environment Canada and is, in his spare time, “a mainstay on the Ottawa folk music scene”, according to a biography on his website.

And what is the heinous crime being committed here? The lyrics of course!

“no respect for environment / Harperman, it’s time for you to go”, and “no more cons, cons, cons / we want you gone, gone gone”.

Yup, them is fighting words right there.

“Can’t we make jokes or say anything? Are we all muzzled? This is the politics of fear. I am an activist and singer but mostly I am a citizen and I care about democracy and freedom of speech,” Diane McIntyre, who sang a solo in the song and is being investigated, told the Ottawa Citizen.

Well, I'm going to run the risk of a drone strike on my house and publish the lyrics in full right here...

Who controls our parliament?
Harperman, Harperman
Who squashes all dissent?
Harperman, Harperman
The Duffy handout incident
No respect for the environment
Harperman, it's time for you to go
Who’s the king of secrecy?
Who has slashed the CBC?
No money for PTSD
Accuses good Judge Beverley
CHORUS
Who’s the rogue in prorogue?
Whose party line must be toed?
Won’t buy into climate change
Until it’s sold on the stock exchange
Whose smarmy smile is a thin veneer?
Who preaches politics of fear?
Ignores the plight of native folks
Missing women, it’s no joke
CHORUS
Who’s dropping payload in Iraq?
Who passed the Unfair Elections Act?
Who’s a two bit controlling freak
Makes us feel the future’s bleak?
Who muzzles all the scientists?
Calls troubled people "terrorists"?
Who wants the courts to just say yes?
Suppresses freedom of the press?
CHORUS
Who turns watchdogs into lapdogs?
Gives his friends the best fat cat jobs?
Bigger prisons, "tough on crime"
Gerrymanders election lines

Who’s pulling all the Tory strings?
Who stands to the right of the right wing?
Ignores the cause of everything?
But to ideology will cling
Who reveres Uncle Sam?
Says our future lies in oil sands?
Dirty oil, dirty plans
Dirty tricks, dirty hands

Chorus:
We want you gone (gone, gone)
You and your pawn (pawn, pawns)
No more con (con, cons)
Time to move on (on, on)
Get out of town (town, town)
Don’t want you round (round, round)
Harperman, it’s time for you to go
Ending:
Tag 1
You can drive your omnibus to Kokamo
And take that useless caucus when you go
We’ll scratch you from the long form census poll
Harperman it’s time for you to go

Tag 2
(parody of O Sinner Man)
Harperman, where ya gonna run to
Harperman, where ya gonna run to
Harperman, where ya gonna run to
On Election Day?

And we even have a page for everyone to add to the lyrics!
harperman.ca...
Not only that but we're going to have a Nation Wide Singalong!

harperman.ca...
The Cross-Canada Harperman Sing-Along – A cross-Canada event taking place on Thursday, September 17th will include a “Harperman” sing-along on Parliament Hill at 2:00 pm Eastern. There will be public “Harperman” sing-alongs in every province on that day, and there will be opportunities for people to participate online from anywhere in Canada.

So America...You don't have the market covered on oppression and freedom of speech. Canada is going down the tubes of tyranny as well so we'll see you all at the bottom.

Jude

He's actually a pretty decent lyricist.

Mao would be proud of this political reaction.


Bob Marley would be proud of society's reaction though, and I'd rather impress King Bob than Chairman Mao.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
He's actually a pretty decent lyricist.

Mao would be proud of this political reaction.


Bob Marley would be proud of society's reaction though, and I'd rather impress King Bob than Chairman Mao.

Yeah, it's a catchy little tune.

Ghandi would be tapping his toes I believe.

Jude

a reply to: jude11
That is a pretty good song. It's terrible he could suspend someone from their job over a folk song sung by hippies and old people. Bob and Doug should tell him to Take Off, hozer.

originally posted by: reldra
a reply to: jude11
That is a pretty good song. It's terrible he could suspend someone from their job over a folk song sung by hippies and old people. Bob and Doug should tell him to Take Off, hozer.

What about being investigated for singing?

ottawacitizen.com...

Jude

a reply to: jude11

Harper seems to be the only Prime Minister who doesn't have his big boy pants on.

Every other Prime Minister of Canada has taken the jokes and heckling with the grace and tact of a grown-up knowing full well it's just typical Canadian-style humour.

I wouldn't be too concerned about tyranny and the robbing of our freedom of speech just yet, once Harper is gone we'll all be able to go back to our usual fare of spitting dry humour aimed at our political overlords without the worry of getting sent to the Gulag for it.

a reply to: jude11

Harper sounds like he's taking a page out of North Korea's Kim Jong-un book on "How to Squelch Decent." Hopefully he doesn't take a page out of the execution chapter.

a reply to: jude11

It sounds like a vary Liberal song about non liberal things !

Are you #ting me? I know we don't have free speech here but our culture has been developed on humour. Didn't Harper grow up watching Air Farce? This is ridiculous. Another nail in the coffin.

originally posted by: intrepid
Are you #ting me? I know we don't have free speech here but our culture has been developed on humour. Didn't Harper grow up watching Air Farce? This is ridiculous. Another nail in the coffin.

Harper is Obama's little buddy. Didn't you know that?

Harper needs to go, period.

Jude

Actions of a desperate despot loosing corporate favoritism due to public awareness blowing the winds of change against his narcissistic puppet government. What gets me is what do these idiots think is going to happen? Due they truly think that they can carry on in such a childish, irresponsible manner to all aspects of governing this great nation of ours and not be called out? Born and raised in Ontario and living my adult life in Alberta I think these doofs pissed away a great opportunity to unify the country with a majority government. Instead they sold out to the old status quo and drove us deeper into dept while lining their own fat-assed pockets ( senate scandals perfect example ). I don't like any of the top 3 party leaders this round of elections. Personally I would like to see every one say "screw you all" and vote Green Party just to send a political aneurysm to their swollen heads. We deserve REAL change. .... and so do you guys south of the 49th.

gotta give it to them, this is the happiest protest ive ever seen, who else can take peaceful protest to the next nicest level, Canadians.

what a lovely group.
I would support their cause but I'm ill informed on Canadian government dealings. that would be bias of me.

originally posted by: intrepid
Another nail in the coffin.

One can only hope (and vote, dammit!)

originally posted by: intrepid
Are you #ting me? I know we don't have free speech here but our culture has been developed on humour. Didn't Harper grow up watching Air Farce? This is ridiculous. Another nail in the coffin.

Grew up?

Not at all lol

Petulant child he is. The little Tyrant. I swear if he had any kind of bravery, he'd act like little K in North Korea.

But how is surprised, this is the same man who HANDPICKS which reporters end up in his press pool and REFUSES to do debates because he doesn't like the moderators.

~Tenth

a reply to: reldra

I hope the rest of us are smart enough to give him the heave ho..he has proven to be use the police inappropriately, the courts are bitchslapping him on every challenge..as uncanadian as it gets..time to go.