Last week, Maclean's magazine asked: “Are the Tories bad for business?” The answer is as unexpected as the question: “Over the past two years, there have been repeated cases where Ottawa has stunned investors with populist decisions that took precedence over sound policy. The moves raise the question: is … Stephen Harper actually hurting Canada’s reputation as a stable and open market for business and investment?” Maclean's then quotes Stephen Gordon, a professor of economics at Université Laval: “Clearly we’re not Russia, but then again, we’re not the Canada we used to be, either.”

Hold on – we’re somewhere between Russia and the good old Canada of yore? That’s some accomplishment in five years. Look at Stephen Harper's record.

He silences whistle-blowers and punishes dissenters.

He treats Parliament with open contempt and brazenly lies when found out.

He suspends Parliament at the first sign of political risk.

He makes a mockery of the accountability and transparency he loudly demands of everyone else.

He makes lying to parliament just another tactical device.

He fakes his budgets by refusing to cost new initiatives.

He transforms vital watchdogs of democracy into mushy lapdogs.

He unleashes ministers to attack judges who make unwelcome decisions. He personalizes attacks on his “enemies”.

He blithely smears other parties, groups and individuals as anti-Semitic.

He is impervious to the democratic spirit that has galvanized hundreds of millions of people to stand up for freedom.

He makes major economic decisions on the basis of their impact on his electoral fortunes.

Makes you wonder why Canadians aren’t yet out on the streets in the millions. Instead, Michael Ignatieff demands that Bev Oda be fired.