Mulcair replies to business leaders concerned about economically risky Bill C-51 - but why is Harper staying silent?

Two weeks ago, over 60 leading Canadian business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs published a joint letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the National Post, warning of the economic risks of Bill C-51, and calling on him to go back to the drawing board on the controversial and unpopular legislation.

This letter caused quite a splash - securing prominent media coverage, including this must-watch interview by Vidyard CEO Michael Litt on CTV News’ flagship show The West Block.

And, since we first announced the letter a fortnight ago, we’ve seen a fantastic response from the business community, with dozens of new businesses signing on. Over 135 Canadian businesses have now endorsed the appeal, with more signing on every day at https://StopC51.ca/business

All this against a backdrop of hundreds of thousands of Canadians taking action, signing petitions, writing letters to local newspapers, and inundating MPs with letters and phone calls.

With all this pressure, key Ottawa decision-makers are sitting up and taking notice. Already, we’ve received a positive reply from Official Opposition leader Tom Mulcair. And, as you can see, he didn’t mince his words:

When the government rushes through ill-advised legislation that attacks our freedoms and the values we hold dear—values like transparency and tolerance—it is essential that Canadians speak up.  That’s why I was thrilled to come across your open letter to Stephen Harper. You added another very valuable perspective to the ongoing discussion Canadians are having about this dangerous bill.  Your serious economic concerns and business-focused analysis needed to be heard and must be addressed. And, your considerable influence will put pressure on the government to reassess the implications of C-51 on your industry—and on Canada as a whole.

And that’s not all he had to say - check out Tom Mulcair’s full response right here (PDF).

All this begs an obvious question - if Tom Mulcair can find the time to reply to concerned business leaders, why has Stephen Harper stayed silent?

It’s been over two weeks since he first received the letter - and yet we’ve heard nothing whatsoever from the Prime Minister. And, worse, from his government all we’ve seen is this disgraceful attack from Edmonton MP Laurie Hawn, who incredibly called into question the business leaders’ commitment to Canadian values.

Let’s not forget that these are some of the heaviest-hitters in Canadian business, representing well known companies like Hootsuite, Slack, and Shopify that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Canadian economy.

With jobs and economic prosperity on the line because of this reckless legislation, surely Canadians deserve better than a Prime Minister who simply sticks his head in the sand and ignores the opinions of top business leaders, while prominent Tory MPs launch attacks on people who are responsible for thousands of Canadian jobs?

It’s time to tell Harper that this just isn’t good enough. If you’re a business owner, you can add to the pressure by signing on at https://StopC51.ca/Business - and, if you’re a member of the public, use these new social media tools to tell your MP to reject this costly, expensive, and reckless legislation, or write a letter to your local newspaper at https://openmedia.org/secretpolice.