I was confused by the Prime Minister’s recent statement: “I have instructed my national security adviser . . .” Wait a minute, are we on the wrong channel? Do we have one of those? The Americans do, and they’re always heavy hitters: Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Condi Rice.

It turns out ours is named Margaret Bloodworth, a civil-service lifer who started as a Canada Post “compensation officer” in 1972, spent decades at Transport, became a deputy when Public Safety was created in 2003, and in the fall, “Canada’s new government” announced she’d “assume additional responsibilities as National Security Adviser” to the PM. So Stephen can now say, “I have told my national security . . .” It seems to relax him, like saying, God Bless Canada.

What the PM told M (in James Bond talk) last Monday was to look into the imminent collapse of an inquiry into the 1985 Air-India bombing. The judge in charge said he might shut it down since security forces, like the RCMP, won’t provide documents he needs.

That wouldn’t look good for them or the government. Suddenly, Wednesday, the Vancouver Sun said it had “learned” the RCMP wanted to question the father-in-law of a Liberal MP about the bombing but might not be able to, since Liberals are going to vote against extending an anti-terror law that lets them force people to testify. It got the security guys and government off the hook while implying the Liberals were out to protect their own.

Hmm, sound familiar? Ah yes — an RCMP letter leaked during the last election that revealed they were investigating Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale. It altered the campaign decisively and was responsible for Stephen Harper being PM today. (That’s as close to an objective fact as you get in political analysis.)

Now we have another leak of RCMP information (Well, how do you think the Sun “learned” about a secret RCMP witness list?) again. The PM waves the story in Question Period, says Liberals are self-serving softies on terror; they go berserk, etc. Call me Chicken Little, but I find these mutually beneficial leaks that help police and politicians a tad troubling — and not in this case alone.

The acting RCMP head says she supports extending parts of the terror act that opposition parties oppose. Why doesn’t she run for Parliament (or occupy it) if she’s so keen on debating the issue?

Last week, Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier said he’ll back any government that backs the armed forces, which sounds like he’s soliciting bids. Auditor-General Sheila Fraser dumped the environment commissioner. Ms. Fraser said it had nothing to do with the latter’s criticism of government inaction, but I wonder. And Mr. Harper says he’ll appoint judges who agree with him.

Isn’t there supposed to be some political neutrality in these institutions? The politicization of police, army and the courts fits the Harper agenda in a way, since that agenda’s so focused on crime and terror.

It also has a U.S. ring, like getting his own NSA. Attacking Liberals for being weak on terror is a classic Karl (“Bush’s brain”) Rove tactic.

You run on national security, especially since Conservatives, like Republicans, are seen as weak on social or environmental issues. It’s unclear if the approach will work here. America is a uniquely fearful society, as well as uniquely secure. Canadians don’t share that kind of fear and the aggression it seems to engender. A recent Globe poll showed a difference in attitude toward the mission in Afghanistan, for example. And recent Harper assertions that Canadians will surely die there, show a kind of Canadian tin ear when it comes to playing the security card. Even U.S. leaders don’t overtly predict the coming deaths of their young soldiers.

In case anyone thinks I’m overdoing the U.S. element, I note that today in Ottawa, foreign and security ministers from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are meeting about their Security and Prosperity Partnership, a largely secret project. (They call it “evolution by stealth.”) Since Condi is here, wouldn’t it be nice if Mr. Harper could issue her an order, since she was once a real NSA? Or maybe he just has to picture her when he sends a rocket to Margaret Bloodworth.

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Rick Salutin

Rick Salutin is a Canadian novelist, playwright and critic. He is a strong advocate of left wing causes and writes a regular column in the Toronto Star.