Saturday, October 3, 2015

A fight for Canada's soul

I got a (rare) cold, just in time to miss the all candidates meeting. But I managed to crank out a letter to the editor of the Valley Voice, just in time for the dead line. Not as polished as I would have liked but better than nothing.

The editor,

This is not an ordinary election.

The government which we have to retain or dismiss on October 19  is different from other conservative governments. Even though my personal sympathies are pinko/green, I recognize the value of an occasional small c conservative government for all over balance. 

The Harper regime has been anything but conservative. 

The last years have  been a time of radical change, rammed through with an ideological fervour and without regard for political process. 
One could go on and on about the abuses of power. Robo calls, harassing charitable organizations with targeted tax audits, proroguing parliament. the Omnibus bill, the erosion of civil liberties, the gutting of environmental protection laws. 

Among  the worst things this government has done has been waging a War on Science.

Since when is Canada a place where important research, paid for with tax payer's dollars, is being destroyed, probably because the findings might not be to the taste of certain industry interests? CBC Radio's program Ideas recently repeated an excellent series on the topic. Important research on the spawning habits of Atlantic Cod could no longer be duplicated. The DFO library is largely gone.

To anyone who still believes "They are all a bunch of crooks" and it won't make a difference who gets in, I offer this: If Stephen Harper had been Prime Minister in 2003 Canada would have been involved in the invasion of Iraq. 

Remember when we were known as honest peace keepers and travelers sewed Canadian flags on their back packs, because Canada was so respected world wide?
I want that country back. 

I will be voting NDP, even though I am a member of the Green party.  Not this time We just cannot split the vote. Together, the opposition parties can defeat the so called Conservatives (they should be called Harperites). In the freshly gerrymandered riding West Kootenays South Okanagan the NDP candidate Richard Cannings has by far the best chance of winning. Besides he is good man, a biologist.

This is not an ordinary election. It is a fight for Canada's soul. Please vote, and if you want to defeat Harper, vote strategically.

Ien van Houten, Nakusp.

2 comments:

troutbirder said...

Good luck. I hope you win the eviction battle....;)

Ien in the Kootenays said...

Thanks!