OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). This is in response to a letter titled ‘PM, Singh union is ‘taking control’ of electoral process.’
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I just want to address a few things that were brought up by Ms. Mader in her letter.
First of all, if you are a conservative voter you are not going to like that the prime minister and Mr. Singh are working together. It’s not a power grab. It’s not a way to subvert democracy. As a point of fact this coalition is an exercise in democracy. It is two parties that are separate, and they are working toward the common goal of good governance in this country.
If you are a conservative voter and you don't like this situation, you should perhaps look in a mirror as to why you are not in power.
Conservative voters are a deeply divided group. They have no current leader. (They have an interim leader, but as of this time no direct leader.) The Conservative party in itself has had four leaders since 2017 (Rona Ambrose, Andrew Scheer, Erin O’Toole and, currently, Candice Bergen). If you want Canadians to leave the Liberal party and come to the Conservative party, you need to be able to have a consistent leader that can prove that they can lead a cohesive and stable government.
Since 2017 (the same time frame), the Liberal party has had one leader. The NDP has also had one leader. So, in order for the Conservatives to regain the power they had under Stephen Harper, they need to get their own house in order.
Conservatives need to also look at how the philosophical situation of the conservative movement is viewed by hedge voters (people that might vote conservative if the right candidate/platform emerged).
Besides the Conservative party, conservative voters might also choose to support the PPC, or the ‘more conservative than Conservative party.’ It is estimated that the PPC vote caused a shift in 21 ridings. Where a Liberal won, a Conservative might have instead.
The PPC has a more divisive position regarding its policies and platforms, and some of its candidates have said some unfortunate things that frankly frighten the moderate right. I think that moving forward the conservative movement seriously has to address this the most. It must present a leader that will accept all Canadians regardless of ethnicity, creed, or orientation, and be able to unite them under the red maple leaf.
This current situation in Ottawa has nothing to do with holding power. It’s about stabilization. We are just starting to transition out of the pandemic, and we just had an election. Is it the best system? No, it’s not. Is this the best situation? No, it isn’t, but it is what we have for now, and a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.
So, Ms. Mader, I would say to you that I did not vote Liberal, and I suspect that you did not, either, but we both voted, and in places like Russia, and countries where the right to vote has been taken away or trivialized by strong men, or the military, I take great comfort in the fact that I can still vote.
If we truly lived in a dictatorship as you suggest, then would things like the freedom convoy have been able to happen? Would you and I be able to have this discussion in an open press? No country has a perfect election system and no country has a perfect government, but for now, democracy is alive and well in Canada.
Brad Johnston
Orillia
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