Before the federal election, desperate letters from Conservative supporters were flooding in to attack the other parties’ platforms and promote doubt and fear about the future. Now it’s over and the letters are still coming of the “I told you so” variety.
I didn’t vote for Justin Trudeau, but I am prepared to let him stand or fall on his promises. The Liberals’ platform was abundantly clear and if anyone that voted for them doesn’t have the stomach for it then they should have voted for somebody else. Stephen Harper’s “win at all costs” approach to campaigning failed to provide any reassurance of trust in his so-called leadership.
CBC interviewed university and college students across the country prior to the election. One of the questions was “What makes a good leader?” The answer that stands out in my mind was a young woman in the Maritimes who said: “Someone who can put their ego and partisan politics aside (and do what is right for their country).”
Harper doesn’t measure up on that score and even got a failing grade on election promises kept from a lot of his own conservative voters and party members as well as the public at large. At least Trudeau is starting on fulfilling his promises immediately, unlike Harper who, when first elected to government, took approximately 24 hours after his wonderful “Accountability Speech” to prove that it was mostly just a sham.
For the panic artists (and I’m related to one) there are refugees that have been languishing in UN camps for months, or even years in some cases, so let them come (estimates of cost $200-250 million.) They’ve all been vetted already. Surely 25,000 out of hundreds of thousands is something that caring and compassionate Canada can manage, on all levels.
As for legalizing marijuana, somewhere down the road, getting it out of the hands of criminals can only be good. For, the states that have already legalized it, not only is it bringing in huge tax revenues, removing the burden of policing it saves money too. Besides the obvious extensive medicinal benefits of this drug, the monies can then be used where they’re needed most, such as health care, the sadly neglected needs of our indigenous peoples and the deteriorating infrastructure of our more populous areas.
The election is over. Don’t panic and let the new government show what it can do.
Mike HughesParksville