Letter: A Mini-Trump is Not Welcome Here
A Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound voter shares her thoughts on the upcoming federal election and appeals to community members to consider the issues at stake.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I am not a fan of strategic voting, but neither am I a fan of Pierre Poilievre, and I would like to send one less conservative MP to Ottawa to help him become our Prime Minister.
Here is why:
Poilievre supported the so-called Freedom Convoy and openly opposed the vaccine mandates put in place by the Liberals. This is sad because Canada's response to the COVID crisis was one of the best in the world, with fewer deaths per capita than just about anywhere, much better than the US or the UK. It is not very hard to confirm this information by a basic internet search.
Canadian subsidies during the pandemic prevented hardship for many families and individuals, preventing wholesale bankruptcies and foreclosure of homes, and allowing businesses to survive.
No system is perfect, but this one, put into place in a timely fashion, and even considering the small amount of abuse, was very effective and enabled Canadians to be financially stable.
His stance on abortion seems to waver with the wind. He does not seem committed to the idea that women should have control over their own bodies and choose if and when they become parents. Having autonomy over our bodies and what happens to it should be a basic human right. Parenting is a long commitment, and I certainly wouldn't want to have a reluctant parent or be one.
I think by now we are all clear that an anti-abortion stance is really about controlling women. A woman who cannot control her own fertility cannot fully reach her potential, and be independent financially.
He would dismantle the carbon tax. Our climate is in crisis, we are experiencing the effects already. More violent storms, hotter, murderous heat in the summer, flooding. Prince Edward Island is under threat from rising sea water. And the jet stream is in jeopardy, which further puts the whole world's climate at risk. Imagine no Gulf Stream? Imagine drought; it is already affecting many nations and will probably be the cause of future conflicts.
Again, a basic internet search will confirm all of this. If we don't commit individually and, more importantly, nationally to mitigating climate change, we are condemning future generations to misery. We need more carbon emissions reduction, not less.
While you are on the internet searching, look up Bill C-36. Poilievre is against it, but it is to protect, among other things, the sexual exploitation of women and children.
The list is longer than this, but this is enough.
I checked the numbers after the last election. If the NDP and Green Party voters had voted Liberal we would now have a Liberal MPP in this riding. I am not a Liberal, but that is how I am going to vote in this election. I have always voted NDP, and I am very drawn to the Green Party, but if we want to prevent a conservative government coming to power, we have to be strategic.
Please give strategic voting your deep consideration and keep this country out of extreme rightwing control. A mini-Trump is not welcome here.
Maggie Mann
Owen Sound
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
Well said.
Well said Maggie. One of the big flaws in our voting system is that we have to vote for two different people with one ballot. If you like your local candidate and vote for that person, you are also voting for this federal guy who will have the power to change life as we know it in this country.