To the Editor,
The next federal election is less than three months away, but Canada is in the middle of a complex political transformation that makes voting a very challenging process.
Traditionally we would vote for a party of our choice. Today elections are all about party leaders, as MPs have been reduced to rubber stamps.
It began almost 40 years ago, when the Prime Minister of the day, the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, instead of terminating our colonial relationship with Britain, arbitrarily adopted the British North America Act (BNA).
Canadians were never allowed an opportunity to vote on whether we wanted to adopt the BNA as our Constitution or write our own.
Instead, Trudeau rammed the BNA down our throats, and kept the colonial two-party system, that almost guaranteed the Liberals and Conservatives alternately would form the government.
It is well documented former PM Stephen Harper had nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, including our federal Parliament, where he used his power to control our democratically elected MPs, including how they vote, and hi-jacked the Conservative party’s nomination process, using party discipline to turn the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) into a political control centre.
He also distinguished himself by being the first and only Canadian Prime Minister found in contempt of Parliament.
Our current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pierre Elliott’s son, has clearly demonstrated he has no more respect for our democratic rights than his late father or former PM Stephen Harper.
During the last election Justin Trudeau campaigned and won, telling the voters that if he became our Prime Minister, we would never use that colonial First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) ballot again. Today we all know he lied.
Like his late father and Harper there is absolutely no way any of them want us to have democratic governments that would fairly represent all citizens.
In the past, policy manuals were based on input from party members.
Today party leaders and backroom powerbrokers develop virtually all policies, and policy conventions have become a side-show where the delegates are obliged to ratify the leaders’ actions and policies.
In other words, local input is of little value, as MPs no longer get their directions from the people. They are being controlled by their party leaders, and election strategies are all about what party leaders believe they have to tell the people to get their vote, leaving voters empty-handed about what issues they are going to pursue if elected.
The truth is no longer convenient, and lies are just common mistakes.
Andy Thomsen,
Kelowna, BC