Amalgamation forced on citizens

The Liberals continue to conspire towards the forced amalgamation of the Three Rivers municipality. This comes as no surprise from a party which chose to ignore the will of the people in our referendum on electoral reform. Premier MacLauchlan has expressed doubts that the results constituted “a clear expression of the will of Prince Edward Islanders,” however, in light of the dismal support for amalgamation, we’ve heard no such outcry.

This duplicity is deliberate and self-serving. Amalgamation is being pushed forward against the will of the people, and for what benefit? It is a bitter action which will result in the disenfranchisement of rural Islanders through higher taxes and loss of autonomy. The Municipal Government Act came into force in 2017 at the hands of the Liberals, in an intentional attempt to wrest power and control away from the very people who most deserve this self-determination.

How can it be that in a democratic society we are permitting the fervent will of the few to dictate the lives of the many?

In the face of such willful blindness, it is my faith in the democratic process which gives me hope, for against the will of the people this government cannot stand. Pride cometh before a fall, and it is this hubris that will ultimately be the undoing of this government which has clearly lost its way. The people have spoken, Wade; it’s time you started listening.

Nathan Paton, Rollo Bay West