WHAT IS THE ISSUE FOR THIS ELECTION?

I have heard political pundits and anchors continually complaining about not being able to spell out the “ballot box” question. As is often the case, the national media blindly pushes forward without stopping to reflect on what surrounds them, not seeing the forest through the trees. I have been at six local debates, where concerned citizens from various demographics have posed questions on work, employment and unemployment, the environment, student debt, income, housing, Indigenous rights, etc., to candidates of most parties.

These questions and the gravity of the concerns which flow from them make up the mosaic of issues which all elections are about. Running through this mosaic is the question of racism, which Joe Byrne put forward at the beginning of each of these forums. This question “whether or not Canadians are ready to elect someone with a brown face” was set in motion the minute the NDP elected Jagmeet Singh as their leader. The question was reinforced when the present prime minister and his “blackface” photos were exposed. Jagmeet’s strong and respectful response opened up the discussion on systematic racism and the marginalization of those who haven’t, and don’t, belong to the dominant white class of this country, the First Nations and other racial minorities. This issue and its consequences are contained within the economic system, which has produced the massive inequalities of our time and the climate crisis in which we live. As Joe Byrne has made clear, unless we deal with these issues together and unless we confront them head on in the spirit of our common humanity, we will fail. The NDP’s platform and the leadership of Jagmeet Singh would be a fresh start. Phil Callaghan, Charlottetown