Government’s engagement without substance

Re: ‘The highlight of my career’ — PM at startup — April 26

It was entertaining to see our prime minister on the front page enjoying the employees at Vidyard and the employees enjoying him. The prime minister’s ability to connect with people is a wonderful gift. In addition, he is young, energetic, smart, concerned, fun, and wears cool socks. What’s not to like?

We were also at Vidyard on Tuesday morning. We were outside with a large sign that said “Proportional Representation = Better Governance.” When the PM left, he waved and slipped into his waiting vehicle. His next stop was 570 News. We positioned ourselves and our sign in a location that was both obvious and acceptable to the security detail. When the PM arrived, he greeted half a dozen fans and kept moving. As at Vidyard, we were invisible.

When he was leaving, the PM walked to a small crowd waiting for autographs and selfies. Trudeau generously spent time with them but to get to his vehicle he had to walk directly toward us. We asked, “Do you have any time for policy?” He waved at us and said, “Thanks for coming out.”

Trudeau’s priorities were clear: facile engagement, but don’t expect substance. There was no time for a brief conversation about breaking an important campaign promise to strengthen our democracy with a fair electoral system. We were hoping for better from you, Prime Minister. Sharon Sommerville, Co-chair FairVoteCanada — Waterloo Region Waterloo