Trudeau’s election was a triumph for democracy
Re: And Reality Sets In, Kelly McParland, Dec. 29. Democracy has three essential features. First, it is about government by the people and the people’s right to choose their leaders. Second, it is not a tyranny of the majority. Third, it is about change and renewal.
Disregarding these, then- prime minister Stephen Harper chose his narrow base of supporters and ruled on their behalf, ignoring others who voted for opposition parties. Thanks to our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system, he won a contrived majority. Despite getting only 40 per cent of votes, he claimed he had the mandate of the majority. He appointed senators who failed to win the election. Finally, he refused to accept that after a decade of his Conservative rule, time had come for change and renewal.
As such, the landslide victory of Liberal Leader Justin Tru- deau was also a triumph of democracy. This explains why Harper’s attack ads ridiculing Trudeau’s lack of experience failed to dent his popularity. As for the budget deficit, it was Harper who turned a massive budget surplus left by two Liberal governments into a deficit. Harper’s government also proved to be a two- trick pony without vision. If it’s not security, it’s cutting taxes for the wealthy. And the record has been spotty on both accounts.
Prime Minister Trudeau has a clear vision for Canada. Unlike Harper’s pointless deficit by cutting taxes, he is promising greater investment on infrastructure, research and public services that will go a long way in improving the quality of life for all Canadians. In his one-sided criticism of Trudeau, Kelly McParland missed the real picture.
Mahmood Elahi, Ottawa.