Last-minute election thoughts
Re Liberals are the best choice, Editorial, Oct. 16 As we head to the polls, consider that the only party talking about addressing this spending addiction that ultimately will devalue our currency, inflicting financial hardships that will have to follow as bond markets and other institutional lenders will demand exorbitant interest penalties to pay our bills, is Conservatives. They’re certainly not a perfect choice, but they alone seem to understand the future mess Canadians will find themselves in because of enormous debt. Think back to the ’80s and ’90s when the Canadian dollar was referred to as the “Northern Peso.”
Our children will pay a terrible price if someone doesn’t smarten up a secure a prosperous future for all Canadians. Doug Standish, Niagara Falls
The Star’s editorial view endorsing the Liberals is warranted because, realistically, there is a tide in our political affairs that when seized, leads to progress, but when denied, leads to new adaptations such as pharmacare being stalled. That’s why electing certain forward-looking leaders with an innovative agenda is so necessary.
The Conservatives, provincially and federally, insist on denying such progress and repeal and take away advancements. Consequently, their record of accomplishments proves that they do not have history on their side. A playlist of Conservative heritage moments would show a Canada without features that currently define us — no peace keeping in 1957, no flag in 1965, no universal health care in 1966, no same sex marriage in 2005, no carbon tax and no legal cannabis in 2018. Now, the Conservatives want to add pharmacare, which is the missing link in the evolution of our country’s health care, to their list of infamous omissions.
Voters must pay more attention to the big evolutionary view of politics and the very important role it plays in our social well-being. Tony D’Andrea, Toronto
It is impossible to have much respect for a newspaper that endorses a government that is bleeding Canada dry just to stay in power. Huge debt and deficits will soon come back to haunt us, but that doesn’t seem to bother a newspaper that runs its own business perpetually in the red. Misery does like company. Your editorial tries hard, but fails to convince any thinking Canadian that the Trudeau government deserves another kick at the can. Jim McDonald, Dundas, Ont.
Re Ready or not, we could get a coalition government, Oct. 16
With no clear majority predicted in the 2019 federal election, it looks like we will have either a Liberal or Conservative minority. If it is a Conservative minority, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said that he would be willing to form a coalition government with the Liberal party, but never with the Conservative party.
A minority federal government with support from one of the other main parties can accomplish a lot.
Lester B. Pearson was prime minister from 1963 to 1968. Even though he never had a majority in the House of Commons, he managed to establish many of Canada’s major social programs, including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada student loans and he instituted a new national flag, the Maple Leaf flag. He also instituted the 40-hour work week, two weeks’ vacation time and a new minimum wage.
I propose a Liberal/NDP coalition government if the Conservatives win a minority government. Janet Ball, Thornhill
Re What kind of PM would Scheer be? Look at Ford, Hepburn, Oct. 17
If, as Bob Hepburn cautions, Andrew Scheer becomes our next prime minister, I will have to conclude that Canadians find lies and attacks more credible than objective appraisals of performance.
The Liberals have not achieved the perfection that specific groups want, but on the economy, job creation, Indigenous issues, veterans affairs, the environment, infrastructure investment, NAFTA, poverty reduction and social inclusion — to name just a few areas — they have delivered good to excellent results. But none of this seems to matter against flat-out lies about carbon pricing, taxing home sales or legalizing all drugs, and personal attacks about Trudeau’s distant prepolitics past from a party whose leader has lied or withheld important information about his own background while in office.
The sad corollary of my conclusion is that there is nothing to be gained politically from helping Canadians. Politicians might as well lie, hurt the disadvantaged and reward their friends; or promise the constitutionally impossible, like Jagmeet Singh is doing, because those tactics seem to appeal to voters more than a responsible platform and an admirable record of achieving goals. Patricia Wilmot, Toronto
So Conservative party leader and prime minister hopeful Andrew Scheer is promising to put more money back in the pockets of taxpayers. In order to finance this initiative and cut $34.5 billion to balance the books, I have to ask what essential services will be cut? A few hundred dollars in those pockets won’t go far when families have to pay thousands for daycare. And how far will it cover increasingly high housing costs? Will it cover medications needed by those without drug plans? Will it be enough to help the increasing number of people who will retire with no pension plan and little savings, but must somehow make do on current CPP and OAS payments? How will he fight climate change? Hmm, if only he eliminated all taxes and let people keep all their money in their pockets, one can only imagine what life in Canada would look like.
Some people would manage just fine, paying for what ever services they desired, but a great many others would suffer in great poverty. It is with collective taxes levied that we, as a caring society, look after one another. Those that can pay more, whether individuals or businesses, should.
We need a progressive government that needs to address the needs of Canadians across the country: a national daycare program, affordable housing initiatives, a national pharmacare plan to complete our beloved health care system, CPP to be revamped so that every worker retires with a pension they can live on, and strong environmental policies. These programmes need tax dollars. Norah Downey, Midland, Ont.
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