Dear Editor;
I have been voting in elections for 55 years. I do so because I choose democracy over dictatorship and elections are a cornerstone of democracy. I vote because I am proud of this country called Canada.
You could call me a political junkie because I prefer the reality of watching the independent political TV channel, CPAC over other TV offerings. However by doing so, I have had the opportunity to view the actions of all party representatives that form the government.
It is important to remember that the government is all the people who are elected, and not just one party or person. The committees that do the work behind the scenes contain all party representatives and that is the difference between a democratic process and a dictatorship.
One only has to listen to the news from around the world to hear about the suffering that results from dictatorships. Dictatorships like to hide behind slogans like, “freedom of choice”, when in my opinion, it means, “deregulation of health and safety”; lack of investment in social programs and, “opportunity for corporate ownership.” When the current Minister of Agriculture makes public statements about, “steamrolling over anyone who stands in his way,” I ask myself, what kind of democracy is this?
I believe this election is an opportunity for Canada to regain the respect it has held in the world. It is an opportunity to move into the 21st Century and build a sustainable future for the next generation. Our young people need the doors opened for education and training for all.
For this election I will be giving a financial donation to the party that does not accept funding from corporations and is totally funded by families, farmers, teachers and individuals. For the second time in 55 years I will be giving my vote to the Liberal representative because I believe they have a plan for Canada’s future economically, environmentally and socially.
I believe that unfortunately, a group of mercenary opportunists joined together to take over the Alliance, Reform and Progressive Conservative parties. This is an opportunity for the electorate – that would be you and me, to take back our country.
The weapon to use is the ballot box.
Irene Lovell
Bluffton, Alta.