Why I Cast My Vote The Way I Did

As I wrote the other day, my wife and I cast our vote at an advance poll, and as noted, the large turnout, reflected in many other stations as well, was very encouraging. Canadians clearly understand there is much at stake here.

Had the Trump threats and tariffs not emerged, and had Trudeau remained head of a tired party, I likely would have voted NDP. All political parties need a periodic time out in order to renew and rejuvenate. To me, that is all part of a healthy democracy. With the emergence of Mark Carney, however, the choice was clear, and I won't bother going into the reasons, already widely discussed in the media, about why he seems to be the man of the hour, and Pierre Poilievre is not.

A few letters to the editor seem to capture the tenure of the times.

Things to consider before you vote

We will have a federal election in less than two weeks. Forgetting the political party affiliations, let us look at what the two leading candidates for prime minister are offering.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a professional politician. All his adult life, he has done nothing but be a politician. He has not seen the outside world besides the Parliament walls around him. His resume could read: I have been a hounding and berating opposition politician throughout my career. And I am pretty good at it.

Poilievre does not want to face the press, lest they ask questions not to his liking. He does not want to get his security clearance, leading Canadians to question what he is hiding.. He has no humility. 

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is new to politics. Carney is bound to make political mistakes. He is  well educated and has a wealth of experience both in Canada and abroad. He has seen the world and experienced the financial problems facing Canada and the world. He knows how to tackle the problems created by this stupid tariff war. 

Put your thinking hats on before choosing the prime minister.

Aziz Rehman, Brampton, ON

Have you noticed how Liberal Leader Mark Carney usually just talks to the press, without any notes? He just wings it, because he knows what he is talking about, and doesn’t need to read it. And he says it so succinctly. The other candidate, however, is always looking down at his notes. He needs to read it because he doesn’t know it, like Carney does. Which one would you rather vote for? The one who knows his stuff, or the one who doesn’t? Just a telling observation, of body language.

John Dawson, Scarborough, ON

Decade of Liberal rule achieved a lot

I am tired of hearing “the lost Liberal decade” and “Canada is broken” tirades and would like to mention some of the Trudeau government’s achievements.

The Liberals negotiated with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the CUSMA. The COVID-19 pandemic came, and we were kept safe and secure by the work of the Liberals: CERB, protective equipment and vaccines. Canada had fewer deaths than most other countries. After COVID, came inflation: Why? Supply chains were broken because of COVID shutdowns; Canadians had large savings, largely from CERB, so that demand was up and supply was down. This drives up inflation, as any economist knows. And we came out of inflation quicker and better than most countries. You cannot blame the Trudeau government for inflation but that is all Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre shouted about in the last two years.

Other achievements include the Canada Child Benefit, the national child-care plan, dental care and pharma care. And let’s not forget taking action on   Indigenous issues.  So let’s give credit where credit is due and know that Canada is not broken and we have not lost a decade with Liberal rule. Oh, and former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper was not able to build a single pipeline while Trudeau bought the Trans Mountain Pipeline and tripled its capacity. 

Alberto Sarthou, Toronto

And finally, this missive from The Globe and Mail.

As the election looms, I am reminded of the snake fable where a person is walking in the forest and is met by a snake who convinces the individual to pick it up. The person was hesitant, but then weakened, having been convinced by the snake that he won’t hurt them.

Trustingly, the person picks the snake up and the snake soon bites them. Shocked, the person cries out at being misled, double-crossed and hurt, to which the snake replies: “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”

I will remember that fable at the voting booth. I hope others do, too, because one’s track record is an excellent indicator of future deliverables.

June Donaldson Calgary