Michelle had this to say about the by-election on December 2.
As parties begin to position themselves for the general election next year, rhetoric on all sides starts spinning at full force. With our by-election, many of the same issues will be discussed in that forum. I understand that voting in by-elections typically has low turnout and that the volume of talking points inundating the airwaves can get exhausting. Coping mechanisms like tuning out can seem like the best answer, but I implore you to stay engaged and take ownership of our country’s direction.
The world stage is being infiltrated by an increasingly disturbing way of thinking, one that promotes corporate welfare and capitalism as the solution to social inequalities. This must be fought with full force. Leaders like Andrew Scheer pretend to have poverty reduction on their radar, decrying socialism as the root cause of all evil (his recent Twitter post: “The only thing that has ever really reduced poverty is capitalism. Can’t end poverty without educating young people of the benefits of free markets and fighting socialism.”).
Never mind that socialism brought Canada our main pillars of security like health care and work benefits. Never mind that the very concept of capitalism relies on a small segment of people at the top, subsidized by the rest at the bottom. How many times do we need to prove that trickle-down economics doesn’t work? Cons. have taken concepts like socialism or social justice and turned them into radical negatives, attacking those who are working directly to help those in need. Apparently, tailoring policies deliberately to raising up our society right at the source is a radical thought- I call it logical.
Federally and provincially, we tend to swing our political pendulum back and forth between red and blue exclusively, then wonder why we see little change. They trade off every four years or so, each professing to “clean up” the others’ mess. Neither have any serious thought about concepts like electoral reform as it would permanently disrupt their comfortable cycle. To a large extent, they aren’t that different from each other. Cons. are at least fairly blunt in their regressive policy plans, whereas Libs. continue their proven track-record of campaigning left while governing on the right. Libs. amount to conservative-light in the execution of their plans, quietly leaving harmful Cons. policies in place like appalling arms deals, short-sighted environmental targets and inadequate veteran support. We need to acknowledge this about our parties and make a conscious choice to get off the red-blue merry-go-round.
I am offering you a choice for better government, one with conscience in policy domestically and abroad. I want to change the way we think of politicians and representation. I have spent time on many sides of the political spectrum across Canada and I appreciate the priorities of those in different camps. I am incredibly proud to be representing a party that I feel embodies the very best progressive ideas from all. The NDP has a strong history of championing the cornerstones of a compassionate society, with long-lasting initiatives like universal health care.
As your candidate and hopefully your next representative, I am not here to sugar-coat issues or be deceptive in my communication. I will always tell you what I believe to be right, not necessarily what I feel will be most popular. I am wanting to bring honesty and accountability to the political stage with healthy discussion at its core. I am eager to hear from folks on all sides and look forward to finding respectful compromise on the issues that are important to you. Please stay engaged and exercise your hard-fought right to vote for the country you want!
