Skip to content

Conservative legacy is shameful and damaging

Lister letter writer Dan Hula concerned with the prospect of Conservatives forming even a minority government after election...

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my grave concern at the prospect of another federal Conservative government even forming as much as a minority government in this election. Through the enormous control of major media with the help of corporate friends and partisan appointments (including nine out of 11 CEOs for CBC), Mr. Harper’s Conservatives have a shameful and damaging legacy. A summary of some of their nastier accomplishments is as follows:

The Conservatives were unable to balance a budget for years, but through repeated cuts to social services, including Veteran’s Affairs and health care, and the selling off of public assets at bargain prices (General Motors shares), they barely scraped together an alleged balanced budget. During this time, they lowered taxes and increased loopholes for the richest Canadians and corporations. The effect of appeasing the rich did not create more jobs or better jobs for a majority of Canadians. They actually added $123 billion to the federal national debt, but have the audacity to proclaim themselves as prudent fiscal managers!

This same government gutted conservation laws on oceans and fisheries and cut 75 per cent of the Status of Women offices. They still pretend to be “tough on crime” while using every trick to stop or delay or cover up their own illegal activities (Nigel Wright affair, Senate coverup of Nigel Wright affair, in and out spending scandals, robocalls, contempt of Parliament over lying about cost of fighter jets).

This government gleefully whips up anti-Muslim racism. There are more crimes in Canada carried out by white supremacist groups, but the Conservative government won’t call them terrorists. In the meantime, all immigrants are punished, even to the point on being denied some forms of basic health care upon arrival in Canada.

Democracy is not just voting for some rich old white man every four years or so; it is staying somewhat informed about issues that matter to the country you want your children to inherit and then holding elected officials accountable at every opportunity. You are not voting for a personal financial consultant, you are voting for a vision of a country that can be a world leader in how it treats all its citizens and how it models respectful treatment of the rest of the other people of this planet and even the planet itself. We deserve much better than the Harper government.

Dan Hula

Lister