To the editor:
Barry Gerding’s point in the Omnibus bill editorial was right on. (Omnibus bill: The PM
Doing What He Wants, How He Wants, June 14 Capital News.)
Whether this prime minister and his government has the best intentions, and even the best legislation in the world, misses the point. By ramming through this huge bulk of legislation in one giant bill, P.M. Harper is undermining the democratic process in this country and serving us all poorly.
As a majority government they could have taken the time to fight out these bills separately and still won, but the point of the Opposition is to point out flaws and make sure Canadians are aware of the intentions and scope of certain bills. It is vital to hear the other side.
Gerding however, and Capital News itself, deserves some serious criticism on this same point. Gerding writes, “…it appears we in Canada are falling prey to the same kind of apathy.” He refers to the U.S. habit of burying important political items in unrelated legislation, to which the public does not object.
Yet the Cap News practices the journalistic equivalent of this suppression by providing a regular column to our local MP and our duly elected MLAs. I do not object to that, as it is an important public service to hear our politicians discuss and defend the government’s political agenda.
What I have never understood is why the Cap News does not make any effort to put in columns from members of the Opposition parties critiquing government policies.
It’s fine to point out the Harper government’s flaws in suppressing opposition voices, but a tad hypocritical when important local media do exactly the same thing.
It’s time we started hearing from the Opposition on these bills.
Devon Brooks,
Kelowna
