Dear Editor:
A quick examination of Central Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola riding’s 2011 election results clearly shows the vote is split 50/50 between Reform/conservatives and the progressive vote: — if you add together Liberal, NDP and Green votes.
The Harper Conservatives have stayed in power because Canada’s progressive vote is split. If the progressive vote coalesces for the 2015 election under the Liberals, Harper would be gone.
I say Liberals, because the Liberal Party of Canada is the only other federal party that has real-experience in forming a national government, quickly and efficiently.
Lester Pearson and Tommy Douglas together gave us the rock-solid Canada Pension Plan and Canada’s envied Healthcare system.
The NDP helped build the policy. But it was the Pearson Liberals’ knowledge and mastery of the political machinations needed to grease the wheels to get a national policy accepted by all of Canada’s various political factions, including employers and finally get policy-idea into law and working.
The NDP lack the broad appeal across Canada’s (social/economic) Vertical Mosaic to be truly representational of Canada’s majority.
To vote for a NDP government is nothing more then a polarizing vote in the opposite direction, away from the narrowness of Harper’s right wing agenda.
Can Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair get along? Let’s hope so. Only by voting Liberal will Canada’s progressives outs Harper. Will NDP voters hold their noses and vote Liberal?
Jon Peter Christoff
West Kelowna
