To the Editor,
This could be the year that strategic voting finally arrives in Canada.
Canadians who dislike Prime Minister Stephen Harper tend to do so intensely, but for differing reasons. For some, it’s skyrocketing debt and dismal job creation. For others, it’s the PM’s war on science and on the environment. For yet others, it’s his childish militarism.
Whatever. A quarter to a third of the electorate will still vote for Harper, some of them enthusiastically. But the vast majority of Canadians have had enough of him. We just haven’t made up our minds on who we would prefer. My hunch is that many of the remaining majority would be OK with either a Liberal or an NDP victory.
Those of us who want our country back on track, towards Canadian ideals of fairness, democracy, peacekeeping and environmental responsibility, have only one realistic course of action in October. Take a close look at who has the best chance of winning. Put your personal preference aside and support the stronger opposition candidate. If we all do that, the worst outcome will be an infinite improvement.
Patrick TrueloveDelta
To the Editor,
Last week we learned that the tax load for most Canadians is around 45 per cent of our annual income. So, voting for any political party that is planning to raise taxes may not be such a good idea. The opposition parties are contemplating extra taxes, including a federal carbon tax.
Justin Trudeau has declared that all the Liberal Party candidates must be pro-choice. Surely this affects the Charter rights of many whose religious and other beliefs are in contrast with his. Shouldn’t this be a personal decision? What other dictatorial visions does he have?
Tom Mulcair and the NDP are the favourites of (and beholden to) all the strongest labour unions. That support comes with a price, especially for the already overburdened taxpayers.
All the opposition parties have set gender and race quotas for their candidates. Shouldn’t knowledge, expertise, enthusiasm, and training supersede this kind of emphasis? Voters need to vote for the best to lead this country, and not for someone because there is a shortage of their gender and race in Parliament.
Cathy KotzeNanaimo
