Dear editor,
I am not part of the recall campaign, nor am I a Liberal, NDP or Conservative or …
Vander Zalm has always made my stomach turn and still does. In general, I oppose recall legislation in principle.
However, the fear-mongering of the McRae camp is over the top.
Janice Cashin says we should not “fire” McRae because he is a “young family man” and only a minority don’t “like” him. But, the majority did not vote for him and the cost she quotes is for a byelection, not a recall campaign.
Brendon Johnson says because we are the government, we don’t direct it. Sorry, I don’t get it. If we are the government, participation in governing is always our responsibility, not just at election time.
He thinks it is only the “other side” making attacks and being divisive. But, B.C. politics have always been divisive and polarized.
And, Mr. Johnson, how is participation in governing an attempt to undermine provincial politics? If the electors want a different MLA, isn’t that called democracy? Why should we wait until the next election to “fire” someone who is not doing what we want him to do?
Any boss can fire an employee for cause. But, McRae is not our employee. Nor is he responsible to us for his political decisions. His duty is to the Liberal Party.
They can “fire” him between elections. We can’t.
And he can’t get re-elected without the support of the Liberal Party. (When was the last time this riding elected an independent?)
McRae can get (re-)elected without the support of the majority of his constituents. He did so last election.
Appreciation for democracy does not just mean voting every four years. It means participation in the governing of the province. A secure, functioning democracy requires the participation of everyone, all the time.
To say a recall campaign is an “unprincipled attack on our political institutions” is not only disingenuous, it is an unnecessary attack on those who choose to participate in our democracy between elections. Carla Neal,
Courtenay
