To the Editor,
There is ongoing joke that Canadians don’t vote people in, they vote people out.
Yet, how can we as Canadians ever feel otherwise when we are constantly faced with politicians showing bad behaviour and expecting that there should be two different set of rules (rules for those in power and rules for everyone else)?
Robocalling is in the news for good reason. It is becoming evident that illegal calls were spread out over dozens of key ridings all over the country.
The amount of money and organization (phone database and planning) involved in targeting non-Conservative voters in multiple close ridings demands investigation.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is denying calls for a full and independent investigation by stating that the calls were merely ‘dirty tricks’ in a few isolated locations.
Not only does this appear blatantly false, and if proven false, illegal, but one has to ask if we have become a country that allows ‘dirty tricks’ as acceptable behaviour?
What does this model for our kids and other countries? If we, as a country, profess to be a model for democracy and choose to speak out against actions in countries like Syria, what are we really saying? Do as we say, not as we do?
If Prime Minister Harper truly believes he has nothing to hide, then let there be a full and independent investigation.
Being a politician should be about providing a service to and being answerable to their electorate.
It shouldn’t be about winning, getting your way and ignoring people when it doesn’t suit you.
Ken Dreger
Nanaimo
