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LETTERS: Election aftermath

Letter writers respond to past letter writers in the lead-up to the May 9 provincial election.
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Editor:

Re: Leader needs to be specific, April 28 letters.

I was shocked to see a so-called ‘letter from the editor’ from Jim Shepard of the Concerned Citizens 4 British Columbia skewering John Horgan and the NDP and fear mongering about the Leap Manifesto.

Shepard is the former CEO of Finning and Canfor, and the previous economic advisor to Christy Clark. The group’s sole purpose is to get the BC Liberals re-elected.

The Leap Manifesto is not an NDP document but a philosophical paper developed by 60 representatives from Canada’s Indigenous rights, social and food justice, environmental, faith-based and labour movements.

In itself, the Leap Manifesto is not even a bad thing. It simply lays out the path towards an eventual transition toward renewable energy over the next two to three decades. That said, the provincial NDP have not fully endorsed it but rather rolled out their own environmental policy which has been praised by experts for its progressive approach to climate change.

This was just one example of the neverending stream of fake news that was proliferated by the BC Liberals in the run-up to last week’s election. From the “truth truck” following Horgan around, to mistruths about the BC NDP platform, the BC Liberals appeared to be unable to win the election with honesty and integrity, choosing instead to deceive voters.

I suppose if the BC Liberals were being honest they would have to admit that we do not have the lowest middle-class taxes in Canada, and that B.C.’s overall provincial debt is forecast to hit $47 billion by 2012. Our great-grandchildren will be paying B.C.’s debts until at least 2094. I think that is something we should fear much more than an eventual shift to renewable energy.

Laura Mcleod, Surrey

• • •

Re: Party held responsible, April 28 letters.

I was taken aback by the anger expressed by writer Ivan Scott towards the BC Liberal party.

In some ways, Scott is a kindred soul. I have the same strong feelings toward the state of the Ministry of Children and Family Development and its neglect of children.

Unfortunately, there are reality checks: the inmates are running the asylum, meaning bureaucrats are perhaps the single largest impediment towards fixing the problems. That is what happens when you let social workers, teachers and other subject-matter experts run the system.

The second reality check: politicians, be they socialists, liberals or conservatives, take the path of least resistance, avoiding the battles that might hurt their chances of holding on to power. Right or wrong, it is the nature of the beast.

Scott’s comments were also off the mark. Without the demand, there would be no opioid crisis –heroin in my day. Simplistic, yes, but nevertheless true.

Therefore, there is a need for personal accountability, and for individuals to act responsibly.

Having said that, communities have a responsibility to address conditions that hinder healthy development and can become the breeding ground for addiction, homelessness and crime. It is those conditions – poverty, dysfunctional family conditions including parental conflict, family violence and the abuse and neglect of children, poor and affordable housing… – that are the disease, not the suppliers.

Putting them in jail is not going to solve the problem. As long as there is demand, like a hydra, two new heads will regrow for every head chopped off.

Darwin Nickel, White Rock