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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED -- If we are consistent and persistent, we can change the dialogue of the next general election and force politicians to heed our concerns for a change

 

People ask me what we can do to bring about real change – There’s A Lot We Can Do!


In the 2019 federal election, less than 10% of the votes cast decided the outcome of 93 seats (27.5%) -- they are vulnerable to change.

With a Do Not Re-Elect (DNR) campaign, the most vulnerable seats will shift from party to party. Seats won by 10% to 19% can also be moved. All incumbents will see their margins shrink. The odds of any party achieving a majority will drop, as they should.

None of them have earned a right to govern as a majority. Collectively, political parties let us down and failed to represent us during what they claim is a crisis. We need to express our anger and frustration.

All parties are currently pleading for our donations and support. We need to prepare for an election campaign like no other in the past. We are usually ill-prepared when we encounter a candidate or can ask a question at a forum.

Let us change that and take the election campaign narrative away from political party strategists and PR people.

We need to be prepared with some tough questions to throw at candidates and political parties. Here are a few examples:

Are you and your party prepared to:

  1. resurrect the oil and gas sector and make provisions to build the infrastructure required to restart this vital engine of our economy;
  2. sharply downsize the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and require the government to be run by the Cabinet and Caucus rather than by hired strategists and PR people;
  3. restructure the equalization program to be fair to all provinces;
  4. accept the responsibilities given you under Section 91 of the Constitution, and act on them as primary policies;
  5. rescind the Lobbying Act and enforce criminal code prohibitions on anyone, including political party officials, from influencing elected and appointed government officials;
  6. split the roles of Attorney General and Minister of Justice to avoid conflicts of interest;
  7. abolish whipped votes and allow elected representatives to vote following their consciences and the wishes of their constituents;
  8. withdraw from the United Nations (UN) and the Paris Agreement;
  9. strengthen ties to NATO, NORAD and the Anglosphere;
  10. simplify the Income Tax Act to a plain language document any taxpayer can understand;
  11. ban foreign-funded Non-Profits from Canada; 
  12. rescind the Official Languages Act and hire based on competence, not linguistic ability; and
  13. honour the constitutional powers of provinces and cease interference therein.


If we are consistent and persistent, we can change the dialogue of the next general election and force politicians to heed our concerns for a change.

We need to hammer politicians relentlessly with these questions.

 

John Feldsted ... is a political commentator, consultant and strategist. He makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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