Skip to main content

“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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

GORDON F. D. WILSON: When The Trick Masquerades as The Treat

Thirty-seven years ago, Halloween 1987, I became the leader of the BC Liberal Party.   British Columbia was badly polarized. Social Credit held one side and the NDP the other. It had been twelve years, 1975, since Liberal MLAs Garde Gardom, Pat McGeer, and Alan Williams had walked away from their party to join Social Credit, one year after the lone Progressive Conservative MLA Hugh Curtis had abandoned his party to sit with Bill Bennett, the son and heir apparent to long-serving BC Premier, WAC Bennett.   An unwritten agreement by the biggest Canadian political shareholders, the federal Liberals and Conservatives, decided that if British Columbia was to remain a lucrative franchise from a revenue perspective, they couldn’t risk splitting the electoral vote and electing the real enemy, the NDP, so no resources would be used to finance either a Liberal or Conservative party provincially.   “There are two sides to every street,” I was told by a very prominent Canadian businessman who cont

FORSETH: As a BC Conservative member, and campaign worker, I will again state that the fact these errors were found -- AND brought to light BY Elections BC -- shows the system IS working

Sadly, two and a half weeks after the BC provincial election campaign, those who want to undermine our political process are still at.  PLUS, we also have one who doesn’t even live in our country, never mind our province. I speak of the buffoon running for President of the United States, who has poisoned the well when it comes to faith in the electoral process. Just today alone, comments such as the following, were being made of posts that I shared online: ... all the votes they keep finding has just favoured NDP on in all critical ridings and soon they will flip another riding in favour of NDP, Come on. ... Elections BC has ridiculed British Columbians, and I no longer have confidence or trust in their process and competence regarding the results Then there are others online, with comments like these – who are claiming fraud in the October 19th election: ... Who is the oversight for Elections BC? They should be investigated for election fraud! ... Fraudulent election ... should be red

“With the talent and dedication of this caucus we will hold David Eby to account for his government’s out of control spending and ongoing failures in healthcare, public safety and addictions" — John Rustad

Today, John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, proudly unveiled his shadow cabinet, a dynamic team of talented individuals ready to hold David Eby’s disastrous government accountable and present a strong alternative vision for British Columbia. “ Our shadow cabinet is a diverse and experienced group, committed to restoring prosperity, public safety, and affordability for every British Columbian ,” said Rustad. “ With experts in every field, we are focused on delivering real solutions for the challenges our province faces .” Rustad emphasized the historic appointment of Aaliya Warbus as House Leader. The shadow cabinet reflects the Conservative Party’s vision to build a brighter future for British Columbia. The appointments are as follows: Leadership Positions : Aaliya Warbus – House Leader Bruce Banman – Whip Sheldon Claire – Deputy Whip Portfolios : Tony Luck – Municipal Affairs and Local Government Sharon Hartwell – Rural Communities and Rural Development I

Labels

Show more