Dear Reed, Joe, et al Conservatives.
The recent editorial in the Citizen expressing satisfaction/thanks that the new government in Ottawa is ceasing the audit pursuit of charities and community organizations makes me thankful for the outcome of the election last fall. That editorial reminded me of just one of those sour, vindictive attitudes/policy approaches that distinguished the government of Stephen Harper, and I am glad that Canadians decided that those attitudes don’t represent us well. We voted for a Canada with hope and desire for something other than pinched pennies and accountant dourness — for something that touches the soft spot in your heart now and then — for inspiration that the future can be better for many, not just for those with fat bank accounts.
Of course, our capitalist society runs on money, and dreams cost money. But dreams and passion together can accomplish things that money cannot. You (Conservative supporters) must remember how Canada felt when Pearson pushed to bring us our flag shortly after Diefenbaker killed what might have become a vibrant aerospace industry that was budding with the Avro Arrow development. The flag wasn’t about money, it was about identity, and I doubt that you can find a Canadian today who doesn’t appreciate what that symbol has come to represent. To take on that process was to provide leadership — a far cry from the school-marm-like discipline of Mr. Harper. (I’m reminded of the all-encompassing omnibus budget bills of the last couple of years that lumped everything into one document in a take-it-or-leave-it approach that would well represent a dictatorship.)
Yes, the new government in Ottawa will, in time, make some mistakes that cause its support to dwindle. I didn’t vote Liberal, but that doesn’t stop me from remembering the past and having hope for the future.
Bruce Wilkinson
Duncan