David McLaren flies NDP banner
Monday 1 June 2015
David McLaren flys NDP banner
in Ontario's Bruce-Grey-Owen-Sound
Here he speaks on the Alberta Orange Wave
NDP Chinook blows through Alberta
I’ve read pages of columnists and listened to hours of analysis about the battle in Alberta ... how did the NDP pull it off ... how did Jim Prentice lose it ... why did voters push the his Tories into third place?They say Rachel Notley ran a great campaign. They say the Wildrose floor crossings hurt the Conservatives. They say Mr Prentice was punished for telling Albertans to look in the mirror for who is responsible for the deficit. Meanwhile Norway sits on a trillion dollars of oil revenue.
All true. But what all the commentators seem to have forgotten is that the ‘demos’ in democracy means ‘people’. And it’s what the people do in an election that matters.
The Orange Wave in Alberta is not such a shocker when you consider how people there think about things ...
All true. But what all the commentators seem to have forgotten is that the ‘demos’ in democracy means ‘people’. And it’s what the people do in an election that matters.The Orange Wave in Alberta is not such a shocker when you consider how people there think about things ...
- The deficit: Should it be reduced, even if it means fewer public services? No.
- Corporate taxes: How much tax should corporations pay? More.
- Higher personal income tax rates: How much should wealthier people pay in taxes? More.
- Cost of post-secondary education: Should it be frozen for college and university? Yes.
- Class size: Should it be reduced, even if it means hiring more teachers? Yes.
- Oil economy: Is Alberta’s economy is too dependent on oil and gas? Yes.
- Oil royalties: How much should oil and gas companies pay in royalties? More.
- Fracking: How much fracking should be allowed in Alberta? Less.
- Public sector workers: Should they be prevented from striking? No.
- Public sector wages: How much should government workers in Alberta be paid? Less.
- GHG emissions: How much should Alberta do to reduce emissions? More.
- Child Care: Should the government increase funding for child care in Alberta. Yes.
People vote. Some Albertans voted against the usual way of doing business, but most voted for economic, environmental and social fairness … you know, the sort of Canadian values we all grew up with.
You can find the whole poll, complete with shades of opinion and some opinions that I don’t agree with at http://bit.ly/1PrAvyB.
David McLaren is an award-winning writer living on the Bruce Peninsula. He is the NDP candidate for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound in the upcoming federal election.
