Defeating Harper Means Defeating The Conservative Candidate In Your Riding Too

A Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

“The Tories: An imperfect choice” reads what passes as the election endorsement published this past Saturday, October 17^th by The Globe and Mail’s editorial board.

An imperfect choice? I’d say that’s putting it lightly. It’s sort of like saying why not choose to wait until you have to have all your teeth pulled out over going to the dentist a little more often for a cleaning and the odd filling.

Adios Mr. Harper and please take all of the puppets in your party with you.

What is even crazier about this particular newspaper endorsement, and I’ve never seen one like it in Canada in my 36 years in journalism, is how it twists itself into knots asking Canadians to go to the polls and do the impossible – support the Conservative Party which, in an election, can only mean voting for the Conservative candidate in your riding, and say no to any future in the party for its leader, Stephen Harper, at the same time.

You don’t have to study the Canadian political system very long to know that a vote for a party’s riding candidate is a vote for that party’s leader.

Yet, here The Globe’s editorial board saying yes to the Conservatives’ economic platform, which it argues has been the party’s “strong suit” in terms of of controlling spending and keeping taxes down, and saying the following things with) about Harper.

“It is time for Mr. Harper to take his leave,” reads the editorial.

“He has undone himself and his party with a narrowness of vision and a meanness of spirit on a host of issues, from voting rights to crime and punishment to respect for science to respect for the courts. The topper has been how this election campaign was sidetracked into an artificial, American-style, culture war over niqabs and “barbaric cultural practices.” The spectacle of a prime minister seemingly willing to say anything, or demonize anyone, in an attempt to get re-elected has demeaned our politics. And while it may have firmed up the old Reform base, it also solidified the Harper Conservative Party as a party of, by and for that base.”

That is alright, says I, but you can’t say that and at the same time say: “It is not time for the Conservatives to go.”

To keep Harper from winning another term at the helm, the Conservative Party has to lose enough seats to keep it from even forming a minority government, let alone a majority.

Conservative candidate Rob Nicholson is the one to defeat in the Niagara Falls Riding. In Niagara Centre it is Leanna Villella, in St. Catharines it is Rick Dykstra and in Niagara West it is Dean Allison.

And that means the Liberal, NDP or Green Party candidate with the best chance of beating the Conservative candidate in your riding winning a seat in the next Parliament.

In this riding, that means ever one of us in this Niagara region who agree that Harper has to leave getting to the polls this Monday, October 19^th and voting for the candidate in the strongest position to beat Conservatives Rob Nicholson in the Niagara Falls Riding, Leanna Villella in the Niagara Centre Riding, Rick Dykstra in the St. Catharines Riding and Dean Allison in the Niagara West Riding.

In the cases of the Conservative incumbents in those ridings – Nicholson, Dykstra and Allison – if you agree with The Globe’s editorial board and anyone of many others who believe Harper has to go, why would you want to re-elect them anyway? When have any of them done anything but parrot Harper on any issue that matters? When have they ever shown the courage to take issue with Harper on any issue that matters?

They are the definition of nobs on a seat and if we want to get rid of Harper, they have got to go.

This Monday, October 19^th is our opportunity to say ‘God Bless Canada’ and do it! It is our best chance in years to play a part in shaping our future and welcoming in a brand new dawn for our country.

Don’t let it go!

By the way, I have deliberately stayed away from naming who I think may be the candidate with the best chance of beating the Conservative in your riding. It is part of your job and mine as citizens to pay attention and make that determination ourselves or in conversations with our friends and neighbours who have hopefully been paying attention to the campaigns too.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

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