Another Sad and Ugly Sign of Our Times

A Brief Commentary by Niagara At Large reporter and publisher Doug Draper

Posted February 17^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

Toronto Mayor John Tory’s last day in office as eggs are pelted against his windows.

I turned on the CBC television news earlier this Friday, February 17^th to images of the outgoing City of Toronto Mayor John Tory serving his last day in office with the yoke and shells of eggs splattering the windows of that office outside.

I am no fan of Mayor Tory, has resigned from the mayor’s job after admitting to an affair with a female. I am particularly disappointed in him for so eagerly wrapping his arms around “strong mayor powers” Ontario Premier Doug Ford afforded him to over-ride decisions made by a majority on his council, even while the Mayor of Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe, shunned such powers as an attack on our democracy.

Yet egging the windows outside Tory’s office struck me as one more sign that politics and any semblance of civility around governance in our country is getting uglier and uglier.

It has certainly not reached the depths of ugliness and violence we have been witnessing in the United States in recent years but for reasons I think we all need to examine and reflect on, it is getting worse in Canada too.

During and immediately after this past Fall’s municipal elections I read reports and heard from municipal candidates who experience more ill behaviour than they have in any previous election. They endured an extraordinary amount of yelling and swearing at residents doors, and at least one candidate was spat at.

The vandalism of a Niagara federal government candidate’s car

Over the past two or three years, municipal, provincial and federal politicians have had their homes and cars and constituency offices vandalized. There have been rocks thrown through windows and profanities sprayed on the walls of their homes.

If we want to keep a free and healthy and peaceful democracy alive in this country, that is not the way to do it.

If you are unhappy with what our elected representatives are doing, phone them, right or email them a letter, attend public meetings and peaceful demonstrations or protests.

And by all means, keep informed of what our governments are doing and go out and vote rather than stay away from the polls like record numbers of people did during the last few municipal, provincial and federal elections.

Our elected representatives should also take time to reflect on what they may be doing or not doing to cause growing numbers of people to get turned off on participating in politics or to get angry to a point where things turn ugly.

For the sake of preserving a democracy so many fought and died for, there is a discussion here that we all need to have.

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders