Hello,
As we approach October 14 we have some:
Good news,
Bad news,
Some hopeful news,
And
A Solution.
First the good news.
As Canadians we live in one of the cleanest, safest, happiest and most prosperous democracies in the world. Our success as a nation is largely the result of our democratic values – the fact that we and we alone elect our political leaders to work for us!
Now the bad news
Some political parties have started to behave as though:
"The business of the public, is not the public's business!"
They are undermining our democratic values by adopting practices that help the party and hurt the people. Here are two examples:
First, there is a disturbing trend of political parties overriding the wishes of local riding associations, by not approving the candidates democratically selected by those associations and installing their own candidates. Recent examples include Mark Warner in Toronto Centre and Bob Barr in Guelph.
Second, once an MP is elected, he or she is still expected to keep the interests of the Party above the interests of the people. One of the best examples of this is Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey. Mr. Casey voted against his party on a bill that would have hurt the people in his province. As a result, he was removed from the party but fortunately continues to sit as an Independent.
Some Hope
As an Independent, Mr. Casey continues to represent the needs, concerns and desires of those he represents. As such, Mr. Casey was better able to serve the democratic process.
A Solution
On October 14, you will find many Independent candidates on the ballot.
I urge you to:
Declare your independence, by
Voting for an Independent
I'm John Richardson and I am an Independent Candidate
