With limited days remaining and few new ideas likely to be heard in the repetitive political narratives from our national leaders, I would like to offer, as a Canadian citizen, a whisper within the current political din.
The one issue that has plagued our prime minister since the early spring of this year has been the SNC-Lavalin issue. The mud from this issue is still sticking to his socks and Mr. Scheer, in his self-righteous tone and words, continues to throw mud.
Just when one thinks that all the mud has been thrown and the details of the issue have been rehashed and exhausted, another puddle shows up to smear the prime minister’s face. Much of the political hype and mud that is thrown at him comes from those obsessed more with position and power rather than working together for the common good.
Our democracy is based on an adversarial system that makes consensus building and co-operative governance near impossible. Governance becomes a political game of winning and losing. Shouting at each other replaces listening and intelligent discussion. Division and taking sides replaces sharing and cooperation. The outcome of this so called process stirs anger and ultimately violence. History has proven this many times.
As to the SNC-Lavalin issue and its current standing: After all the political B.S. and hype, the remedial agreement SNC-Lavalin was hoping to use and exercise was not allowed. The accusations and charges against SNC-Lavalin for bribery must be resolved in court. Despite Mr. Trudeau’s intervention and dealings with this issue, the system worked and justice has been served.
Mr. Trudeau has admitted to his awkward handling of this issue and I am certain he has learned from the experience and his mistakes. To accuse him, however, of being a phoney, a liar and someone totally insensitive to the rule of law is wrong in my opinion and does nothing to help resolve this issue in a way that will allow all of us to move on and become better as a country and a people.
It seems to me that the perpetrator in this whole issue is SNC-Lavalin, hoping to accommodate corruption by getting a change in legislation, a strategy more designed for self-interest than collective interest and a strategy that exploited Mr. Trudeau and his government, a convenient scapegoat for blame and condemnation. How this whole issue will play out in the courts will be interesting but it will not be cheap for the Canadian taxpayer.
As a voter in this election, I still have confidence in Justin Trudeau, despite all the conservative hype to the contrary. Mr. Trudeau is not perfect. Nice hair and a nice smile, along with a selfie celebrity image help but as he reminds us, “good can always be better.” There is a genuine quality of good will and generosity of spirit that I see in our prime minister. These human qualities, along with his youth, energy and passion for his and my country, give me a measure of hope and trust in a time when we all need to see the future with a sense of empowerment and positive citizen engagement in the democratic process.
Wilf Borgstede, St. Albert
