Straight thoughts 102

March 3rd, 2003

Dr. David Docherty, Chair of the department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, interviewed on CBC radio this morning, said that 20% of provincial conservatives who voted for Mike Harris the last time, will stay home on election day.
The Flaherty-type conservatives see the Eves policies as contradicting the Common Sense Revolution, especially in the way money is spent.
Mike Harris himself may not be active in the next election campaign.

I agree with Dr. Docherty on this point. Eves is taking a calculated risk: losing support from the right to attract votes from the left. This strategy will have two effects:
the PCs may not win the next election, and
the Family Coalition party will double its supporters.
It is our job to inform those conservative voters, disenchanted by Eves, that an alternative exists in Ontario and that it is worth going to vote, to affect government policies in the next mandate.

The Family Coalition party promotes more compassionate policies than Harris' "revolution", without abandoning, but strengthening the traditional values of family, fiscal responsibility and individual accountability.

Our radio campaign, which will go on the air this month, is intended to inform Ontarians that Education and Health care need to be restored to their original missions of "teaching" and "healing" by a caring, but firm hand.

A false sense of loyalty sometimes prevents people to vote judiciously, no matter how much the old parties abandon their own ideologies and play political games.

Our message should indicate that voting for positive change is a far better alternative than remaining silent or allowing ourselves to be intellectually raped by the same old vote-buying strategies.