I couldn’t help but wonder who the messenger, Jim Shepard, was behind a letter posted here April 23, regarding the NDP and the Leap Manifesto written by Naomi Klein and co-authored with her partner Avi Lewis.
However, the most interesting part of the letter is the thinly veiled attempt to rally support for the B.C. Liberal Party while suggesting the author is a non-partisan citizen instead of a staunch supporter of Christy Clark.
Clearly this is a concerted effort by the Christy Clark shadow campaign to once again fool people into thinking their very livelihoods are under attack by a nefarious scheme, the Leap Manifesto, and by a named political party, the NDP.
Perhaps a closer look at the real NDP platform is in order. Perhaps questions to the local NDP candidate Barry Dorval are in order.
B.C. citizens deserve to be treated with respect with real information when such important decisions about our economic future, our health and education services for all ages, our environment, our seniors care, our infrastructure, our children’s safety and secure knowledge that a sustainable future awaits them. Understanding the needs and functions of a caring society in a new and different economic and ecological structure.
It doesn’t take much searching online to realize that fossil fuels have had their best days and while we will continue to use them for the foreseeable near term we need to prepare the groundwork of sustainability without them as our main sources of energy. Fossil fuel producers have already accepted that this era is coming to an end and are investing in the future by developing sustainable energy sources.
The handwriting appears to be on the wall and energy producers are clearly reading the directions for their economic viability going forward. They are putting their money where they think it will have the most benefit. After all, their families live here too. They require all the same services, functions, water, air and land, health care and education, seniors care, etc., that the rest of us do. To see their considered investment in a future that sustains us and contributes to a healthy planet is heartening.
While the Leap Manifesto is an aspirational document, it is just that. It is not the platform of the NDP. While we all need to be aware of our status as sentient beings on this planet and our responsibility to care for it wisely, there is no need to scare up votes based on fear mongering and dubious intentions. Energy production is very important and viability is equally important. Just as we have moved away from horses and buggies as a mode of transportation, however environmentally friendly they may be, they are no longer functional to meet the demand of society. So too, forward thinking citizens are developing and investing in the next generation of ways and means to support our energy needs to meet sustainability and viability targets.
Mining and lumber are not on the chopping block other than the concerns that foreign investors and foreign workers are taking over these resources. B.C. Liberals have been quick to sell our resources wholesale to foreign nation states to do as they see fit. Raw products shipped with no added value.
The citizens of deserve to know the facts. Alternative facts are not facts but they can be used to misdirect and confuse voters. Political spin is not helpful. Check your sources. I encourage everyone to do their own research and look back on their experiences in the last 15 years of B.C. Liberal stewardship on health services, education, environmental sustainability, resource management, cooperation and respect for First Nations treaty rights and resource management in their territories, and future energy production that is responsible and financially sound. What do you want to see in the future? How do you want your children supported in education? How do you want to be supported with your health concerns and long-term care?
Voting is important to support your vision of respectful stewardship and responsible governance. On voting day, we decide what services we support by how we cast our ballots. We are giving the governing party the power to spend our tax dollars. Who has that mandate will determine how those funds are spent and what our levels of service will be.
Glenna Miles
Vernon
