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The Lindsay Post is running a weekly series of questions, with answers by both the "Yes" and "No" sides of the issues.
Question #25:
Should local provincial candidates take a stand on de-amalgamation?
Should local provincial candidates take a stand on de-amalgamation? Frankly, Scarlett, we don't give a…….well, you get our drift. What we do care about is what our MPP will do after a "Yes" vote to de-amalgamate. More on that subject later.
Last week the Victoria County "Yes" Campaign took a strong, and we believe, principled position against the City using public money to plead the "No" side of the referendum debate. To do so would clearly put the City administration in a conflict of interest.
Unlike the City using taxpayers' money to solicit "No" votes, a provincial candidate would at least be using his or her own money, or money voluntarily given by supporters, to add a "Yes" or "No" plank to his or her election platform.
The argument in favour of a provincial candidate saying clearly and unequivocally where he or she stands on the referendum question is that it shows leadership.
It's easy to take the side of the angels on the motherhood issues. We all want better healthcare, a cleaner environment, lower taxes and better schools. But what is a candidate's personal opinion on the tough issues? And they don't get much tougher than "Yes" or "No" for de-amalgamation.
The provincial candidate (and we're speaking here in generalities) who suddenly starts attending a church which he hasn't been to in years does so because he thinks his state of grace matters to the voters. If he's right, then why wouldn't the voters also want to know where he stands on de-amalgamation?
The argument against a provincial candidate becoming involved in the referendum debate is that de-amalgamation is a local, not a provincial, issue. Local people have a right to decide for themselves, without outsiders weighing in on one side or the other. You mind your business and we'll mind ours.
However, municipal councils stray outside their jurisdiction all the time, sending off resolutions to Queen's Park for or against provincial policies.
While the Victoria County "Yes" Campaign has no official position on whether a candidate should state a "Yes" or "No" personal preference, we do insist that all provincial candidates tell us without waffling what they will do after the referendum votes have been counted.
We do understand that the referendum is "non binding" in the strict political sense. But we also recognize, as does the provincial government, that it is morally bound to follow through with de-amalgamation if the people vote "Yes." The referendum is, after all, a provincial initiative. What would be the point of the referendum if the government didn't intend to accept the judgement of the people?
A provincial candidate who doesn't agree now that, if elected, he or she will push the government to implement de-amalgamation after a "Yes" vote is unfit and unworthy to be elected on October 2nd.
It would be political suicide for a would-be MPP to actively campaign on a platform of "elect me and I'll ignore a "Yes" vote." They're more likely to try to stay silent on the issue unless the public presses them on this point.
If the old adage is true that we get the government we deserve, it's also true that the electorate can influence the direction of an election campaign. Will the new MPP work to implement the result of a "Yes" vote? Insist that he or she makes that promise. And don't vote for anyone who won't.