for Change

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Things need to change in this country.

It’s time for a new political voice. A voice of caution. A voice of reason. Of empathy. Of tolerance.

A voice that respects the rule of law and the fundamental rights and freedoms of each and every Canadian, no matter what.

A voice that understands how dangerous it is to support ideas and policies that encourage segregation, division, discrimination, hatred and intolerance.

A voice that actually trusts science and scientific principles, and bases policy decisions on hard evidence rather than fear, speculation and conjecture.

A voice that remembers that all Canadians are important, not just those that happen to agree with one entrenched point of view, and respects the thoughts, ideas and choices of those in the minority just as much as those of any others.

A voice that calls upon us to lay aside all the fear and anger that have been driven into us in recent years, and to focus once again on building a brighter future and a better country for everyone.

A new Canadian political voice doesn’t have to define itself anymore as being “of the left” or “of the right”. It can chart a middle ground between those two ideologically extreme positions. It can start from the principle that rational, reasonable and economically sound policy decisions can come from anywhere on the political spectrum. It can lay its foundation on the notion that in Canada, the rule of law and the rights and freedoms guaranteed by our constitution are non-negotiable. It can build on that foundation by recognizing once more that each and every Canadian is entitled to equality, respect and dignity at all times.

Naturally, there are those who will read these words and rush to judgment, who will offer biting criticisms and ask pointed questions about discrete policy issues. No matter. Let them judge. Let them criticize. Other policies and ideas will come later. For now, it is enough for a new Canadian political voice to proclaim its commitment to the above principles. One must start from somewhere.

Of course, change doesn’t come easy; it’s naïve to believe that it does. Real change requires an enormous amount of effort and patience, and not everyone is eager to try. In fact, there are a great many who even now clearly wish for the current state of affairs in our country to continue indefinitely. Even if the messages contained in these pages resonate with many, there will still be others who oppose them with all of their might.

And so we must hold firm. We must believe that real change is possible and summon the courage to make it happen. If we truly want to set things right in this country, there’s no other option. If we truly want to put an end to the odious and devastating policies currently in force across Canada, if we are to chart a new course forward based on the principles described above, then we must make that enormous effort. We must find the resolve, the patience, the reason, the empathy and the tolerance necessary to set our country back on the right track. We must not stop until the task is done. It might take years, or even the rest of our lives, but we must not stop.

It doesn’t have to be this way any longer. We don’t have to accept the way things are. We don’t have to keep living like this.

We can do so much better.

Are you in?