People wonder why young people don’t vote. If you want to know one reason why, look no further than the small army of candidates who have been dumped by the major federal parties or obliged to quit for the sin of having expressed opinions – usually years ago on social media – that are not deemed politically correct.
The latest to fall on her sword was Victoria Liberal candidate Cheryl Thomas, who stepped down over old Facebook posts she made that criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and said mosques were being used as “brainwashing stations.” The week before, it was another southern Vancouver Island Liberal candidate, Maria Manna, who apologized and stepped down over a 2013 post that called the official account of the 9/11 attacks “a lie.”
It’s not just a Liberal phenomenon. A total of 12 candidates, including Conservatives and New Democrats, have resigned or been fired so far in the election campaign and many others have had to apologize for past statements. Only a small number had actually misbehaved and deserved to be jettisoned; most of them had simply expressed views that are “incompatible with Canadian values,” which have become an ever-tightening straightjacket of CBC-approved political correctness.
And that’s one reason young people don’t vote. They value freedom of thought – the right to express ideas and opinions without fear of being ridiculed and ostracized. They don’t see that in Canadian politics.
There are a few politically expedient exceptions, however. For the Conservatives, one position that is allowed is “standing up” to First Nations. We’re seeing this play out right now on the Sunshine Coast.
As we reported last week, incumbent Conservative candidate John Weston, who is seeking his third term in Ottawa, has waded into the Pender Harbour dock plan controversy, saying concern over Aboriginal title is the No. 1 issue that he’s hearing from constituents.
“As a co-founder of the Constitutional Foundation, I have always believed in equality for all Canadians, guided by one constitution, with equal legal protection for all,” Weston told reporter Christine Wood. “While the constitution and our laws require full consultation with Aboriginal communities, no group ought to exercise veto rights over the rights of other Canadians.”
On Sept. 23, at an all-candidates meeting in Squamish, Weston also pointed to his tough love approach on First Nation matters, this time with the Sliammon Nation’s treaty process in 2012.
“I’m a big advocate for the Sliammon People, but when I saw the treaty, there was a clause that said when there is a conflict between Sliammon law and Canadian law, that Sliammon law would prevail,” the Squamish Chief reported him saying. “I went to the prime minister and I said, ‘I’m sorry, even though it is in my riding, even though the government is promoting this treaty and even though I helped achieve it, I can’t support that.’ There were intonations of consequences and things like that, but they respected my decision.”
So Weston has found a wedge issue in the riding. Politically he has nothing to lose, since the federal Liberals have historically played the “good cop” with First Nations.
And though he is being extremely careful in how he frames it, he is taking a stance that is clearly teetering on the edge of political incorrectness.
At least it’s a local issue that does resonate with some of the voters. We look forward to hearing what the other candidates have to say about it.
