OPINION: Redmond excluded from story is the story

BY LYNNE THIELE

GUEST OPINION

The Guardian headlines, ‘Politics heating up; Opening of the Legislature, Hotly contested provincial byelection keep leaders on their toes,’ sums up what is wrong in this government today.

Mike Redmond, leader of the NDP P.E.I. and candidate for District 11 has not been elected and so was excluded from the article. He would have been included if the voting system of Proportional Representation were in place and he had a seat.

Proportional Representation would be in place for the next election if the Liberal majority under Wade MacLauchlan had honoured the voter but majority governments will never put in PR no matter what they promise.

Honour the voter is Mike's message for District 11, a district that voted strongly for Proportional Representation a year ago.

Mike is also excluded from speaking out for the voiceless who wait for housing, for a room in a manor, for medical caregivers and those who work in a hospital clogged with people on a list, people who can't get on a list but see others pass by; others who are connected.

Mike speaks for those looking into the inner circle of privilege. He is so relevant to the ones who call him daily because they are left out; as if services like health and welfare were given out like invitations.

The Green Party has one seat in legislature and that helps the coalition for PR but it doesn't bring social justice. In B.C., when the NDP signed a coalition with the Green Party to form government, the NDP had to agree to give up two major platforms that they had promised. One was for affordable childcare and one was for housing.

Here on the Island, many candidates read NDP policies when they campaign but they are reading from another party's platform, just as Justin Trudeau did in the last election.

Then he twinkled and winked his way into power and has since kept Harper's laws that leave Canadian waters unprotected and give away our future with trade deals that allow corporations to sue us for any environmental laws that keep them from making a profit.

Mike was excluded from the story in the Guardian that day and I say that is the story. How much longer do we want to exclude him from helping us all?

- Lynne Thiele of Stratford is a retired teacher and member of the P.E.I. NDP election planning committee