Quality over quantity

Dear Mike,
The editorial in the March 3 edition of the Times suggested starting a party of like-minded northerners. “With a block of MPPs, we’d have some clout then, right?”
Yes, we would, if they truly represented our northern views.
In fact, we’ve had a block of MPs and MPPs from the north for about 30 years. They’re called the Liberals and the NDP, and their record speaks for itself. We keep losing everything we hold dear.
Quantity doesn’t matter nearly as much as quality. Eight “Common Sense” MPPs would better represent our views than 10 “politically correct” ones any day.
Banning the spring bear hunt was quite a mistake and I’m not even going to try to defend the decision. But not once, in the past two years while this issue was being debated in southern Ontario, did either one of our elected MPPs say one single word in support of the economic benefits of the spring bear hunt to Northern Ontario.
When NDP MPP Frances Lankin was passing out her teddy bears, our MPPs chuckled along with the rest of the tree-huggers. Now it’s election time and they’re singing a different tune.
I wish Premier Harris had gone to bat for us, in spite of them, but he didn’t. On future issues, it is vitally important that he knows our true feelings.
Mike Harris is going to be re-elected with another landslide majority. The polls are clear.
He took on a bankrupt province and has kept his promise to fix government. Is he perfect? Of course not. Are his policies? No. But he has kept his word and it’s been a long time since Ontario has had a politician who did so.
Mike Harris, Chris Hodgson, and Ernie Eves have done more for the north in four years than the previous governments did in 10. Roads, telecommunications, and infrastructure have never been better after years of neglect.
The waiting lists stretching across Canada in health care are a direct result of the federal Liberal cuts of $7.8 billion in funding annually to the provinces and everyone knows it.
Thanks to the Internet and a new national newspaper, we have a more informed, educated, and responsible citizenry than at any time in history. We no longer are fooled by negative reporting or by the fear-mongering of the opposition parties.
“Common Sense” nearly prevailed in the last provincial election here in our riding. Perhaps this time we will get a true voice for the north, and Premier Harris will hear all the facts on all our northern issues.
Yours sincerely,
Lynn Beyak