Dear Mr. Duceppe, Mr. Layton and Mr. Ignatieff,
The time that many of us hoped for has finally come. There is a good chance that we will see a new government in place, never soon enough.
But it is also never sure enough. I was surprised to hear friends from rural Ontario say that they thought every one liked Mr. Harper. Clearly we do not move in the same circles. Still, it is worrisome.
As a Canadian who has worked overseas and experienced many types of governments, the idea that Canadians are afraid of coalitions is strange, to say the least. Many great democracies currently work as coalitions and they do very well, to name four of them: India, Latvia, UK, Israel.
With clear rules of engagement, clear communication and protocols based on civility and transparency, who knows where Canada could go! Dialectic expertise, focus, and strong ethics can shape a new government into putting the needs of the citizenry ahead of partisanship - the bane of Canadian politics.
So, if three parties (four if you include Greens, which I hope you do) come together, it is certain that, as wrote Amartya Sen ( Nobel Prize in Economics 1998) "Going beyond these basic structural priorities (e.g. party priorities), the argumentative tradition, if used with deliberation and commitment, can also be extremely important in resisting social inequalities and in removing poverty and deprivation. Voice is a crucial component of the pursuit of social justice".
And that is the Canada we want. One where social justice is number one on the list of priorities, not just for Canada but for the world.
Such a vision can and must allow you to combine your strengths and compliment your weaknesses in order to serve Canada not better, but the best.
As a humble citizen, I appeal to you to work together to ensure the defeat of Mr. Harper and his Conservatives. If you fail, we all fail.
Acting Together
Esther Matharu
Women's Alliance Party
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