Holy Cow – keyboard warriors, it’s time for a time out.
Take a breath.
Step back from the battle.
And chill.
Yes, you’re angry. We’re all angry.
The provincial NDP government has run up an astronomical provincial debt. They’ve ruined our economy; destroyed our healthcare system to the point where finding enough doctors and nurses to fill shifts and keep ER’s open is becoming more and more difficult; driven companies like Canfor away from our communities; worsened the drug crisis; and they’ve embraced the unfettered catch-and-release method of justice.
But the two men running for MLA in Peace River North aren’t to blame. They are not the enemy.
Fighting amongst ourselves from the safety of our keyboards, hurling insults through cyberspace, destroying campaign signs, calling people names for preferring one candidate over another and for believing in their message, is not helping bring about change.
Change is needed in BC. We all know it.
Tearing down people who care about Peace River North enough to put their names forward to represent its citizens in Victoria won’t bring about that change.
It’s been said the people in this region would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. We’ve seen examples of that this year. When Fort Nelson was evacuated, so many people in the North and South Peace came forward to help. With donations, with places to house their pets and livestock, with places to stay . . . the list goes on.
Both the MLA candidates were among those who stepped up to lend a hand in whatever ways they could.
Show some respect
Never have we had a situation where the official opposition party folded up its tent right before an election, leaving its candidates without a banner to run under. It’s been 91 years since we’ve had a Conservative government in B.C., and the party hasn’t had much of a presence in the legislature since the 1960s.
The resurgence of the BC Conservatives is as amazing as the performance of the NDP is deplorable.
It’s understandable that the contest would be volatile in ridings where there’s an incumbent-NDP MLA and a Conservative candidate, plus an Independent to split the vote. That’s a situation that doesn’t exist in Peace River North. There’s no vote-splitting here.
The NDP candidate here is a candidate in name only.
He doesn’t live here. He doesn’t have a vested interest in this area and doesn’t know the people. Who knows if he’s ever been north of Prince George – he hasn’t told us. It’ll be a surprise if he gets more than six per cent of the votes.
But you know who does have a vested interest in Peace River North? And who loves the region and is willing to sacrifice time with family to spend weeks on end in Victoria, advocating for the needs of the residents of Peace River North?
Jordan Kealy and Dan Davies.
They’re not doing it for glory, for power, or the big paycheck. They’ve both said multiple times they’re doing it because they want to be a voice for YOU, the residents of this corner of British Columbia.
Heaping insults upon the candidates, their supporters and vandalizing election signs is not helping anything. It takes a lot to run for political office. You might not like them or agree with them, but these guys deserve our respect for putting themselves out there, to speak for us. Not tirades and accusations, nor distain or suspicion.
How many of you would be able to go out there and do what Dan and Jordan are doing?
If you don’t vote, you can’t complain
We need a strong voice in the legislature, whether it’s by a member of a political party or an Independent who can advocate for the region without the constraints of partisan party politics.
We want change. Both these guys are offering it, in their own ways.
We need to get out from behind the keyboards, stop bickering amongst ourselves, stop vandalizing signs and VOTE. Trash-talking candidates on the internet isn’t going to change anyone’s mind about how they’re going to vote, unless it’s to put them off the candidate with the most caustic supporters.
If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the outcome.
You know what I’d love to see for this election? A return to the voter turnouts of old. Specifically, 1991, when 70 per cent of registered voters in Peace River North voted. It’s been declining ever since, in 1995 it was 60 per cent and in the 2020 election, 46 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
So, Keyboard Warriors, stay in time-out until Sunday, please.
Use the time in between to go out and vote for your preferred candidate, maybe lend a hand to the campaign of the candidate you feel is best. But don’t tear down supporters of the other guy.
Then on October 20, we can either celebrate the win, or complain to our hearts’ content if the guy we voted for didn’t win.