National Post ePaper

Seats almost same, platforms weren't

Quite a few pundits have claimed this was a wasted election because the seat count did not change that much. I beg to differ. The party platforms have changed considerably as each tried to find the package of issues with the greatest voter appeal.

I'm especially pleased that the Bloc Québécois lost seats even though it and the Quebec premier have been loudly insisting that the federal government should give Quebec ever more in fiscal transfers with no strings attached. The Liberal platform has said no, including penalties for extra billing and guidelines on sexual and reproductive health care.

The Conservatives tried to pull a fast one by promising very large fiscal transfers starting only some years from now, even though they claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility. The former head of the PBO gave their platform a fail on fiscal sustainability.

As the new MP for Ottawa Centre said on radio Tuesday when asked what he heard on the doorstep, it was “climate, climate, climate.” This is absolutely fundamental. Since the last election two years ago, we have reached a tipping point where many more among the general public realize that we are in a climate crisis.

I certainly hope that a much larger number of our MPs will now have the will to be much more aggressive on climate action.

Michael Wolfson, Ottawa

City

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2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://nationalpost.pressreader.com/article/281663963150958

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