Dear Santa,
Hi. How are you? I hope you and Mrs. Claus had a very good year. I hope the reindeer are in good health and everything is going well at the North Pole. Are the elves working really hard on presents for all the good boys and girls? I know it is only a week before Christmas, but I thought I would send you some suggestions for Christmas presents, if you don't mind.
For John Horgan, I was wondering if you would please get him a majority government in some fashion or form. Maybe the Green Party members could just join the NDP. Or maybe a few by-elections could go his way.
It would certainly make things easier all around for the people of the province. Right now, politically, we are sitting on pins-and-needles waiting for the other shoe to drop if I may mix some metaphors.
While the agreement with the Green Party preserves the impression of a coalition, it is really only about not defeating the government on matters of confidence.
This has allowed Andrew Weaver free reign to take credit when things go well, criticize when things go against his wishes, and to avoid any responsibility.
The consequence is a government which appears shakier than it is.
I know Santa that you can't simply conjure up an election. We have a few more years before the next one. But while the government looks functional, it is does not look like a strong government and in the long run this will impact our economy.
For Weaver, would you please bring him some consistency in his positions? If his party is the party of the environment, then it needs to consider all of the ramifications of his positions with respect to their impact on the entire ecosystem. His policies often contradict this fundamental tenet.
It would seem to me proposing wind turbines, solar panels, and a multitude of run-of-the-river dams would cause more widespread environmental damage than a single big dam. It certainly was Weaver's position in the past. But in either case, the issue shouldn't be one of finding alternative energy sources but changing the landscape in which we operate to find ways to decrease our overall energy and environmental footprint.
The real trick is figuring out how to do this while working under our present inflationary economic model.
Perhaps Weaver really does have the answer. If so Santa, would you please have a talk with him about sharing with everyone else? That would be a great present for the province and the entire world!
With regards to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I was wondering Santa whether or not you could bring him a cabinet which wasn't trying to trip itself up all the time?
I realize many of the issues we hear about from our Parliament are not significant but they do seem to play in the news.
They are also providing fodder for the opposition. If we are not careful, we might go back to the days when politicians all got a lump of coal - which could explain some of the previous government's views on climate change. After all, if coal is good enough for Santa, it must be good for the country!
But it really is time for the prime minister to focus on the future and not through a pot-coloured haze.
The legalization of marijuana is a done deal, but it will cause headaches for politicians of all stripes and not from smoking it. And it will cause health concerns even though proponents don't seem to understand why.
There are other things the government should have on its agenda such as social housing, reconciliation, deficit and debt reduction to name a few. Unfortunately, our federal government appears to be distracted by the ongoing scandals.
And speaking of distracted, I was hoping Santa that you could bring U.S. President Donald Trump a conscience?
He is singlehandedly dismantling so much of the political infrastructure upon which we depend. He is undermining both the internal social structure of his own country and giving license to dictators around the world.
Consider this quote from Syrian President Bashar Assad on an Amnesty International report of the 13,000 people who have been killed in his prisons: "We are living in a fake news era."
Or this quote from a Myanmar state official on accusations of genocide: "There is no such thing as Rohingya. It is fake news."
If not a conscience for Trump, maybe you could bring the rest of us the ability to shut him out?
As for me, Santa, I would ask for only one thing - world peace. It is the same thing I have been asking for since I was a little child.
Hopefully this year you will be able to bring it.
Sincerely, Todd.
