Letter to the editor: Conservatives don’t inspire confidence

In the September 8 print version episode of the Prince George Citizen, Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout presents a very pleasant and positive commentary on the performance of Cariboo – Prince George Conservative MP Todd Doherty.  I participated in the last federal election as a poll official in a supervisory capacity and followed the event closely in the newspaper.   On or about September 20, 2021; perhaps just after if my memory serves correctly, MP Doherty appeared in print to question the call of the election by way of expenditure, given pandemic spending.  I could not be impressed. The federal election is not a function of Government but of the Legislature itself, and funding for our elections is intrinsically separate from any Government’s budget.  Those funds are set aside as primary operations and the cost of those elections may not be construed as any burden imposed by any Canadian Government.

Now, what’s his name potential Conservative leader candidate who demanded the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Canada earlier this year took that style of political gibberish to a grandiose leadership size.  In doing so, the Gentleman in question only demonstrated an complete and entire lack of understanding of the role, duties, efforts, and independence of that institution; one that is at the helm of what has been found internationally to be the most stable financial system in the World on many even recent annual occasions.  That in late 2021 when there may or may not have been signs of inflation, but there were signs of pandemic related supply chain stresses, there was absolutely nothing going on outside.  In February 2022, there still was nothing going on outside, but inflation may well have begun upon us.  The Bank of Canada began raising interest rates the next month.  The point is here that raising interest rates any sooner was simply not prudent to the pandemic economy and its recovery.  And then the story goes into the independence of the Bank and how monetary policy functions in the economy and again, the independence of the institution being of paramount importance.

The picture is of either a) political roles knowing but presenting events as though the population are only fools, or b) political roles that do not have a clue about how the system functions.  That does not inspire confidence regarding their abilities to lead anything.

Ken Berry

Prince George