"Reflecting on 15 Years of Political Life"

August 6, 2003

The next couple of months will bring two significant anniversaries for me.  It is almost 15 years ago to the day that I was nominated as the Reform Party candidate for Prince George-Peace River.  And in October, it will be 10 years that I’ve been your Member of Parliament. 

I made the decision to leave the family farm and run for federal political office for a number of reasons, but fundamentally it came down to three very specific reasons:  my three children who were all under the age of ten at the time.  Like any parent, I wondered about their future and about the kind of nation they would inherit.  I didn’t like my predictions. 

Back then, “fiscal responsibility” or “spending within your means” were concepts that barely registered on the federal government’s agenda.  Successive deficits were burdening Canada with an increasingly onerous debt load, one that our children would be ultimately forced to shoulder.  

I also didn’t like what I saw in our legal – not justice – system.  Increasingly, people were not being held accountable or responsible for their own actions.  Someone else, or something else always seemed to be blamed.   The criminals attracted more sympathy than their victims. 

Anyone looking to correct this fiscal irresponsibility and lack of justice through their elected representatives, wasn’t going to get very far through the old-style political parties.  The need for significant democratic reforms became increasingly apparent.  If Canadians were ever going to have their voice truly heard in Ottawa, we needed free votes in the House of Commons, a Triple E – equal, elected and effective – Senate, fixed election dates, referenda, and voter recall. 

If the nature of these demands has changed little in the past ten years, neither has the Liberal Party of Canada’s response.  In their infamous 1992 Red Book, the Liberals promised to restore public faith and trust in the political process.  Instead, they’ve done the exact opposite.  While they vilified Brian Mulroney for using time allocation 57 times, the Liberals have surpassed his abuse of power by using it to limit debate 74 times. 

Sadly, the same fiscal, judicial and political injustices that once gave rise to a new political party and incited voter revolt has resulted in growing apathy and declining voter participation today. 

So have Canadians given up?  Some may have done so because they believe it’s too late to stop a Paul Martin majority in the next election.  Yet each day, more and more criticism surfaces about Mr. Martin’s political record and about his multi-billion dollar business interests registered in other countries to avoid paying Canadian taxes.  His vagueness and indecisiveness on crucial issues are also capturing attention.     

Democracy is a participatory sport.  I believe that if enough Canadians actively engage it’s never too late to stop Paul Martin or anyone else.  Canadians must become involved.  The alternative is further decay, a declining standard of living and fewer opportunities for ourselves, our children and grandchildren. 

We can either register our companies offshore and avoid our responsibilities like Paul Martin … or we can fight to restore democracy to Canada.  The choice is ours.