Letter to the Editor
Editor,
Those of you who know Jim Merriam will know what this letter is about. For those who don’t, all you need to know is that he is a conservative columnist for a daily newspaper in Grey Bruce. And he keeps mules. I rarely agree with Mr. Merriam or he with me. It’s not because of his mules, it’s because of his opinions (and mine too, I confess). So I was in uncharted territory last week when I found myself agreeing with him, not once but twice.
My first agreement came with his column entitled ‘Ontario needs supply management’. There he warns us of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a huge trade agreement that will, according to all credible sources, drive up the costs of prescription drugs, expand who gets to see your personal data and give multinational corporations even more influence over our political agenda (references on request).
It will also likely, as Mr. Merriam points out, throw our supply-managed dairy, eggs, and poultry farmers under the bus. As Mr. Merriam put it, “If supply management goes, many farmers will go too.” He points out that rural economies are inextricably linked to farm income. There is something to be said about stability in farming (and the economy) and supply management helps with that.
Besides, I’m suspicious of any deal that’s crafted behind closed doors. And no one has given me a good reason why we must give up supply management in order to gain access to larger markets for beef and hogs — if, in fact, that would happen.
Mr. Merriam’s other column, ‘Partisanship of Harper style cripples politics’, holds this Canadian truism: “We were taught respect for other points of view. We were strong in our political beliefs, but never infallible.”
That reminded me of a trip to Montréal I made just after the 2011 election. I got into a conversation with two Québecois about what they thought of the party leaders. “We like Jack Layton,” they said. “He talks like we do, and he’s from Montreal.” I asked them about Mr. Harper: “Oh no,” they said, “too controlling.”
Then they said this … “Oh, but we’re sorry, did you vote for him.”
There it is, I thought, our Canadian courtesy. Not the kind of courtesy that’s just ‘nice’. Ours is the kind of courtesy that’s contained in the old meaning of that word: strong in our beliefs, but with the respect that makes room for other points of view.
Right on, Jim.
David McLaren
Neyaashiinigmiing
David McLarenis the NDP candidate for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. He can be reached at david.mclaren@ndp.ca or @JDavidMcLaren.
