1 week Ago By Doug Menary, Ottawa Citizen
Article content Well, that was a nightmare. I decided to vote last Friday, and maybe that was my mistake. Being in Carleton riding (Pierre Poilievre’s), there were 91 candidates, most of them supposedly “independent” as they were protesting “first past the post.
” Why Pierre’s riding? Why not Mark Carney’s? Why not spread it out over a dozen different ridings? From the time I left the house (I’m a three-minute walk to the polling station) until the time I got home, it was almost two hours. Which brings me to another question: Why would it take people any longer to vote if they know who they’re voting for? The candidates are in alphabetical order; all they had to do was scroll until they saw their preferred candidate, mark the ballot and be gone. I think most of my time was spent unfolding and folding the ballot sheet as the thing was about two-and-a-half feet long.
So were all these voters undecided? Didn’t care? Gawking at all the names? I saw many leave rather than wait. Will they come back? Will they choose not to bother? While I have no problem with this group protesting, I think they could have chosen a different way to do it. SANDY JOHNSTON GREELY Early voting in our town would indicate residents are more engaged in this election than any other in recent memory, which is a good thing.
We have been largely Conservative supporters in our beautiful, historic town for the last 200 years because of a general belief in the common sense of low taxes and regulations, and keeping social engineering in check. People want to move here because of this. Based on the old Liberal party with this new leader, I suspect it will be the same disastrous endgame of crippling deficits and foreign interference, or more serious if he pursues capital gains taxes, globalization or the “The Great Reset.
” If this were to happen, we would be better off as the 51st state. This election is a lust for power versus common sense. JIM GRAFF PERTH Your letters are welcome, at: OttSun.
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