The half loonie

In the last Federal Election campaign, we were told  by a number of members of the media that the Cost of Living would be a dominant issue. However, it did not happen. Blackfaces and insurance licenses dominated instead. The Tories seemed to understand that the price of a bag of milk would perhaps be crucial to victory with their slogan,"Get Ahead" or words to that effect. But instead of articulating this 24/7 relentlessly, they found themselves playing defence on things that did not matter to most Canadians or playing offence on things that did not matter to most Canadians. "Articulating" is an exaggeration. For, the Tories usually did  not bother talking about this issue at all let alone come close to explaining it in a way that was resonant, compelling and accessible for ordinary Canadians. 

Max Bernier should have been the chief tribune of this epicentral matter. But, for the most part, while identifying the problems and the solutions bravely and informatively, he never actually got around to bringing the issue to life for the voter and sounded and read more like a Fraser Institute Seminar or Working Paper than he did a person seeking our vote. Instead of taking his precious billboard space for the Immigration issue (which like Climate Change, SNC, PR and marihuana have little or nothing to do with how Canadians are going to eat), he should have (or any other party for that matter) displayed an enormous loonie with a red line drawn through it showing what Canadians pay for things and what they should be paying.

Even better, each billboard would depict an enormous milk bag, cellphone, chicken, sneakers, airline tickets, car - any object that we pay too much for because of federally enforced oligopolies - with this red line drawn through them to show what we pay and what we should pay with the simple slogan - "On October 21, Vote to Stop Being @#$%! - Vote..." You get your Fraser Institute, Centre for Policy Alternatives or CD Howe Foundation Wish List passed into law by winning elections. You win elections by actually showing constantly (and not just every four years) that you know and care about people's problems and have practical ways to fight them. One simple question should be asked of anyone running for the Tory Leadership - do you have any idea and, if so, how will it help put bread on a Canadian's table?