Failing to keep campaign promises brings disreputeto democracy
By Medicine Hat News Opinon on February 1, 2019.
In the approaching provincial election, it is the things politicians do not promise you that will be perhaps even more important than the pledges they make. In the last week Premier Rachel Notley made a point of warning about the grave consequences if Albertans vote for the UCP and leader Jason Kenney. In her speech, Notley specifically stated “… today I’m committing to all of you that if re-elected I will not bring in a sales tax, I will not bring in a payroll tax and I will not bring in health-care premiums.” Well that should make things clear, right? Actually not. In the last provincial election that saw Notley lead the NDP to an overwhelming victory she also promised not to introduce a sales tax. To her credit she did not introduce a sales tax. However, she did introduce a carbon tax, a carbon tax that was not even mentioned in the election. Some people would argue that a carbon tax is just another form of a sales tax. Others say the carbon tax is necessary and good. It does not really matter which side you are on,the fact remains people voted for the NDP based on its platform which made no mention of a carbon tax. Strictly speaking the NDP did not have a mandate from Albertans to introduce a carbon tax. Jason Kenney’s UCP has promised to do away with the carbon tax. Specifics on UCP policies and how it will address the deficit are sketchy at best at this stage. It is also true that we have a history of politicians making promises during an election that they simply do not keep. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made numerous promises in the last federal election, some say 200, and was successful in getting the Liberals into power. When he talked of running deficits of less than $10 billion in the first three years, he got away with it, but from the first budget there was a deficit for at least five years totalling $113 billion. Trudeau’s promise of electoral reform did not materialize and neither did the promise to restore door-to-door mail delivery. Roughly two decades ago then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney introduced the GST with lots of opposition from Canadians. Jean Chrétien’s federal election campaign in 1993 was based on a promise to do away with the GST and he brought the Liberals to power. That’s where it ended though — he never did do away with the GST. Stephen Harper’s campaign to bring in a Conservative government included a promise to reduce the GST by two percentage points. To his credit he followed through with that. With a provincialelection a few months away and a federal election in the fall it is time to hold politicians to account. If they promise something and then do not follow through before the next election there should be a personal penalty for the individual and the party. They gained votes under false pretenses. If they are in power and want to introduce something that was not part of their platform in the election, and it has significant financial consequences for the electorate, such as the carbon tax, there should have to be a referendum first. If we don’t have these measures in place it comes down to an election full of promises, or hiding some, to gain votes and that brings the whole process of democracy into disrepute. (Gillian Slade is a News reporter. To comment on this and other editorials, go to https://www.medicinehatnews.com/opinions, email her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or call her at 403-528-8635.) 22-21
