THE STAKES ARE TOO HIGH

Those of you that know me personally will appreciate that I am passionate about education and public policy. 

I have never hesitated to step up to advocate for individuals, groups or policies. 

I have given of my time, my talent and my treasure to support causes I believe in because our society demands that we give as well as take.

Many of you have asked why I have not run for provincial politics, the answer is unravelling in the the House of Assembly today.

I am under no illusions about the financial mess facing this little province and our mere population of 526,000 spread out over 405,212 KM. No matter how we got to this current situation, we simply can not continue to spend as we have.

Tough choices have to be made, priorities have to be agreed on and we must all accept the inconveniences and burdens that this entails. 

There will be disagreements but we should not accept wrong choices, hypocrisy or lazy public policy that robs of us a better future.

Together we can weather the storm but in order to accept the sacrifices being demanded of us by government we must have faith and confidence in our political leadership. 

We have to believe that the sacrifices are equitable and fair. That those that can best carry the burden are doing so to protect the sick, the elderly, the poor.

The 2016 budget does not offer hope. It does not inspire me to accept short term pain for long term gain. It exposes the government as uncaring, arrogant, uncommunicative and mean spirited.

As a student of history, politics, communications and pubic policy - the recklessness of the current approach has created an unparalleled crisis in confidence.

We must do better as a society but government must to better to listen to society. They must abandon the arrogance, the right-wing language, the blaming, the stubbornness and tell us what their priorities are and what the new normal will look like after austerity. 

We do not have faith that they alone know what is best because we have no confidence that they have now, or ever had a plan.

No Liberal was elected on a platform of austerity, no Liberal was given a mandate to shove bad medicine down our throats. 

However they were given a mandate to lead, to listen, to be accountable.

No one party, no one group has a monopoly on the elixir for what ails us.

I pray politicians will stop playing partisan games and act with transparency, passion and integrity. Than, and only than can those that govern us earn our respect, our trust and our confidence.

The stakes are too high for politics as normal.