Angry in the Great White North

This letter to the editor appears in the Cornwall Standard Freeholder:

As a resident of Cornwall, I received in the mail a few days ago a one page flyer from our MP, Mr. Guy Lauzon concerning Liberal Party Leader Stéphane Dion's "Green shift" tax change policy proposal.

When I see my tax-money being spent by Mr. Lauzon to circulate a cheap demagogic piece of junk mail on a subject of prime importance, I cannot stay silent.

The format, with the juvenile WordArt, insignificant ClipArt and the Conservative Party's abusive, condescending use of a particular pictureof Mr. Dion, conveys contempt rather than a meaningful contribution to the debate. This derogatory piece of paper cost a tree, processed at untold cost to our environment and was ultimately carried via the burning of carbon-emitting vehicles. Could it not have been more than a "class-clown issued -pass it around" note?

Your flyer, Mr. Lauzon, uses less than 1/16th of the paper sent to represent some of the positions you hold on the issue and this, without any kind of substantiation. And just in case you did not realize, the money of the "Tax on everything" that you mention, will be paid by Canadians anyway, even if we still then have your kind of government.

I believe Mr. Lauzon would be better advised to work more cooperatively and tangibly with local stakeholders and concerned citizens toward addressing CO2 emissions in our community, even if his own government doesn't see the need to act in a decisive manner for the reasonably near future. That would be a lot more responsible vis-à-vis our children and grandchildren.

While I respect the fact that Mr. Lauzon may feel he has to hold the party line, I perceived this flyer as undignified and reminiscent of old-style scare tactics politicking. I would have expected a lot better of him, in the form at least, if not in the substance, of the debate.

Guy Tropper, MD, FRCSC Cornwall

Wow.  Obviously Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion made an impression when he blew through Cornwall last week selling his carbon tax plan.  It has inspired "resident" Guy Tropper to really rip into the Conservatives.

So who is Guy Tropper, other than a resident of Cornwall, a doctor, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada?  I mean, that's plenty, right?  Nothing else would likely be relevant.  He's from Cornwall and he's a smart guy.  What else do we need to know before reading about his political opinions.

How about that Guy Tropper is also a director in the Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry Federal Liberal Association?

Cornwall East Directors: Guy Tropper

Yeah, I think that's relevant, and an interesting oversight.

Imagine if this letter to the editor had started with this:

As a senior director for the Liberal Party here in Cornwall, I am also a resident .  As a resident, I received in the mail a few days ago a one page flyer from our MP, Mr. Guy Lauzon concerning Liberal Party Leader Stéphane Dion's "Green shift" tax change policy proposal.

In my role as senior director of the Liberal Party here in Cornwall, whenever I see my tax-money being spent by any Conservative like Mr. Lauzon to circulate a cheap demagogic piece of junk mail on a subject of prime importance, I cannot stay silent. In fact, it's my job to complain about anything Conservatives do until such time as we Liberals are in power again.  So what follows is a pro forma criticism of anything Conservative from a partisan Liberal activist.

The format, with the juvenile WordArt, insignificant ClipArt...

You get the idea.

The point is that this is the second time a director at the Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry Federal Liberal Riding association has put himself forward as a common "resident" of the riding, delivered a heavily politicized opinion, and said nothing about his own role in the Liberal Party hierarchy.  During Stephane Dion's visit, director Ernie Schaefer allowed himself to be interviewed, delivered gushing praise of Stephane Dion duly reported by the journalist covering the event, but Schaefer neglected to identify himself to the reporter as another senior Liberal in the same riding association.

I congratulate Ernie Schaefer and Guy Tropper for not having used fake names.  They could have hidden their standing in the Liberal Party.  But now this is twice that senior Liberals in this riding association have elected to not explain to people exactly who they are, politically speaking, when delivering a political message. 

I think that's a particularly relevant piece of information for someone trying to evaluate what Tropper is saying and why.  I suspect that these Liberals also think it is a relevant piece of information.  Why else would they be so careful to neglect mentioning it?