Angry in the Great White North

From the Oakville Beaver, the Milton Canadian Champion and the Burlington Post, have united to make a common endorsement.

All three papers agreed to endorse Lisa Raitt of the Conservative Party.

But going beyond a mere endorsement, the newspapers have also provided a detailed explanation of why Liberal MP Garth Turner ought not to win re-election:

Our distrust is based on history. Liberals, both federally and provincially, are well known for promising one thing on the campaign and delivering another when elected to office.

Those with long memories will remember their opposition to wage-and-price controls in the 1970s. Others will remember their opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the GST. All policies the Liberals opposed in elections, but supported once in office.

Sorry, we have been betrayed too many times by previous Liberal regimes to trust them.

In the 2006 federal election [Garth Turner] ran successfully for the Conservative Party by bashing the Liberal Party.

Two years later, he speaks glowingly of the Liberal Party and reserves his venomous attacks for his Conservative opponent and her party’s leader.

Frankly, it sounds like Turner will say anything to get himself elected. While this may ingratiate him to many of his constituents, and even his followers across Canada, we fear his rebellious, party-be-damned approach will be counter-productive to the team-building environment we think Canadians want and need from their next government.

Meanwhile Lisa Raitt, running for the Conservatives, wins the endorsement based on her experience, and the Conservative Party's strengths:

At the local level, we feel newcomer Raitt brings invaluable experience as CEO and president of the Toronto Port Authority to a job that will see her focusing on Halton Region’s woefully underfunded infrastructure needs.

We also support Raitt because she represents the party that seems best equipped to lead Canada through the uncertainty of the current economic crisis south of the border, through the conclusion of Canada’s military involvement in Afghanistan and on to what we hope will be more prosperous days ahead.

Something for the voters in Halton to consider carefully as voting day approaches.