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The Citizen, 2019-09-26, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2019. LTE Internet and unlimited data with a new, lower price? That’s the plan! Call now and get a FREE installation!3 1-866-953-2099 1Speed online may vary based on Internet traffic, servers, computer/router configurations and other factors. Internet Traffic Management Policies apply, see xplornet.com/legal. 2Offer is available until October 31, 2019 for new customers only where available. Limited time offer. Taxes apply. Monthly service fee includes rental cost of equipment, except Xplornet Wi-Fi router, if desired. 3Plans are subject to network availability at your location. Site check fee may apply. If installation requirements go beyond the scope of a basic installation, additional fees apply. See dealer for details. Xplornet® is a trade-mark of Xplornet Communications Inc. © 2019 Xplornet Communications Inc. LTE Internet with UNLIMITED DATA and download speed up to 25 Mbps!1 $69 99 month2 xplornet.com 1 year term required. Writer reminds ‘Democracy is not a spectator sport’ THE EDITOR, Ontario is again in election mode… nationally, this time. And the stakes could not be higher on Oct. 21, 2019. In the Aug. 29 issue of The Citizen, Keith Roulston’s editorial, “Don’t Take Democracy for Granted”, gave me pause, and started me thinking even more earnestly about this next federal election, its consequences and what’s at stake for Canada. Did you not find it interesting that our provincial government, on the taxpayers’ dime, decided to take a five-month ‘sabbatical’ – or is this the newest form of ‘proroguing’ government (while still moving an agenda forward without the appropriate oversight and Q & A) only to re-adjourn after the Oct. 21 federal election? I’m sure it had nothing to do with all the negative press and public reaction to all the scandals swirling around the Premier and the Conservatives at Queen’s Park, or the federal Conservative Party’s suggestion to lay low until after the election to help this Andrew Scheer iteration of conservatism. I know we live in a very pro- Conservative part of Ontario, and feel there are those who will vote Conservative, regardless of the negatives (and lessons learned from the Ford Conservatives) to Ontarians, and Canadians. It’s also important to know, however, that my comments are neither pro-Liberal nor anti-Conservative. I’m simply a Canadian, an Ontarian, who thinks that fair, reasonable and conscientious government should work for the benefit of all our people. My letters to the editor are simply a way of sharing these concerns – but, I also believe they should be yours. In our democratic society, The Citizen, and media like it, just happen to provide that opportunity. Over the course of time, I began looking back over our political history, and more specifically the last 20 years, and how it’s changed. I started looking into the Canadian organizations with messaging which, interestingly, turns out have been funded by non-Canadian activists and special-interest groups. Coincidentally, they just happen to be American conservative groups. I began wondering how their interference was influencing us as Canadians. I think, I hope, we can agree that we’re not immune, or insulated, to what’s going on around us, though we might think so… trust me, we’re not! If it happens elsewhere, eventually it will happen here – to you and to me. In some respects it already has. You’ve already seen the change in our normal Canadian-styled political discourse which I remember as being one of “unite and lead”, to now simply being American attack, “divide and conquer” messaging. Sadly we’ve grown accustomed, perhaps even anesthetized to them… and sadly, with the same anticipated reaction. Someone once said: “Democracy is not a spectator sport”, while another reminded me that “lazy democracy is a dying democracy”. We have become lazy. None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines any longer. We cannot continue to allow what’s happening to this country, and not try to do something about it. Like many of you, I follow the news – domestically and internationally. Like so many of you, I’ve come to the conclusion that we made a very big mistake here in Ontario… and a very serious one. We overreacted; we voted against a personality, rather than for a political platform. We mistook a popularity contest, for one of political capability and electorate empathy. And now, I read comments by a prominent Conservative MP, indicating that what’s being done to Ontario by this Conservative government is a blueprint for the rest of Canada. Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, the promise that it could. Oct. 21 is national election day. If you’re not part of a made-in-Canada solution… well, you know the rest. All our votes will count… understand the issues, and what’s at stake this time; then vote. It’s important to all of us. This election may define who we are as a democracy and who we are as a nation. Greg Sarachman, Blyth. Letter to the Editor Getting hands-on As part of the annual Brussels Fall Fair’s sheep show, younger participants were paired with older friends to get a feel for showing animals last week in hopes of fostering some new participation in the program. (Denny Scott photo)