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Political rhetoric and spin are not truth

Dear Editor, In 1917, a Senator named Hiram Johnson wrote, “The first casualty when war comes, is truth.” I believe this also applies to our elections.

Dear Editor,

In 1917, a Senator named Hiram Johnson wrote, “The first casualty when war comes, is truth.” I believe this also applies to our elections. The rhetoric, the spin, the partisanship that is evident in the discussion around this election have little to do with the truth, or any meaningful consideration or debate of the policies that are key to our survival and quality of life moving forward.

There are real consequences when you ignore the truth, because – regardless of your partisan beliefs – facts are facts and, as they say, “the truth will out.” If you repeat the same mantra enough times, some seem to believe it, although there is obvious information from credible sources that it is not true. This is what I do not understand about this election and the conservative position on climate change, and the carbon tax that has been put in place to help us prevent a future for our children and grandchildren that is full of peril and economic disasters.

Six months ago, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported climate change is much more frightening and moving forward at a pace far quicker than they had thought. It is the result of the carbon emissions from human activity, the report stated, and we have 10 to 12 years to take immediate and acute action.

We find from a Canadian report this week that the impacts in Canada are even more severe. The impact in Canada is worse in the prairies, the north and northern British Columbia. Canadian Insurance Agencies have said three of the last five major climate events in Canada have been in Alberta – two massive fires and the flood – and we have had destructive fires in B.C. for the last two summers. These events have cost billions of dollars, destroyed lives and economies, and it is only the beginning. The US intelligence chiefs have said climate change represents one of the biggest threats to security.

Why, in the face of this evidence, do we have a person wanting to lead this province in a way that will lead to destruction by pretending we have the option to wait?

There are far more jobs being created in Canada and America – blue-collar jobs – in solar and wind
energies.

The person wanting to lead us is talking about fighting the federal government, which has exactly the same goal – to get the TransCanada pipeline built. Why would you not be talking about working together to address the legitimate concerns of B.C. and indigenous people who have gone through legal channels to have their concerns addressed?

We must look to the facts, because, regardless of political rhetoric and misrepresentations, we will deal with the consequences of our actions. When our children ask us, “Why did you not do anything to stop this?” we will not to be able to say we didn’t know, because each one of us does know the truth. The question is, do we have the integrity to act?

Shannon Bailey
Bragg Creek

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