To the Editor:
Despite being promised endless federal largess if they voted Conservative and despite being threatened with equally endless abuse and neglect if they didn't, voters in yesterday's by-election in Labrador resoundingly rejected Stephen Harper and elected a new Liberal Member of Parliament.
A former member of the provincial legislature in St. John's, Yvonne Jones captured nearly 50 per cent of the popular vote, trouncing the impugned Conservative candidate, Peter Penashue.
Penashue took Labrador in the 2011 general election by the tiny margin of 79 votes. To prop him up, Mr. Harper gave him a Cabinet seat, but over the ensuing two years his track record as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs was essentially nil. He became best known for the illegal fundraising and spending practices that enshrouded his 2011 campaign.
This past March, after months of denials and excuses, Penashue suddenly resigned from both the House of Commons and Cabinet, admitting the "irregularities" that tainted his election. Before any investigation could be finished and the full truth disclosed, Mr. Harper declared his everlasting faith in Panashue, called a snap by-election and appointed him as the "new" Conservative candidate.
Labrador voters clearly saw through that attempted white-wash. They rejected all the bribes and threats. They voted strongly against illegal campaign conduct. And they voted for new hope for the future.
The Liberal Caucus in Ottawa has thus been enlarged. The House of Commons has gained an articulate new MP. And Justin Trudeau has earned his first by-election victory.
For Liberals, this is an opportunity to savour a sense of renewal and growth. But it's also a time to read carefully what voters are saying with their ballots.
They want higher standards in political life. They want candidates they can trust. They want MPs who will stand-up for their ridings and speak truth to power - especially the all-consuming power in the Prime Minister's Office.
The public's trust is a precious thing. You can't just expect it or demand it. You have to earn it, and always treat it with the greatest respect.
That's exactly what Justin Trudeau is now working so hard to do - reaching far beyond the partisan games that dominate the political bubble around Ottawa, and rallying Canadians around a better vision of what this country has the capacity to become.
It's all built on hope and trust.
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana, SK.
