Discussing the Election Results
It is important to discuss the election results given Premier Ford’s declaration that he has received a big mandate despite being elected by only 17.7 per cent of eligible voters in an election where only 43.6 per cent of the people voted at all. Accepting his victory Premier Doug Ford thanked Ontarians for their trust and putting their confidence in him. He thanked Ontarians for “sharing in a vision for a great province.” What vision did they share? What trust is he talking about?
The fact is that this election did not permit Ontarians to participate in any kind of collective discussion, let alone one that permitted them to participate in working out a vision for the province. In fact the election, which was supposed to be about the post-COVID recovery, appeared to be an attempt to ensure there was no discussion on anything of importance at all. This was a clear indication that the Ford government will claim that its decisions represent Ontarians’ vision for their province and anyone who says otherwise is a troublemaker and impediment to “getting things done.” On this basis they can be singled out for persecution in various ways.
As a starting point, discussion on the implication of the election results would permit everyone to gain insight into what lies ahead for themselves, their families, their places of work, communities and workmates. What measures do they need to take now which empower them to face what lies ahead with confidence. No matter what happens which is out of our control we can take a stand which is under our control.
This website will be at the disposal of this discussion during the month of June then start up again on Labour Day at which time it will be open to people way beyond Windsor – from across Ontario and even the country to share their views and experiences about matters of concern. Anyone who wants to join to make this endeavour a success is most welcome. We invite you to join in at whatever level you can! You can send your opinions, reports or questions to empoweryourselfnowwt@gmail.com
Open public forums are required where people can speak freely about what’s on their mind. Only together, listening to one another and by receiving information pertinent to the matter at hand, can warranted conclusions be drawn and unwarranted ones be confidently cast aside. This is much needed at this time to make sure we are not overwhelmed as more and more laws are passed to dictate working conditions, trample on the rights of all and muzzle dissent.
We thank everyone for the support they gave my campaign in Windsor-Tecumseh!
Sincerely, Laura Chesnik and the Empower Yourself Now Campaign Team