Maybe I was too blunt?
The Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan sent a questionnaire for me, the candidate, to answer. I appreciate their efforts to inform their members. However! There is a fundamental flaw in their questionnaire.
. . . . . Tell me – – have I erred in my thinking (my response to them)?
NOTE: my reply to the Superannuated Teachers fails to mention that one of the three planks in the Green Party election platform is “True Democracy”. And I didn’t tell them that I believe in putting ideas into action.
MY COMMENTS to the YES / NO set of questions (scroll down to see the questions) :
Democracy is about dialogue and debate. It is the vehicle through which we arrive at decisions that are well-informed, as inclusive as possible, reflective of our values, progressive and balanced.
I do not know how it has come about that we accept the notion that YES / NO responses to questions are an appropriate way to conduct the work of democracy.
Personal relationships based on a YES / NO exchange are manipulative. The world is not black or white. Also, a response that is limited to YES /NO assumes a kind of superiority of the questioner: s/he knows ALL the options, and so a YES / NO response is all that is required. IN FACT, the questioner may NOT know or have presented all the options. Nor know all the nuances.
YES / NO, black / white fits in an authoritarian regime, not in a democracy. To my way of thinking.
I am quite sensitive to this issue because my ten + years of activist work have led me to the conclusion that we are moving quite quickly toward a corporate state – – which is fascism. The last place where this type of questioning should show itself is in the ranks of our educational institutions, if I may be so frank. (I assume that in the ranks of educators, people are encouraged to be frank. It is the search for elusive “truth”.)
The most important custodian of democracy in any society is its educational institutions. Democracy is fragile. Every generation of students needs to be versed and re-versed in the theory and practice of democracy. Yes / No responses to questions restrict my ability to convey ideas – – that’s a death knell for democracy.
Let me use JUST ONE example from the following list of questions. Will your party support the establishment of a National Pharmacare program? You want me to answer “yes”; if I don’t, you will condemn me. . . .
HOWEVER, an election is an opportunity to DISCUSS and ELUCIDATE. And this particular topic is IN DIRE NEED of that discussion. You will know as well as I, that the Pharmaceutical industry is corrupt. They are into biotech pharmaceuticals now. Biotechnology usually involves the patenting and ownership of life forms (seeds), which is control over production. You will know from the experience of many organic farmers that corporate ownership brings with it the use of the RCMP and Court system as a means to intimidate and silence opposition, in order to assert power and control.
The chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations are one and the same, in many cases. One owns the other. These corporations have enough influence in Government that a standard criterion for PUBLIC funding is whether “health” research will have the “potential for commercialization”.
There IS no potential for commercialization in research that is directed at removing the CAUSES of disease and developmental abnormalities. Additionally, many Pharmaceuticals have longterm very deleterious effects on health. It is more and more the case that people are recovering their health through alternative therapies, in combination with allopathic medicine. In fairness to people who seek non-pharmaceutical remedies, how do we balance PharmaCare against HealthCare? Which is not to say that there is NO place for PharmaCare.
The Drug Companies have tonnes of money; they use propaganda to sell their wares. They have powerful lobbying capability. They “buy” science. They are corrupting of democracy. If they can get a drug (use just one example, rotavirus vaccine) to be mandated and paid for through the public purse, they have access to a big pot of easy money. And they will propagandize the need for the drug. All of this should be factored into decisions around a National Pharmacare programme. It is unwise to be naïve; it is unwise to ignore the complexity of different issues.
We have a very large problem with corporate intrusion into the public sphere. I refer you to my blog, www.sandrafinley.ca (Not because I “know it all”, but because discussion is informative.) Go to JUST ONE topic, Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams. The drug companies are one of the big offenders.
An election, properly used, is a time for citizens to engage in informative debate.
For your consideration,
Best wishes,
Sandra Finley
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Hello Heather,
I expect you need input immediately. Will just have to go with the following. Which is a challenge to the idea that YES / NO responses are appropriate to the needs of democracy.
Thanks,
Sandra Finley
———- Forwarded message ———-
Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan
Memorandum
TO: All Progressive Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic and Green Party Candidates in Saskatchewan for the May 2nd Federal Election
cc: STS Executive
STS Chapter Presidents and Chapter Liaison Persons
FROM: The Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan
Email: sts AT stf.sk.ca
DATE: April 4, 2011
In an effort to better inform our 9,400 members of the party positions on various issues that affect retired teachers, we are requesting that each candidate respond to the following questions by April 25, 2011. Your responses (including non-responses) will be communicated to our members on April 26, 2011.
Thank you very much for your efforts to better inform our members.
YES NO
- Will your party enforce application of the principles of the
Canada Health Act (1984) by the provincial and territorial
governments? ____ ____
Will your party support the establishment of a National
Pharmacare program? ____ ____
Will your party support the automatic inclusion of eligible
pensioners in CPP/QPP and OAS benefits, and the improvement
of these plans to help seniors living in poverty? ____ ____
Will your party support the elimination of the OAS clawback
and the age credit reduction? ____ ____
Will your party support tax changes to allow charitable donations
to receive treatment comparable to political donations? ____ ____
Will your party support a tax credit for registration in
recreation/wellness activities for seniors comparable to the tax
credit for youth fitness/cultural activities? ____ ____
Will your party provide sustainable infrastructure funding so that
seniors can access affordable housing? ____ ____
Will your party support the volunteer service of teachers, both
active and retired, in training teachers in developing countries
across the world as has been rendered for more than forty years
through CIDA’s financial support of Project Overseas operated by
the Canadian Teachers’ Federation? ____ ____
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