The province of Ontario has spoken, and the results, while not shocking, are an indication of a groundswell of support for all things fiercely rightwing.
Doug Ford’s election win was not by fluke, or a one-off by an electorate dazed on one day and under a haze blindly following the leader in the polls. Instead it was another notch in the belt of the far right and another step further away from what’s important to maintain peace and stability in this province.
This is not about pitching the right wing as evil, or doomsayers of a nation; the far left have the equal ability to wreak trouble on a nation’s people and their collective mindset.
Instead, we need to consider how any extreme view manifests within political leadership, and how the only ones who suffer are the ones who matter most — the people.
When a majority of those in England decided they wanted nothing to do with the European Union, the world took notice. When the United States elected Donald Trump the world took cover.
To the north we screamed in unison that it would never happen in Canada. We were too kind, they said, too polite and deftly skilled in the art of calling out potential disasters when heading to the polls. This week’s provincial election in Ontario proved we were wrong.
Even with the win, in Newfoundland and Labrador we continue to think we’re above electing leaders that represent the values on the far ends of the spectrum.
Check out your social media feed if you think it can’t happen here. Look at the number of posts of the anti-Islam, anti-gay, anti-inclusion, anti-women haters out there. Those hillbillies are the majority. And then look at all the posts condemning those with different views as their own — the people who will be quick to make fun of someone because she likes to hunt, or those who pile ridicule on those who find solace in religion or those who, instead of attacking policy of direction, make fun of the looks of the world’s leaders.
There aren’t many people remaining in the middle. And that makes this province, country and planet a scary place.
The further we sway from the centre, the greater chance our divide in ideologies will lead to disdain of one another. And who wants to live in a place with that kind of hate?
