SooToday received the following letter from Billie Burke regarding Terry Sheehan and the Liberal Party.
I write this letter to the residents of my beloved City of Sault Ste. Marie hoping that it will help the hard-working people of our city understand the importance of choosing the right candidate in the upcoming federal election.
My concern is only for the well-being of our community and which local candidate and political party deserves my vote. I approach my analysis on the basis of what has occurred over the last 10 years of Liberal rule and what is being proposed by either party in their respective campaigns.
First and foremost, we know that there is an affordability housing crisis and that housing costs have doubled in the last 10 years of Liberal rule. Where were the Liberals for the last 10 years in providing affordable housing for our young people?
We know that Liberal immigration policies have overwhelmed social and welfare programs in this province, contributing to the housing availability and affordability crisis.
We know that the national debt has doubled under Liberal rule. Canada is now broken financially. Mark Carney and his Liberals will continue to tax us and will certainly reintroduce the consumer carbon tax. Do not be fooled. The Liberals will take steps to tax the sale of the family home under the auspices that the Liberals need money to fix the home affordability crisis. How ridiculous and arrogant is it for the Liberals to expect hard working people to pay taxes on the one asset that they worked hard to pay off?
We know that federal government bureaucracy has ballooned under Liberal rule. We know that the Liberals have spent more on outside consultants than any other government. Why, because it is not their money. It is your hard-earned money that the Liberals have spent foolishly.
We know that crime has increased substantially during Liberal rule largely caused by the “catch and release” and soft on crime policies that let dangerous criminals back onto the streets. Terry Sheehan egregiously supported these Liberal soft on crime policies making our city less safe.
We know that the Liberal government has eviscerated the Canadian military such that it is not an effective fighting force. The Liberals' purposeful underfunding of the military has attracted the condemnation of our NATO allies.
We know that the carbon tax was implemented by the Liberals was not what the Canadian people wanted but was imposed by the Liberals on the arrogant premise that "Liberals know best what is good for you."
We know that the carbon tax for consumers has been “temporarily suspended” but that the industrial carbon tax remains, meaning that the cost of industrial carbon tax will be passed on to consumers. Mark Carney is a devout disciple of "zero net emissions”; his entire outlook is that the Liberals should govern on this basis.
We know that Canada’s manufacturing base has been decimated by Liberal anti-development policies. While Canada accounts for approximately 1% of carbon emissions, it has a punitive carbon tax regime. Carney will not change this, and the Liberals have relentlessly pursued a misguided policy of carbon tax which only serves Liberal elites like Mark Carney and Terry Sheehan, who are unprepared to listen to Canadians who do not want carbon taxes.
Canadians are fed up with paying taxes. Despite that, Terry Sheehan and Mark Carney are telling us that more taxes are good for us. Our input doesn’t matter.
We know that the Liberals have killed resource development in our country. Carney and Sheehan don’t want to take oil out of the ground as that is contrary to their zero net emissions elitist philosophy. In fact, the Liberals propose new environmental regulations which will make it more difficult to make Canada self- sufficient in oil and gas.
The Liberal’s refusal to fast-track resource development projects like the Ring of Fire has devastated the resource industry and killed jobs and economic development. We know that the Liberals do not want to build pipelines which would ensure our Canadian sovereignty, and which would make our country completely self-sufficient.
We know that Terry Sheehan has been a fervent supporter of Justin Trudeau to the bitter end and has supported all of the disastrous Liberal policies stated above, which have led to the lost Liberal decade. Yet Terry complains about Hugh Stevenson hiding.
Terry, it is you that has been hiding over the last 10 years. You have completely abdicated your role of Member of Parliament advocating for our community.
We know that Canadian standard of living has decreased substantially over the last 10 years compared to the United States. We know that the Liberals entire campaign has been premised on fear mongering that the United States is a threat to Canadian sovereignty. Yet again, the Liberals failed to accept blame that it was their devastating and harmful economic policies, carbon tax and defunding of the military that has made our country weaker.
We know that the Liberals have provided hundreds of millions of dollars for Algoma Steel’s construction of the electric arc furnace to advance their “net zero emissions policy." While this is a significant boon to its shareholders, it is disastrous for Algoma Steel employees. Yet Terry Sheehan and the Liberals have not
disclosed that the construction of the electric arc furnace will lead to a loss of a minimum of 1,000 jobs in our city. This is absolutely unconscionable.
Terry would rather take selfies with Justin Trudeau at the announcement, not disclosing the impending layoffs in our city from its largest employer. Congrats Terry on a job well done. Where is the plan to employ these people and to provide them with similar high paying jobs?
Terry Sheehan complained that Hugh Stevenson has been hiding from Sault Ste. Marie’s electorate, but it was Terry Sheehan himself who has been hiding for the last 10 years to competently address the real issues affecting the constituents of our community.
Knowing all of the above, how can someone possibly vote for Terry Sheehan in the upcoming election?
To my friends and constituents of this riding, I humbly state and urge you to consider the facts when you cast your vote. Hugh Stevenson and the Conservative party of Canada are offering hope after 10 lost years under Liberal rule. It is truly time for change!
Billie Burke
Entrepreneur
Sault Ste Marie-Algoma