The Third Part of Chapter 21: The Public Forum

Ronald Boe thankfully stopped the answers to the question, which had devolved into bickering. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “The next question is from Lilianne, in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

“Bonjour,” said Lilianne on the video feed. “My question is about taxes, and is directed at all leaders. The latest efforts to balance the budget after the recession entailed tax hikes by Meach. What are you going to do to reduce the tax burden on the middle class?”

“Since the question was directed at all leaders, we shall give each leader thirty seconds in turn to answer, starting on the left––my left, that is––with Cameron Duff.”

“Thank you, Ronald. Citizens, as you know, the tax burden has fallen increasingly on the middle class. With our promised cuts to payroll taxes, we hope to relieve some of that burden; we anticipate that the additional jobs created, and additional economic growth will pay for these tax cuts, leaving a positive impact on government budgets, leaving more money spent on government programs that all Canadians like,”

“Next, we have Bruce Meach.”

“Thank you for your question. As you know, the recession had a hard impact on government finances, and last year’s tax hikes were a part of a necessary effort to get the government’s finances balanced; now that the budget is balanced, all Canadians can look forward to tax cuts at some point in the future under a Meach government. Such cuts will be responsible, prudent, and sensible, rather than splashy and grandiose.” Meach looked at Duff meaningfully as he said this.

“Mrs. Mazli,”

“Thank you, Nia. The Green Party has long been an advocate of shifting the tax burden onto carbon emissions, and this was promised but not delivered by successive Canadian governments. The Green Party, with members elected to parliament, will advocate on behalf of this policy,”

Margaret was again distracted from the television, and looked outside, which she was able to do, as the ground sloped away from the street, giving them and their neighbours walkout basements; the snow was lit orange by the street lights outside; this part of the winter was the hardest for her to endure; the weather was dry, the air was cold, and the temperature had not risen above freezing for over a week; there was also the sun, which had set shortly before five that evening. Such weather could not be good for the mood of the electorate, she thought; it was probable, and she hoped––for she had little love for Meach––that the public would be disaffected enough by a midwinter election campaign to vote him and his cabal out of office.

The debate continued, with the requisite bickering, policy pronouncements, and rhetoric, which while occasionally high-minded, was mostly occupied with partisan sniping, which impressed Margaret little and Hyram not at all. Meach said, in response to an insinuation by Duff and Wakefield that he didn’t care for Europe, that it was a tale told by an idiot, and anyways, wasn’t true. Actually, it was more accurate that he yelled it, being highly agitated at the time. By the time the debate was finished, Meach was looking much the worse for wear, the other leaders having finished relentlessly dissecting, criticising, and pointing out the weak points in his policy, his personality, and almost everything else about him. Margaret thought that Duff came out looking the best; Hyram thought Valence performed the best, but as the Bloc only fielded candidates in Québec, Hyram would be voting for Duff, although he had made up his mind on this before the election was called.

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