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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, May 5, 2011 OPINION Seismic change When the federal election was called March 26 few, if any, foresaw the seismic changes that unfolded Monday night. What began as an unnecessary (in the eyes of many) and boring campaign, ended with a thud that reverberated across the nation. Conservative leader-- and still PM-- Stephen Harper has his coveted majority and now gets the chance to lead this nation unfettered by a minority government. We hope he follows his own advice that "we will have to govern well, govern in people's interests and we'll have to continue to earn their trust every day." Locally, Conservative Michael Chong was never seriously challenged. Voters here respect the man and the job he has done. If there was a disconcerting note it was that NDP candidate Anastasia Zavarella placed third, ahead of Green Party veteran Brent Bouteiller, despite the fact Zavarella was AWOL for much of the campaign. Local NDP voters blindly rode the orange wave and paid little attention to fact their candidate had no interest in campaigning-- shame on them for supporting her. NDP leader Jack Layton, the man behind that wave, now has much work ahead in the role of the official Opposition. He was given a huge mandate by Quebec voters and somehow must earn their trust while still remaining a firm federalist. He must also offer a reasonable alternative to the Tories, while giving on-the-job training to a gaggle of green MPs, whose resumes are startlingly empty. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff proved to be no better--and the results indicate much worse-- than his predecessor Stéphane Dion. Canadians rejected the longtime U.S. resident outright-- and his party's lack of a clear vision for Canada. This was a humbling result for the Liberals who now have to regain their base and find a charismatic leader-- one that base can embrace. If Canadians can rejoice together on one aspect of Monday's result it is the annihilation of the treasonous Bloc Quebécois and their leader Gilles Duceppe. Good riddance, we say. A fascinating night in May now leads to an interesting four years hence. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Rural residents in Halton will be sent surveys the first week of May on whether or not they want waste pickup. Do you think Halton Region provides good waste collection service? · Yes (72%) · No (28%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Media to blame for Tory victory Dear editor, A large portion of the media worked to get Conservative leader Stephen Harper elected. Overwhelmingly, newspaper media endorsed Harper. Through cartoons, articles and editorials they kept up a continual assault on the Liberal name and augmented the disgusting personal attacks ads against Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. Then, when NDP leader Jack Layton surged, the media turned against him. The transparent triumphalism we see now is an indication of their bias. They have worked hard to give Canada a government that 60 per cent of us don't want. How? They went along with Harper's talking points without question. They ignored the way democracy has been undermined by the Harper government: Parliament by court, personal attacks, misinformation, stifling of civil servants, contempt of Parliament and generally whatever they could get away with. Large media outlets were selective and gave space or failed to criticize in a pattern showing clear bias. Most disturbingly, they worked the psychological machinery of hate. The news media has failed us and this paper was part of that. This is a sad day for democracy and an open society in Canada. Rick Hall, Caledon Ina and her son and daughter took a turn at running the Parkinson's SuperWalk as well. We wish Ina well as she leaves the group to share her time and talents elsewhere in the community. Our support group now meets the last Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the Georgetown police station. Contact Alan Farmer, 905877-0267 for further information on the support group. Karen Dowell, Community Development Coordinator-West, Parkinson Society Central & Northern Ontario Volunteer thanked for `key' effort Dear editor, Halton Hills Parkinson's Support Group wants to pay tribute to an outstanding volunteer this month. Ina Reed has been with the group since its beginning and held several roles within the group since then. She has been the "key lady" making sure we had the key to access the seniors' centre for our evening meeting. She brought in homemade treats to go with the tea or coffee she helped prepare, she took a turn making reminder calls to the membership and she even helped out with tulip sales at the Georgetown Market Place on Easter weekend. Are butts not litter? Dear editor, In light of all of the recent Earth Day activities, I was wondering if someone could write in and explain to my daughters (10 and 3) why some smokers feel it is okay to throw their cigarette butts wherever they choose? My daughters do not see the difference between throwing cigarette butts on the ground and throwing other litter on the ground, and I tend to agree with them. Kelly Warnock, Georgetown Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.