This week the Conservative Party of Canada took down from its web site the following statement: ‘Justin Trudeau is rigging the next election in his favour.’ (Shira Lurie, Assist. Professor of History, U of T on CBC Fresh Air, Jan 9, 2021)

Sound familiar? This is the same unfounded rhetoric that President Trump has used to foment anger and division in his country. The result: an unprecedented storming of the most sacred government building in the United States and a country in shock.

Is the Conservative Party toying with using the same tactics as Trump? Do they feel it is to their advantage to promote falsehoods? Is the attitude to win at any cost despite the consquences, such as actions that we have witnessed in the United States?

Everyone should be concerned about this apparent move to mirror the conservative movement in the United States. We already have significant geopolitical divisions in our country. Are the Conservatives trying to take advantage of these divisions and widen the gap?

Democracy is a fragile system that relies on political parties telling the truth and being honest in their actions. One wonders if some members of the Conservative Party have forgotten this.

Clark Schneider, Georgian Bluffs