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Provenzano: We deserve better than what Harper offers

NEWS RELEASE CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO LIBERAL CANDIDATE SAULT STE. MARIE & AREA ************************* Stephen Harper has poisoned the well of Canadian politics SAULT STE.
ChristianProvenzanoNEW_long

NEWS RELEASE

CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO LIBERAL CANDIDATE SAULT STE. MARIE & AREA

************************* Stephen Harper has poisoned the well of Canadian politics

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - On the occasion of Conservative leader Stephen Harper’s visit to Sault Ste. Marie, Liberal candidate Christian Provenzano took the opportunity to remind Sault and area voters about the damage Stephen Harper has caused to Canadian politics.

Says Provenzano: “Something is clear - voters are disgusted at the direction that Canadian politics has taken. It is Stephen Harper who has bred this cynicism and it is Stephen Harper who hopes to benefit from it.

“Stephen Harper complains he is tired of constant elections but forgets to mention that he is the cause of them. In 2006, he worked with the NDP to bring down the Martin government only 18 months after the previous election. In 2008, he sensed the possibility for a majority and cynically called an election on a flimsy pretext. In 2010, his government’s contempt for parliament and unwillingness to work with the New Democrats or the Liberals led to this latest campaign.

“The Sault and area deserves better. Canada deserves better. Stephen Harper has poisoned the well of politics in this country. He and his advisors have done this by importing the worst excesses of the American political system - attack ads, character assassination and the use of wedge politics.

“Time and again, we have seen the Harper government opt for division instead of unity, appeal to fear instead of hope, choose short-term political gain instead of long-term prosperity. Too often, they have appealed to our narrow self-interest as individuals instead of our common interests as Canadians. To Stephen Harper, Canada is less a country than a collection of voter groups, ones that he is happy to set against each other - rural versus urban, east versus west - if doing so can help his goal of obtaining a majority government.

“And in this outlook, there is something fundamentally and irrevocably wrong. Those who love our country must surely believe that we are more than a nation of convenience, more than a grab-bag of voting blocs and interest groups. We believe that together, Canada is more than the sum of its parts.

“Throughout this campaign, I have worked to be open, accessible and transparent. I have striven to take a thoughtful approach to the issues and show respect and consideration for other viewpoints. I believe this is the approach that will best serve the interests of the Sault and area in Ottawa. I believe this is the direction our politics must take to regain the trust of the Canadian people.

“There is a third way to break this parliamentary gridlock, one that does not involve Stephen Harper’s false choice between a majority or coalition government. It is to reintroduce compromise, cooperation and civility into the House of Commons. Politics is adversarial by nature but it does not have to be full of animosity and bitterness. This is the change I am standing for on May 2. This is the change our country demands.”

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