The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Barring a sudden and miraculous shift in voting patterns, Wally Daudrich will not be Northern Manitoba's next Member of Parliament. But that does not mean all of his ideas are completely out of step with the region's needs and wants. In fact, Mr. Daudrich, Conservative candidate for the Churchill riding, made some very good points during a recent address to the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Daudrich called for a fresh approach with respect to the "Third World" native reserves where a strong majority of Northern Manitobans reside. His suggestion to give on-reserve aboriginals the right to own their homes is sensible, as it would encourage at least some investment in these communities while fostering a greater sense of pride. If you live on a reserve today, you have no true security, as the band owns your home. You have no property to use as loan collateral. And like the old saying that nobody ever washed a rental car, there is little incentive to inject any money into your residence. By no means would home ownership cure all that ails reserves, but Mr. Daudrich must be applauded for putting forth a bold new proposal. The long-standing federal policy on reserves Ð pump in more money and hope the problems vanish Ð has tragically failed. It is time for different ideas. Though Mr. Daudrich did not delve into it with the chamber, his party is also a strong supporter of lower corporate taxes. The NDP's animosity toward this concept is understandable. At a time when many Canadians are struggling, why shouldn't Big Business pay more? The problem is that Northern Manitoba is hugely dependent on corporations in mining and forestry. Lower taxes help ensure these corporations' health and, by extension, the health of our region, particularly when the economy tanks. Corporations should certainly pay their fair share, but for the NDP to constantly beg for higher taxes is detrimental to ridings like ours whose survival is intrinsically linked to these vital businesses. Mr. Daudrich's comments about the benefits of electing an MP from the governing party are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, yes, it is no secret that the party running the government, be it Conservative or Liberal, generally favours ridings it holds (or is close to winning). Just look at all the infrastructure cash the Tories have poured into Northern Saskatchewan since Rob Clarke became MP two years ago. On the other hand, Mr. Daudrich seems to be suggesting that it is folly for a riding to ever elect an opposition MP. Doesn't he know that old political truism that the voters are always right? If Northern Manitoba voters were concerned only about getting cash for sewers, roads and public buildings, they would have elected Mr. Daudrich the first time he ran in 2008. After all, everyone knew the Conservatives would win that election. But not everything is about dollars and cents. As a whole, the people of our riding resoundingly reject Prime Minister Stephen Harper's vision for the country. For now at least, they by and large share NDP and Liberal principles. That said, Mr. Daudrich's opponents in the next election would be wise to consider adopting some of his recommendations as their own. Good ideas are not the exclusive domain of any one political party. Local Angle runs Fridays.
