Season of hope

John Sherbino | Dec 09, 2020

I’ve been thinking a lot about the rural life I love and the city-centric focus of the COVID experience.

This is a politically loaded letter. So, right out of the gate, let me say that I have great respect for Scott Reid, our Federal representative in Ottawa. I also have no respect for Randy Hillier our (forced) Provincial independent in Toronto.

But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is their ability to get things done on our behalf in their respective positions.

Scott Reid has acted with integrity and sought to represent us through a variety of methods over the years. That has resulted in his being isolated by those at the top of his party. Randy Hillier was isolated from the start and then managed to ignore the first rule of holes, ‘when you’re in one, stop digging!’

Rural communities have been and continue to be further barred from the halls of political (financial, legal, cultural, medical...) power and we need to change that before we all have to move to Toronto and family farms and country life disappear altogether.

I’m a political pragmatist who views ideology: Liberal, Conservative, Socialist or Vegan as counterproductive.

The next time I stand in front of a ballot box I’d like to know that the person who will likely represent us has the skills to move us forward. Intelligence and honesty are absolutely required but the ability to bridge ideological gaps and above all to ‘persuade’ others to see our side of things is essential.

This is, after all, the season of hope.

John Sherbino