Like the late-night tapping on his door, as written by Edgar Allan Poe, Justin Trudeau dares not fail to answer this summons. It is at the heart and soul of liberalism in Canada. It must be answered with fairness and justice. It is in the face of the rape and pillage, so long the hallmarks of Canada’s big three telecoms—Bell, Rogers and Telus.
The visitor is not Poe’s raven, but a chance to reform. We were promised the reform during the 2019 election. The Trudeau liberals promised Canadians a 25 per cent reduction in broadband fees. It can be matched with more competition in telephones and fees. They still have time to bring this reform into legislative reality before the coming election.
Fool us once Mr. Trudeau and there will not be a second chance.
We have, for too long, seen the failure of the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The commission is the weak sister—for too long the brunt of the telecoms’ manipulation. It has failed us. It no longer serves the users but is obsequious to its telecom masters.
Let the telecoms set the stage for reducing costs by decimating the lobbyists that work for them. These people work against the needs of Canadians. They are an affront to our members of parliament.
We need commissioners of the CRTC who represent the users, who understand the industry, and who can resist the blandishments of lobbyists.
And we need members of parliament who can truly represent their constituents. Nobody is stopping them from standing up in caucus and asking that the liberal government keep its promises. Nobody denies them the right to report the desires of their constituents. Nobody denies them the right to be liberal—in practice, as well as name.
Those MPs who act as though they are sheep will be shorn of their positions and pay in the coming election. There are worse things than the visit of a raven ‘on a midnight, dark and dreary.’
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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
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