WE are all in this together. This will not be a Liberal campaign slogan.
The whole WE debacle is going to be a loser for all concerned. One group will suffer the most and it’s not the Liberals.

So what is going on? The whole WE episode could well be the end of the road for Justin Trudeau and his Finance minister. The conservatives are portraying this as a possible criminal circumstance. I don’t know about that, things are not that clear yet. Personally I think it’s worse. This was so easily avoided if the written and unwritten rules of ethics were applied. Both Trudeau and Morneau should have recused themselves from voting at the cabinet approval level.

Some people were paid for appearances others were not. The ones who were paid lead to more questions. I also question whether the program as it is set up is actually a way to exploit youth as some say they would get less than minimum wage. There is debate over that. The only other provincial government that legislates wage abuse of those under 18 is Alberta.

The other concern I have is the entitlement and the lack of regard for ethics or financial morality. Some have said to me this whole WE Program was a promotion to secure the youth vote. Even If that isn’t true it is the perception for some. When it comes to government, people need to be assured they are honest. That is not enough, as government must be perceived to be honest.

For me ethics or lack there of, is the first test of the measure of honesty. For all the good things the government has done during Covid19 they threw it all away.

Now for the Tories short comings. They have every right to question the WE program. It is not what they did but how they did it. In so doing they lost the high ground. Instead of stressing the plight of young people depending on the funds the program provides, they highlighted the virtues of the scandal itself. Let me show you how perception works.

Perception is more real than reality in many cases. Here is a personal perceptive deduction.

I have searched for a position by the Conservatives on the WE Program. I have seen a lot of statements about courts, hearings investigations and not a word about the people effected by the derailed program. Therefore I make the perceived assumption they do not support it. Why? It is not what they say, it’s what they do. In the past the Conservatives initially opposed
Unemployment Insurance, Medicare, Pensions, Family Allowance, and other progressive programs. During the sixties they even opposed the flag that flies as the symbol of our nation. Therefore my perception is they don’t like the program.

I like the program, however my perception is those implementing WE at the government level were unethical and inherently dishonest. What troubles me most is both political parties had a self aggrandizing agenda, with little regard for those the program was supposed to help.

So while our ears are plugged with self righteous rhetoric young people cue up to stand in line to maybe see a financial boost from a withered crop of government promises.

I leave this with two observations. The government has support at the moment. People feel secure In the handling of the Virus. If the Conservatives force an election they will lose, second both parties may find they are tempting fate and both could find themselves caught up in the current whirlwind of change,

Fred Steele