If anyone has a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau taking his Oath of Office I would love to see it! You see, I am becoming increasingly convinced that when he raised his right hand, and placed his left hand on the Bible, his fingers were crossed. How else can one explain his various broken promises?
As part of his cross-country town hall meeting tour this past week, the Prime Minister was challenged about his broken campaign promise that ``2015 would be the last election carried out under first past the post``
The PM tried to defend his decision to abruptly cancel the reforms proposed by his minister of democratic reforms and the dismissal of that minister. Trudeau told his questioner he would welcome any proposed reform to institute a ranked ballot system.
This has always been his preferred system as it would almost certainly favour his Liberal Party. So the prime minister is ready to accept any changes that support his position but none that don`t! He hasn`t broken his promise he insists. I say he hasn`t kept it either!
Then there was the campaign promise restore door-to-door mail delivery across the country. Again, the promise hasn`t quite been broken, but it hasn`t been kept either. In an announcement this past week, the prime minister has confirmed that anyone who currently has home delivery will keep it. Unfortunately, those who have been converted to community mail boxes and all new developments will have community box service only.
I`m aware of the old adage à half a loaf is better than none` but in my mind there is no such thing as a half lie or a half promise. The prime minister has clearly failed to fulfil the spirit of those promises. And that`s as bad as breaking them.
Frank Likely is a retired Anglican minister and past president of the Springhill and Area Chamber of Commerce.