Dear Globe&Mail

To the editor,

"Please back off"

John Ibbitson hopes that Quebeckers care about who governs Canada. We do. We want trustworthy men and women who will look past the headlines and listen to the population. Let me speak clearly. Please back off. I mean that without anger. My people are in a sorry state and I'm sad. I remember a time when the western provinces had no say in Ottawa. Now their voice is heard loud and clear from coast to coast. What is it that they want?

One thing they want is more autonomy. So do I. They feel that their economy, fueled by the oil sands, is under threat of choking from environmental regulations. That's a legitimate concern. What should be done about it?

They loathe crime and moral decay. I understand that. Their elected representatives favor putting more pressure on the suspected, the accused and the condemned. Does everyone in the west agree with this approach? When I look closely at what our leaders are doing, I see legislation being passed in reaction to horror. The thought that nothing in the law prevented Karla Homolka from asking a pardon five years after her release was unbearable. Rather than trusting in our justice system, our leaders changed the law and increased bureaucracy. Is this how we should be governed? I'm putting the question out there.

If I were to take example from our leaders, I wouldn't talk openly in public, for fear of being misrepresented in the media. I would consider as an enemy anyone not sharing my point of view. I would hold public opinion as fickle and untrustworthy. But I don't want the next generation to think that way. I want them to know that it is good to think for themselves, to reconsider the values promoted by our leaders. I want them to feel hope and know that the future belongs to them.

François Genest