Letter to Pierre Poilievre

After 9 years of Trudeau, do we really want to pass the torch to M.C. Bandit ?

Dear Pierre,

As a Canadian immigrant from the United States, I was immediately captivated by Canada’s culture, especially the lively joie-de-vivre one can only find in Québec. My love for Canada started 25 years ago, prompting me to move from Pennsylvania soon after my first visit. A few years later, I became a permanent resident which eventually led to my proud citizenship in 2016. I’ll never forget that cloudless July day in Montreal, drinking champagne and celebrating with friends, and showing everyone my citizenship document signed by none other than Justin Trudeau; I felt this amazing sense of belonging and pride, like Canada was wrapping me in a big warm hug.

However, today, the mere mention of Trudeau’s name or the sound of his voice makes my skin crawl evoking a visceral reaction of disgust. His derisive, smug attitude towards Canadians is palpable, treating us more like subjects than citizens. Chrystia Freeland adds to this with her patronizing and condescending demeanor, while Mark Carney, who has been advising Trudeau all along, shares in this failure.

My opinion of Trudeau changed the day I went to Ottawa as a photojournalist to document the trucker protests. Expecting to capture a scene of chaos based on media portrayals, what I encountered was far from what I had been led to believe. Instead of hostility, I found people smiling, dancing, and sharing a common desire for a return to normalcy. This experience left me feeling personally betrayed by the narratives spun by Justin Trudeau and the media. His handling of the situation was not just a misstep but a profound leadership failure. While I might not align with all the truckers’ views, I respect their humanity and admire their conviction in standing up for their beliefs against governmental overreach. This event underscored a significant divide, not just in policy but in trust between the government and its people.

This event only underscores Trudeau’s failure as a leader. During the tough times of the pandemic, he could have been the unifier in chief, the empathizer, perhaps even pardoning the truckers for overstaying their welcome. Instead, his authoritarianism and ego have marked him as one of Canada’s least effective Prime Ministers, remembered not for unity but for division.

A functional government should be transparent, unobtrusive, and serve as the foundation that allows our society to move forward and flourish. Its goal should be to provide all Canadians with the opportunity for success and a life of meaning and accomplishment. Currently, the opposite is true. The government is omnipresent in our daily lives, run by individuals who seem to be in it for themselves, expanding government for the sake of government. It has become an enormous irritant; we are reminded of its failures daily through:

• The exorbitant cost of living, from taxes to groceries to rent.
• Never-ending traffic congestion and construction
• The lamentable state of our roads and infrastructure.
• A healthcare system that is in a critical state, leaving us fearful of getting sick and requiring hospital care.
• An overwhelming bureaucracy that crushes any remaining hope or dreams left in Canadians.

Pierre, while you bring a fresh perspective with your “axe the tax” slogan, I crave more depth. Your sharp parliamentary retorts are entertaining, but they must be more than soundbites. Canada isn’t just “broken”; it’s fundamentally dysfunctional with the highest taxes and lowest GDP per capita in North America. The Liberal policies have inflated everyday costs: the cost of meat is up by 50%, a small box of local Oka cheese is $10.50, parking tickets in Montreal doubled overnight. In my neighborhood of Hochelaga Montreal, they reduced garbage collection to once every 2 weeks, leaving streets littered in filth, while healthcare and infrastructure across Quebec are crumbling. The homeless situation is dire, with daily reminders of urban decay; tents are everywhere, and there isn’t a day I walk my dog that I don’t have to step over used needles or condoms.

We’re often told inflation is a global issue, but in Canada, it hits even harder. A trip to Switzerland highlighted the disparity. In Switzerland, a country considered as having one of the highest costs of living in the world, groceries cost more or less the same as in Canada, where $100 barely gets you half a bag at the local Metro. In France, the groceries cost less than in Canada. And in both those countries, the quality of the food is significantly better. These Western world countries often boast lower taxes, better healthcare, and higher wages. The Swiss, for instance, enjoy all these benefits without the brain drain we see here. Some things cost more, but despite having one of highest costs of living in the world, the Swiss have a lot more money in their pockets.

And while we’re on the subject of putting more money in our pockets, Trudeau’s leadership feels like dating someone who lies incessantly. His rhetoric is circular, flowery, devoid of substance, echoing through the Liberal ranks with the same clichéd promises of putting money in Canadians’ pockets, all while they pick our pockets dry. Carney is just more of the same. Different faces, similar platitudes.

The current situation is untenable, and the time for change is now. Be the true change candidate. Be a true savior to Canada and put this country back on the right track by:

• Significantly Reducing the Size of Government: Cut down the bureaucratic soul crushing behemoth that has grown too large and too intrusive.
• Significantly Reducing Canadian Taxes: Lower the tax burden so that Canadians can keep more of their hard-earned money, stimulating economic growth and personal prosperity.
• Significantly Reducing Government Bureaucracy: Streamline processes, eliminate unnecessary red tape, and make government action more efficient and responsive to the people’s needs.
• Giving Canadians Back Their Joie de Vivre and Their Freedom: Restore the joy and freedom that once defined Canada, allowing each citizen to live without the heavy hand of government overshadowing their daily life.

It’s not that I don’t want to pay taxes. I do. It’s just that I’m not feeling very good about how the government is spending my money. I’m actually feeling more than a little ripped off and to be honest – I’m getting a little fed up from being bent over every day by our Liberal government pickpockets.

Trudeau and his party have led us to the edge of a cliff and if Mark Carney takes the helm, we might as well leap off. Canada needs a leader who truly understands and addresses these crises, not just another politician with catchy phrases.

This letter isn’t just about policy; it’s about restoring the spirit of our nation. We want to wake up without the daily reminder of government failure. We want to celebrate our successes, not lament our struggles. I, and countless other Canadians, are looking to you to lead us out of this darkness into a future where Canada can once again be a beacon of opportunity, joy, and freedom.

Sincerely,

Paul Ozzello