Tim Lang

Thoughts From The Campaign Trail! As we look at election results from across the province, there is no doubt that voters have sent a message. I know there will be plenty of commentators offering their interpretations of what that message is. I wanted to share a few thoughts about what I believe voters are trying to tell us. People are looking for competence from their government, not ideology. Politics can sometimes attract people who are more motivated by a desire to reshape society in their own image than by the practical responsibilities of governing. But I don’t believe that’s where most voters are. First and foremost, people want government to do its job. They want it to deliver the basic services we all depend on, and to deliver them well. At the municipal level, that means good recreation centres, clean parks, potholes filled, snow removed, safe neighbourhoods and responsible management of property taxes. Getting the basics right has been my mantra since the day I walked into City Hall. And I believe the people of Port Coquitlam have responded to that approach. Second, people want results they can actually see and feel. That means being upfront, honest and realistic about what we can accomplish. Increasingly, I see politicians making grandiose promises designed to capture attention and win votes, even when those promises are completely detached from reality. And when those promises inevitably go unfulfilled, the damage goes well beyond the politician who made them. It erodes people’s trust and confidence in government itself. That’s one of the reasons I place so much importance on delivering core public services exceptionally well. It doesn’t mean government shouldn’t be ambitious. Quite the opposite. We should have big aspirations for our communities and our province. We should want to tackle difficult problems and make life better for people. But we also have to be honest about what is possible, realistic about what it takes, and accountable for what we promise. When government consistently gets the small things right, it earns the trust and confidence necessary to take on the bigger challenges. Finally, I think people are looking for a return to some normalcy in our politics. I think people are exhausted by politics built around division, hostility and the demonization of anyone who happens to see the world differently. I can’t think of many other parts of our lives where we would consider that acceptable behaviour. When I’m at the rink or the field watching my two boys, I talk with other parents who have all kinds of different opinions and perspectives. We don’t necessarily agree about politics or everything happening in the world. But I can tell you one thing we do agree on. We all want our kids to be happy, healthy and have the best possible shot at a good life. And I think that says something important about who we really are. I don’t believe the public is nearly as divided as some politicians would have us believe. I don’t believe we’re locked in some do-or-die struggle where one side has all the answers and everyone on the other side is beyond redemption. That’s not how we behave in our families. It’s not how we behave at work. It’s not how we behave on teams. And it’s not how we should behave in our politics. We can disagree without being enemies. We can have different beliefs without questioning one another’s character. And we can recognize that, despite our differences, most of us want many of the same things for ourselves, our families and our communities. I believe there’s far more that brings us together than pulls us apart. And I believe government works best when it focuses on those things we have in common, earns the public’s trust through actions and results (usually smaller, incremental ones), and stays firmly planted where the vast majority of normal people are.