On the eve of last week鈥檚 election call, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe talked about this campaign as one that will either mend or further tear the fabric of our nation.
鈥淭his is the crossroads that we are faced with this fall: Do we want to move forward as these regions of Canada, bickering amongst one another talking about who鈥檚 closer with the federal government?鈥� he told the Regina Leader-Post鈥檚 Arthur White-Crummey.
鈥淥r do we want to actually set our differences aside and move forward as one strong nation, as a nation that is really proud of one another and proud of all our regions of Canada and how we create our wealth?鈥�
In a federal election campaign expected to be nasty 鈥� made much more so by the echo chamber that is social media 鈥� Moe鈥檚 words should resonate with us all.
Polite political conversation has often ended with 鈥渢hey鈥檙e all the same鈥� or 鈥渢hey鈥檙e all bad.鈥�
It was always good form for those who subscribed to the bygone notion that religion and politics to provide answers with which all could agree.
Well, in this era of social media, it polite conversation doesn鈥檛 much exist anymore.
Tune into FaceBook or Twitter and one quickly discovers no shortage of hardened political opinions that aren鈥檛 to be dissuaded by reasoned conversation.
While the Internet and the social media craze it spawned was supposed to be the great democratizer, one obvious problem is the way it seems to confine people to their own silos where they choose to only listen to others who share their views and with whom they always agree.
It鈥檚 why they call social media an echo chamber and echo chambers can be a dangerous places when people living in them insist on hearing only what they want hear. It is as unhealthy as allowing your kids to eat only what they want to eat.
This takes us back to the bigger issues Moe is talking about during this election campaign 鈥� the notion that we are at a crossroads and that we need to set partisanship and personality aside and start thinking about how to build a country.
If ever we needed critical thought and respective, meaningful debate, now would seem to be the time.
This is not say that voters shouldn鈥檛 have strong convictions 鈥� especially, when it comes to what they think is right for themselves and others in their areas.
In areas like rural Saskatchewan where dwindling town, small city and farming populations are a reality, it鈥檚 more important than ever for people to stand up and have their voices heard.
That said, Moe isn鈥檛 talking about sacrificing core beliefs this campaign. Or at least, that certainly isn鈥檛 what he intends to do.
鈥淚鈥檒l call 鈥榚m as I see 鈥榚m, and the same will hold true through the federal election campaign,鈥� Moe said in the Leader-Post interview.
That said, the Saskatchewan Premier noted there is a need to 鈥渞ecognize provincial plans鈥� including 鈥渟trong action in our specific regions鈥� on issues like climate change.
Obviously, he was referring to his government鈥檚 own opposition to a national carbon tax and how a country can be divided because regions don鈥檛 understand each others economic interests.
Surely, this has been one of the true frustrations driving Western alienation the past four years.
But it cuts both ways, requiring those of us out West to understand during this national election campaign that those in other who have their own interests that may be different than our own.
Elections must always be about ideas 鈥� some of which you may disagree but all of which deserve to be respectfully heard.
As Moe said, it鈥檚 the only way to move forward as stronger nation.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 22 years.
