The morning after the election has me thinking, and so I put my thoughts here, to get them out of my head.
I love Cape Breton Island. The tiny white flowers that will become wild strawberries are now scattered across our field, and I when I look at them, I remember how sweet they tasted when I picked them as a child.
And the lake is so still some mornings, that it brings me an effortless kind of peace. A red-tailed hawk flies low over our fields most days, and our apple trees will soon burst into pink and white.
The history of my family is everywhere here, in our house that was built for my grandfather’s first cousin, in the stories my father and uncle tell, and in the land itself.
But I know that there are too many children living in poverty, over 30% in the communities of Eskasoni, Glace Bay, New Waterford, North Sydney and Sydney Mines.
I know that our doctors are leaving, which means that the ones that remain are overburdened, and calling out for help.
I know that addictions to alcohol and drugs are much more common here than in most other places in Canada, and this leads to broken people.
I know that fixing potholes on our streets rose to the position of top issue at a recent mock election at a local school. And, yes, you’ve should make sure that you can drive your car on the streets before you can start thinking big.
I am grateful that I live in Cape Breton, and that I saw a weird, orange mushroom growing on my lawn yesterday.
But I send out a plea to the Nova Scotia Liberal government that they begin their new term by listening to people, and attempting to govern in good faith.
Political policies and political will really matter in a place like Cape Breton, and our government should be doing the best they can to lift us up, in concert with the many private citizens who do so.