Lynne Lessard, Canada's Next Great Prime Minister

Hi, my name is Lynne Lessard. I am 18 years old and from Timmins, Ontario. I attend the University of Ottawa where I am studying International Development and Globalization with a minor in Arabic Language and Culture.

Salut, je m’appelle Lynne Lessard, j’ai 18 ans et je viens de Timmins, Ontario. J’étudie en développement internationale et mondialisation avec une mineure en langue et culture arabe à l’Université d’Ottawa.

I want to be Canada’s next great prime minister, because I believe the current state of partisan politics betrays the spirit of Canadian democracy. Successive minority governments and perpetual scandal have taken away from the shining example of progress that once defined this country.

Je crois que la politique publique ne doit pas toujours être un choix entre les droits de l’individu versus les vœux de l’état, ni une guerre entre riches et pauvres.

I hate the word compromise, because it indicates that all sides have given up on generating creative options which could build towards a consensus. When I hear the word compromise, it means a problem was addressed --but not solved --in anyone’s eyes. Compromise indicates a lack of will or intellectual capital necessary to build a more perfect solution.

Rigid ideological structures are the biggest barrier to building consensus. The false left-right paradigm is the biggest obstacle to great ideas succeeding in Canadian politics. This cold war mentality has led to divisions in our politics that often lead to absurd outcomes.

The issues facing Canadians in the 21st century are more complex than our politics belie.

I am not advocating for an end to robust and legitimate criticisms of public policy.

I am however, calling for a movement towards consensus on issues of key moral importance to humanity. Issues such as HIV/AIDS, Global Warming and extreme poverty – both at home and abroad—should spur the political class to strive towards rapid and decisive solutions.

La calamité de SIDA/VIH est un problème dont la communauté globale tente de résoudre depuis environ 3 décennies. Ce n’est ni par manque de volonté, ni par manque de ressources que la communauté internationale a failli d’éliminer ou même de diminuer considérablement la pandémie de SIDA/VIH dans les pays en développement.

In the west, we have managed to dramatically increase the quality and length of AIDS patients lives, through the use of anti-retroviral drugs.

Though expensive, these drugs have demonstrated themselves to be a lifesaver for millions of infected North American and European countries.

The sad reality in the developing world today is that these drugs are available or can be produced at extremely low cost, but the drug companies refuse to provide exemptions on their patents to save the estimated 6000 people a day from death.

Generic versions of these drugs can be produced for next to nothing, yet barriers in international law prevent anyone from producing and distributing these.

While I believe in the rights of companies to protect their intellectual property, we must recognize that extreme circumstances call for an extreme course of action.

In times of emergency, governments often alter or break laws temporarily in order to address some threat.

In World War II it meant the temporary suspension of some civil liberties and the appropriation of some privately held assets. After 9/11, we suspended all air travel for a few days in response to the terrorist attacks. Extreme measures, but appropriate given the extreme circumstances.

Today, we are faced with a circumstance that is just as, if not more extreme than either of those examples. 6000 men women and children dying each and every day of HIV/AIDS, just because governments refuse to defy the rights of a drug company.

It is time we declare a global state of emergency regarding HIV/AIDS, and come to a consensus on how to produce and distribute these drugs as effectively as possible. The lives of millions trump the interests of a few companies.

Il faudrait négocier cette politique sous l’Accord sur les aspects des droits de propriété intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce (ADPIC) sous l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce (OMC). Au cas ou les négociations ne pourraient pas prendre place dans peu de temps, j’utiliserai tous les pouvoirs de l’état étant premier ministre, afin de produire et de distribuer ses drogues aux pays en besoin – sans me soucier des répercussions.

This will not represent a precedent in government – corporate relations; rather it will represent a necessary policy in the face of the most dire of circumstances.

This sort of bold action abroad would be coupled by bold action domestically. The problem of affordable housing in our cities has surpassed the point of acceptability.

Gentrification of urban centres has led to a decline in affordable rental units, while concentrating poverty in outer-lying suburbs. This type of concentration is a socio-logical nightmare, leading to crime, perpetual cycles of poverty and all the problems related to it.

The growth of Canadian urban centres can be viewed as positive thing. Increased numbers of people living closer to where they work is good for the environment and eases the demands on municipal infrastructure.

However affordable housing needs to become part of the zoning equation when municipalities allow residential housing projects to go forward.
I propose that for every 15 units of housing produced in specified zones, one unit needs to be “off market” and rent controlled for low income families.

Additional tax incentives will be given to housing developers for every extra “off market” unit they designate. This would compel developers to designate empty or unsold units as “off market” in order to mitigate losses from having unsold inventory.

I have many other ideas for Canada, so I encourage you to respond with your criticisms and own ideas. Thank you for your time, and I’ll see you on Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister!

J’ai encore pleins d’autres idées pour le Canada, alors je vous encourage de partager vos critiques et vos idées. Merci de votre temps, et on se voit sur le prochain grand premier ministre du Canada!