Don't give Canada to the Conservatives.

Despite the highlight reel we have of the cesspool of the current American administration, Ontario and Alberta went marching off the diving board and now those same things that will destroy the strong, Canadian values and systems we cherish and fund and could be enforced across this amazing country.

Don't let it happen.

The only safety net Ontario has is a federal counterpoint to grab us from the edge of multiple cliffs as provincial decisions cripple our well-being at so many levels.

We have a provincial government in lockstep behind a man seemingly determined to destroy with no plan to reconstruct. The Conservative attacks on education aren't just about increased class sizes; kids in the province can't even access core subjects they need (and many "frills", like music, Indigenous and environmental studies) due to cuts.

Expecting teens to come back to pick up one or two subjects after they should have graduated will wreak havoc on Ontario's excellent graduation rate, currently at an all-time high of 86.5 per cent.

Teachers are losing their jobs, and your children will suffer the fallout from those making these decisions. Ontario's education system is taking direct hits, and their federal counterparts will do the same if put in power. I prefer those in charge of such portfolios to have knowledge in their respective areas.

Doug Ford has said he found college boring, so simply walked over to a plummy office in Daddy's company. Unless your child can do the same, I don't suggest you support these initiatives at the federal level. Scheer and Ford are political brothers from another mother: their policies are one and the same.

The third sibling, Alberta's new premier Jason Kenney, is stripping the word "public" from that province's schools. Slippery, slope, that. Attack the language we use first.

Do you really want a federal leader who believes, "we have a public school system in Canada that is there for parents who, obviously, are not able — because they have to work or they don't have the experience — so that's there for them." Sorry to my sons, who I obviously let down by having them attend that last place choice, public schools. He didn't come right out and say I should have remained home, barefoot and pregnant and home-schooling the little 'uns, but I can smell it.

Let me be straight: if you choose to home-school your children or have them attend private school, your decision should not impact a strong public school system that the majority relies on. Tax dollars have to do the best for the most, which means not diverting education funding from where it will have the biggest impact on the largest number of children.

Cuts to OSAP and universities are odious. Our education results and post-secondary success have made Canada a world educational "powerhouse." Remove the assistance that has made that achievable for all our children, and watch that crumble. Who will be able to afford to go? Well, kids like our premier, who couldn't be bothered.

The only thing saving our education status is — you guessed it — a federal government that recognizes the worth of investing in a skilled, educated workforce. You work with those who want to succeed, you don't kick their legs out from under them. Vote the Cons in, you sacrifice students' futures, which means sacrificing all of our futures. An uneducated electorate is more malleable, more compliant.

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I could go on, and I will. This election is vile and nasty on all sides. Don't lose sight of what it will cost us if we take our eyes off what really matters.

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