My thanks to letter writer Gord Cameron for his kind comments about me. I want to assure readers that my observation that the Liberals and the New Democratic Party ran the most negative election campaign that I have seen since I began actively participating in federal politics in 1972 was indeed a well-considered and thoughtful reflection.

Readers will know that I did not participate in negative campaigning about Justin Trudeau's unpreparedness for the office of prime minister. However, there is absolutely no equivalence between the Conservative position that Trudeau was "just not ready," or that Ignatieff was "just visiting," and the Liberal/NDP narrative that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a mean-minded, lying dictator intent on destroying all the good values that decent Canadians cherish. Harper is, in fact, a decent, thoughtful man whose chief goal has been to improve and protect the lives of all Canadians.

The negative narrative of the Liberals/NDP indeed resulted in much negative energy among some of their supporters. We read comments by some that they were "enraged," "angry," "fearful," etc. I have never observed such vandalism against election signs as experienced by Conservative candidates, including myself. I witnessed a degree of un-Canadian rudeness from some opposition supporters I have never before seen.

Is there any doubt what lesson will be drawn about how effectively such negative campaigning motivates electoral support? The quality of democracy, which requires mutually respectful dialogue, will suffer from such tactics of demonization.

It has been an honour and a genuine pleasure to serve as member of Parliament for the past seven years, which have fled far too swiftly, and I am deeply grateful to the constituents of Kitchener Centre for having granted me that privilege. My thanks also to all those who worked so hard in supporting me in the campaign just concluded.

Stephen Woodworth

Kitchener