West Island MNAs need to make some noise

Enough is enough. West Island taxpayers have sat by for too long and been passed over by the provincial government for too long, and we shouldn't have to take it anymore.

We've been marginalized, ghettoized and ignored because we live far west of downtown Montreal, and we're ignored because we consistently vote the same when it comes to provincial elections.

That has created a situation that is out of control and is untenable, tantamount to a perversion of democracy.

Laval, land of five provincial ridings that switch hands almost every election, gets three Metro stations, even though they're not even on the island of Montreal. The West Island, which contrary to what many people think, is not actually its own unilingual English-speaking enclave where everybody has a butler and a chauffeur. We're part of Montreal, and yet we're consistently passed over for pork-barrel goodies because we happen to vote Liberal pretty much all the time.

MNAs Geoff Kelley, Pierre Marsan, Francois Ouimet and Yolande James are all competent, kind, empathetic people who have gotten into politics (we assume) with the hopes of doing some good in the world. They have, however, ended up being ineffectual politicos whose biggest accomplishments in government (James as immigration minister and Kelley's brokerage of a deal between the Kahnawake Mohawks and the provincial government to allow Highway 30 to pass through part of the reservation) have come in other parts of the province.

We respect these people greatly, but the distinct lack of services coming our way, the taxation without representation for residents of the de-merged cities, the school closures, the lack of movement on public transit and even the de-merger fiasco itself can all be held party over their heads and there's no end in sight.

Recently, Laval mayor Gilles Vallaincourt said he would be withholding Laval's $1.8-million metro payment because Laval residents pay more for monthly transit passes than do South Shore commuters.

And he's getting away with it!

Moreover, Vaillancourt suggested another revenue stream for Montreal should take the form of a gas tax instead of tolls on bridges because West Island commuters wouldn't have to pay tolls and that wouldn't be fair.

Um, Gilles? If your idea of fair is getting three shiny new metro stations, not paying for them and then turning around and asking for more, then sure, it would be fair to treat West Islanders the same as Laval residents.

But it wouldn't be realistic.

The fact of the matter is that West Islanders reside on the island. Our tax burdens and elevated home prices are the extra taxes we pay to live here.

Vaillancourt has been spouting this rhetoric for months now, and we'll let you guess how many MNAs have spoken up against it.

That's right. None.

Hello, PQ?