The Justin playbook, rebranded in Lethbridge East
By Lethbridge Herald on January 2, 2026.
Editor:
In previous public statements, Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge East, has expressed views discouraging recall efforts, including referencing earlier recall attempts involving his own seat. That makes his current inaction all the more troubling.
If an MLA genuinely believes in the integrity of the democratic process, one would reasonably expect them to intervene when that process appears to be undermined. Yet Mr. Neudorf has done precisely the opposite. He has not stepped in to correct, clarify, or denounce a recall effort that many constituents believe was mishandled or politically distorted. Instead, he has limited his response to narrow denials that he knows the individual involved, while avoiding the more fundamental question: why was the process allowed to proceed in a manner that appears designed to fail?
There is, at present, no definitive proof of Mr. Neudorf’s direct involvement. However, democratic accountability is not judged solely on proof of wrongdoing; it is also judged by conduct. Silence, non-intervention, and reliance on rehearsed talking points—rather than a clear defence of the law and the public’s right to participate—create legitimate public concern.
This pattern is not new. Canadians have seen it before at the federal level, including during Justin Trudeau’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair: narrow denials, distancing from process failures, and delayed engagement with substantive accountability questions. In both cases, the issue was not immediate proof, but the erosion of trust caused by avoidance and strategic silence.
Political theory describes this as accountability avoidance through plausible deniability—a failure of democratic stewardship in which leaders protect themselves by not acting when action is ethically required.
What is increasingly clear is that continued silence does not contain the damage; it compounds it. Each day without transparency, correction, or leadership only deepens the perception of avoidance and further alienates constituents. Rather than preserving credibility, this behaviour entrenches doubt and accelerates the erosion of public trust.
In the end, these actions do not merely affect one political career—they disenfranchise voters in Lethbridge East, leaving citizens to conclude that their democratic rights are treated as inconveniences rather than obligations. That is not leadership. It is a self-inflicted wound, and it grows deeper with every refusal to act.
John LaForest, Lethbridge
10-9
That’s what Reformers are famous for doing unlike our conservative hero Peter Lougheed who worked hard to improve all our wellbeing these fools ignore it or blame it on someone else that’s all they know, don’t they? Why would Neudorf be any different? He is what he is and has no intention of standing up for his constituents like we know he should.
He is just like this fool Pierre Poilievre who has nothing intelligent to say, while Mark Carney desperately tries to make things better for everyone and more and more conservatives see him as being another Lougheed, don’t you?
Great comments John. More and more Albertans we talk to are seeing these Reformers for what they are and want all of them gone . The lack of respect that they have shown our children and grandchildren is sickening and that’s why the Conservatives in Ottawa kicked Poilievre out, he showed them no respect. Ignoring what their massive financial mess is going to do to our children’s future is just plain stupid, isn’t it?