Making Responsible Choices
We’re down to the last two days before Election Day. When the writ dropped, no one expected the polls to be sitting where they are now. The polls do differ some on where the various levels of support sit and who is up and who is down from the last poll (yesterday in most cases) but they clearly indicate amongst decided voters it’s Conservatives, NDP & Liberals in that order.
Most of the polls also show there are still over 10% of Canadians who have not yet decided where their vote will be going. It is this group who will either swing the election in whatever direction or just wont show up at the polls. If you are one of them, let me say, for god sake — show up at the polls.
So, here we are, Harper is calling for the Conservatives to get a majority because those awful opposition parties will just destroy the country in all manner of dastardly ways. The NDP has surprised themselves with a sudden surge of support, primarily in Quebec and the Liberals are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Harper has spent much time trumpeting his ‘economic stewardship’. He’s introduced at campaign rallys as being a ‘trained economist’, the fact is he’s an economist in training only, he’s never done anything but be a politician or political activist. The solid economic ground that we weathered the recession on, it was put in place by the Liberals, the people who handed Harper a surplus which was gone before the recession hit.
Harper doesn’t seem to have gotten the message, the majority of Canadians haven’t given him a majority government for a reason — they don’t trust him. This election more than previous ones it seems to be crystal clear, the majority wants Harper out. This is where Canadians need to be very careful of the choices we make as we enter the ballot box.
If you want to go with the bandwagon, and support the NDP, then support them. Don’t go with the bandwagon, get into the ballot box and then, because you’re having second thoughts stick that X on the Conservative candidate. That has a distinct danger of giving the Conservatives the majority they crave, of giving Harper five years of unfettered control.
So, if you want Harper and his Conservative bullies out and you really aren’t sure who to vote for, let me offer you my perspective. Yes, I’ll be up front in admitting a Liberal bias. I’ll also admit to having a soft spot for victims of bullies, especially when they give me something to apply that soft spot to other than being a victim.
I spend a lot of time following political news. I often dig well below the headlines on the mainstream media sites. When Ignatieff first returned to Canada and ran for leadership of the Liberals, I was opposed to him, very opposed. I also didn’t like the fact I couldn’t identify anything that the Liberals actually seemed to stand for other than being the alternative to the Conservatives.
In the last year or so, that has changed. I watched while Ignatieff quietly spent time travelling across the country meeting with groups of Canadians in an effort to hear what their visions of Canada is. I’ll give points to anyone who is willing to serve the people by actually wanting to hear the people. The bus tour last summer was not the first Ignatieff had done this, it was just better publicized.
When the Liberal platform came out and as I watched videos of the townhalls that Ignatieff has made so much an integral part of his leadership, I saw that he has made a focused effort to try to connect with the needs of Canadians while balancing our fiscal realities. The Liberal banner carries with it a history of sound fiscal leadership balanced with socially responsible programs. If he seems rather all over the place, that would be because the questions he gets are all over the place. They are not scripted and controlled like Harper’s. More importantly, he answers citizens questions, what a novel concept.
The Liberals are not always right, just as the Conservatives are not always wrong (did I really just say that?). In my view, the Liberals are more closely aligned with the Canada I know and love. Ignatieff has increasingly shown himself to be a leader who cares passionately about Canada, its place in the world and its future. As I watch him on those videos, I get a sense of a person I could have an interesting conversation with, one in which we could disagree and still get along. I can never get that sense with Harper, never.
Much of the same could likely be said about Layton as leader of the NDP. Although I’ve yet to really see Layton make much effort to get out and really hear what Canadians are saying, as much as he’s claims to know what Candians want. I could be misjudging on that as like most Canadians, the NDP has been much in the background, sort of there, but often ignored. So often over the years, their ideas have seemed so outlandish that most Canadians just laugh.
For the most part, it has been assumed that Layton and the NDP could promise just about anything and it really wouldn’t matter, they were not serious contenders. They would not have to deliver. They apparently understood that too. Right now, as people are looking to them as serious contenders, we learn that in a large number of ridings, they are running placeholder candidates. Candidates whose name appear on the ballot but often haven’t even set foot in the riding.
The NDP is not ready for prime time, how can you feel comfortable about electing rookie MPs who haven’t even committed to campaign, let alone actually know where their riding is? The NDP platform may contain some gems, but it is a platform crafted by a political party who thought they could promise the world and not have to deliver.
My vote stays with the Liberals. In the next election, the NDP can finally get serious about delivering serious candidates and a serious platform which can be more seriously challenged. At that point, I’ll have a serious look. For now, Canada needs capable MPs with some experience to draw on and a leadership who will not treat Parliament like an inconvenience to his agenda.
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