Not much time for a post today… or at all lately, really, but I just wanted to quickly say: Happy Birthday, Canada! 142 years and still looking fine!
I hope you’re out celebrating, Canadians. Now, I’m off to drink some fine Canadian beer in honour of this great nation.
Happy Canada Day.
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I’ve fallen behind on my blogging. It’s crunch time at school, as I have four short papers due on Wednesday and exams beginning on Saturday. I also have a growing pile of work to get through within the next few days. I just haven’t had much time, but I must comment on some recent political happenings.
What the hell is going on here in Canada? I stop paying attention for a few days and it seems like everything is falling apart.
For those of you who are either outside of this country or similarly distracted from the media, here’s the deal. The opposition and others in the House of Commons are eager to get Stephen Harper out. No big surprise there, but their level of enthusiasm in that regard has spiked, to the point where they’ve now signed an agreement to form a coalition government.
The government would consist of members of the Liberal Party and the NDP, with members of both parties forming the new cabinet. The Bloc Québécois has agreed to support the coalition government for at least 18 months, while the NDP and Liberals are set up to work together for 30 months if they form a government. Dion would be Prime Minister, at least until May 2009 when he will step down as previously stated.
I’m a bit torn on this issue. I’m not a Conservative supporter. My views have always been towards the left (though not radically), so I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of another Harper government. However, I’m not crazy about Dion, either. How can we accept him as our Prime Minister when the Liberal Party itself doesn’t want him as their own leader anymore? I’d love to see the NDP make a more prominent role, but is this the right time to be mixing things up? With the economy what it is, Canada needs some stability.
I’m definitely in support of some changes for politics — the current system is flawed. After all, the Liberal and NDP parties together represent over 44% of the popular vote in Canada, while the Conservatives represent less than 38%. With the support of the Bloc, the coalition would have nearly 55% of the voters’ strength behind it (and probably some of the Greens’ 6.8% of the October votes). Overall, more Canadians voted to the left of centre than to the right. Even without Bloc support, the Liberal-NDP alliance has a better shot at accurately representing Canadian voters, if you believe the numbers.
But can it last? If the Conservative government falls next week, or in the near future, how long will a coalition hold up? Will we be back at the polls in 2009? Canadians weren’t thrilled to be voting a year early this fall, especially when it provided nearly the same result as the previous election. How can the taxpayer feel good about another expensive election?
And since this government can’t hope to function without the support of the Bloc — that is, the one party that wants Canada to fall apart as a single country — it’s a bit unnerving.
Don’t worry, I’m almost done my rant. I’m frustrated with what’s happening, because I really fear that this will divide the country and cause more trouble than it’s worth. But I’m trying to have a little optimism… after all, if a left-of-centre coalition can actually function, I’d much prefer that to a Conservative government. The question is, with Dion, Layton and Duceppe working together… what kind of trio are we getting? Time will tell, but Canada’s in for a bit of a headache, it seems.
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GET OUT AND VOTE!
Remember that you’ll need proof of your identification and address.
Remember, your employer must allow you three consecutive hours during the hours of voting to go and vote. So if you’re working today, make sure you still go and vote. Employers are required by law to give you this time and it’s an offense for them to deny you that right.
So go and vote, Canada!
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The biggest thing that Stephane Dion wants to get across to Canadian voters before the election is that he’s your only hope of replacing Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of this country. Last night, Global’s Decision 2008 interview with Dion saw him driving home that point at every possible opportunity.
He’s got a point. It’s pretty unlikely that the NDP will win enough seats to form a government. It’s even less likely for the Green party, which may win its first elected seat ever in this election. So Canadian voters left-of-centre who aren’t normally Liberal Party voters have two options: vote according to their ideals, or vote strategically to prevent a Conservative government.
So what to do? If you’re a liberal who doesn’t like the Liberal party, or Dion himself, what do you do? Do you risk a Conservative majority government by voting for a seemingly hopeless cause, or do you try and get NDP and Green supporters to band together and vote for the lesser of two evils?
For the first time in years, I’m still undecided on my vote. I have a pretty good idea or where I’ll be placing my vote, but I don’t feel so committed to it as I have during previous elections. It seems even more futile in my riding, where a Conservative MP is usually elected by fairly wide margins. Since I’m not going to vote Conservative, it’s likely that it won’t matter who I vote for.
I sometimes like to tell my American friends (some of whom sometimes liken Canada to a communist state because they fear even minor socialism) that Canada is more democratic than the U.S. because we have more viable choices on the ballot.
This year, it feels like a two-party system may actually help those of us on the “small-l” liberal end of the spectrum. That, or a more representative election system.
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Next Tuesday, Canadians will be heading to the polls to vote in our next prime minister and government. In less than a month, our American neighbours will be electing their new president. So for both of our countries, it’s time to exercise our rights to elect our leaders, and to determine our own futures.
So, please, vote. No matter what your political views, no matter what your opinions or bias, if you are an eligible American or Canadian voter, please do vote. It’s intensely important.
I don’t care who you vote for. Pencil in your own name for all I care. But do go down and take part in the process. It’s very important that democracy work — that the views of the public be known. If you choose not to vote, then your views are being ignored and uncounted. As a result, the government may not reflect the true views of the people.
It’s easy to lose sight of things amidst all of the intense coverage and back-and-forth messages. There are probably many people who aren’t paying too much attention to the elections at all. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or you just don’t know enough about the candidates, take a few moments to educate yourself. It shouldn’t take too long to look up each candidate and review their platform. You’ll probably find one that best speaks to you. The leaders debates may also help get an idea of how the parties differ, and how they will interact in the future.
For Canadians:
For Americans:
Here’s one of my favourite points: If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about anything the government does. If you just remain idle and never express your own concerns, the government may do things that you don’t like. If that’s the case, your complaints are invalidated by the fact that you did absolutely nothing to stop it. So even if you’re generally apathetic about politics, just pick a leader that’s the closest to what you want and vote. Just think — you’ll be earning the right to complain from your couch when you don’t like what’s happening on the evening news.
Whatever you do, make your own decision and make your vote count.
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My name is Colin Temple. I'm a Canadian web marketer and a student of philosophy at the University of Ottawa. {learn more}
