(To my non-Canadian readers: I hope this is a worthy post on the nature of electoral politics, regardless of your country of origin, if I am wrong please forgive me).
In a democracy one not only has the right to vote one's conscience privately but also the right to air your reasons for that choice publicly. In respect for that spirit of free speech, I want to explain why I believe my vote, and the vote of each of my fellow Canadians, has never mattered more then it does on May 2nd 2011.
On that fateful day we can choose to support Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his utter contempt for democracy or we can vote strategically, so as not allow this bully any more power then we have already mistakenly given him.
Harper's Conservative party, like George W. Bush and Karl Rove, have sought to use wedge issues to rile their base while employing well-funded slander to intimidate their opponents. It's a pure divide-and-conquer strategy, and that's not just political rhetoric - it's actually the entire basis of their campaign thus far. Stephen Harper has been candid that one of his goals is to wipe out the avowedly-centrist Liberal Party, in order to assure his party's long-term dominance. To that end, he is willing to spend more lavishly then any so-called "tax-and-spend liberal" on fighter jets, corporate tax cuts and, of course, prisons. Yes, just like the former Bush administration, Canada will greet a falling crime rate with open cell doors. We never learn from our neighbours' mistakes it seems.
But each Canadian has a stark choice of which party will actually benefit from their vote. I will vote Liberal, not just to defeat the hyper-partisan, gaffe-prone Sarah Palin wannabe named Shelly Glover who has ill-represented Saint Boniface but because I know Raymond Simard, a workmanlike but dedicated and honourable former MP, has the best shot of wining the seat back from Glover's Conservatives. (The New Democratic Party, our more left wing party, is almost invisible in my area.)
I urge you to vote for the candidate in your riding with the best shot of stopping the Harperization of our country. The sudden surge of the NDP's poll numbers actually gives the Conservatives a BETTER shot at splitting the vote and getting an increased minority in parliament or even a majority - with LESS actual votes! In this situation, absolutely every vote is crucial vote.
PLEASE CONSIDER VISITING CATCH 22 TO SEE WHERE YOUR VOTE WILL BE MOST USEFUL!
Remember, Ralph Nader gave the world George Bush, and we all suffered accordingly. Strategic voting shows respect for the democratic process and all of its intricacies. So Canadians, on Monday May 2nd, please don't let contempt carry the day.
Support the alternatives!Liberal Party
New Democratic Party
Green Party
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This guy sounds like David Cameron and his pals in the British conservative party... It's very dangerous that these idiots are being voted in on the back of lies,intimidation and bullying.. I hope Canada does the right thing and gets the Tories out !
ReplyDeleteGood luck, from south of the border. W.
ReplyDeleteI've got an idea.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you all shut the fuck up.
Thank you. Now I will be sure to vote Conservative despite and issues I may have with Stephen Harper's personality. Fortunately Canada was not burdened down during the recent recession with a tax and spend Liberal or NDP government. We came through the recession far better than many other countries thanks to reasonable centrist economic policy. The socialists in Europe have driven the economies of countries like Greece into the toilet. GWB trashed the American economy. A moderate approach is what is needed and you won't get it from the NDP. And thanks to Jean "Corruption" Cretin I will never vote Liberal. Anyone thinking of voting NDP obviously doesn't have a clue of the economic disasters they left in BC, Saskatchewan and Ontario. And if you're in Manitoba you must enjoy paying the highest taxes in Canada. But don't worry, with the NDP running amok in Nova Scotia you'll soon be only paying the second highest taxes. Tell you what, if E. Jack U. Layton gets in with a Liberal/Bloc coalition, how about you pay for whatever tax increases I will be guaranteed to be screwed with.
ReplyDeleteAs bad as the Conservatives might be the alternatives are far worse.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is some of that classic anon-commenter ignorant contempt teh interwebz is famous for...
ReplyDeleteThe New Democratic Party (much to my dismay...) is likely going to win again in my riding of British Columbia Southern Interior.
I've never been more politically afraid of this country's choices and ignorant candidates and their ignorant electorate in my life.
It's going to be a long, scary night tomorrow...
First you are economically ignorant to believe that Harper had anything to do with Canada being in a better economic position than other countries.Luckily our banking sector(by law) is 'conservative' unlike the USA and Britain.And ,of course, the Canadian dollar is almost a petrodollar.Usually correlates between 0.75 and 0.85 against oil prices.Actually it was Paul Martin,as Finance Minister, who straightened out the Federal Government's financial position.Though he did so on the backs of Provincial Governments by cutting transfer payments.
ReplyDeleteThe present Conservative Party is really the Republican Party of Canada.Really pathetic.Built on the politics of fear.A joke!I better stop now as my blood pressure is rising ....
PS I live in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast riding in British Columbia.
Almost all of the parties are bringing us world government. I can't honestly vote as there is no candidate that represents Canadians, they represent bankers.
ReplyDeleteOur government was setup by globalists. We haven't had an honest politician since leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 - William Lyon Mackenzie King.
The queen got her hands all over our country after that. Now we have politicians who are lobbied by corporations which are owned by elite aristocratic banker families who want a single world government.
Look at the Power Corporation of Canada to see which of our prime ministers are globalist shills (this includes Liberals)
Oh, what an unmitigated disaster!
ReplyDeleteSTV ASAP!
Just a little note for the anon,from Europe...financial disaster in Greece was caused by conservatives government and banks,not socialist,true socialist don't even exist anymore...good luck from berlusconiland(please help us,do a call to ONU,we need the Blue helmets here in Italy...)
ReplyDeleteSadly here in Calgary my vote was like spitting in the ocean. But I look at it like a tiny little middle finger to Harper. He won't see it, but I know it's there.
ReplyDeleteWell we lost the only consolation I can think of is that we have four years to build an oppotition worhty of the name, a government-in-waiting.
ReplyDeleteSimon
There's definitely some comparisons with Cameron but there might be a Thatcherian level of evil here.
Anon
Good to know the world understands our dilemma
Anon II
IS it just me or is the quality of trolling realty diminishing these days?
Anon IV
"reasonable centrist economic policy" a.k.a. as The Liberal economic policy.
Anon
How so?
Bio
"I've never been more politically afraid of this country's choices"
Yup it was a scary night, a night that may last for four years.
Doug
Thanks for the carefully worded rebut to our anonymous troll.
I can't get behind everything our previous Liberal Gov't did they certainly did have the betterment of the nation of Canada as their primary focus whereas Harper cares only for his ideology, his base and his financial backers.
Marxist Canada
The Liberals did stand up to the banks when they demanded mergers to compete with sub-prime crazy American banks in the 90's.
That said, yes the power of Bay Street over our political system is revolting.
Roberto
Oh god, yes, you probably have it worse than we do. (But hopefully that buffoon's reign of error is winding down...)
Anon
Yup I'm proud of my vote, even if it didn't have the desire effect.
Once again thanks for the comments, it's good to remember that we each have our fight against right wing zealots wherever we live.
I love Cameron. Conservatives get a bad rap, but they're the ones whose policies actually result in more independence and individualism.
ReplyDelete