Vote or don’t.

Well the farce ends today and, not like most people, I will not tell people to run out and do your ‘civic duty’ and vote b/c it is really up to you. I don’t truly believe that your vote doesn’t matter even though it is obvious who will win. Regardless of the outcome if you vote for less popular or young parties (Green for example) you will be assisting your party in receiving greater exposure, funding and the might that comes with higher numbers of votes in each voting session. I know I am pointing out the obvious but it was a long weekend and I am exhausted, so the rest will be short and sweet not much detail as I can not muster it.

Personally if you have an informed decision great. If you don’t but still vote based on what you believe a party stands for from basic or past knowledge of the party itself; good. And if you simply go to spoil a ballot because you are part of the anarchist party or simply don’t care because you feel your vote doesn’t matter that is fine too. Essentially I vote but can understand why others wouldn’t.

Now as far as whom to vote for that is the area where I get a little more vocal. Unfortunately in the case of our choices at the present in Canada; I would be happier with ninety-one percent of voters to go out and spoil ballots while the remaining nine percent vote for the three main parties equally and end with the lowest number of voters to result in a tie in the history of voting –although that may not work out it would still be fun to watch.

Conservatives; although I will not vote for them as I can not cross from my far left position, I will say they are actually not horrible and have been running things well. They have maintained a ‘healthy’ economy, and attempt to maintain good healthcare and social spending. That being said I truly don’t think that they are a positive party for the individuals of Canada and are more focused on big business then us little people.

Liberals; well what is there to say really? The party is still relatively the same and maintain the same platform as ever. The issue most people are hung up on are the financial corruption and misappropriated funds that have come from the decisions made by liberals in the last decade and then some. But to be honest if you are thinking of not voting liberal because of its past you may as well not vote any party at all.

The major reason to not vote liberal is for the simple fact that the party is complete disarray and this was the exact reason that sparked the quick run to the polls by the Conservatives. What would scare me with a liberal victory, which won’t happen, is they do not have the foundation or the leader to maintain a healthy Canada.

The other ‘major’ party are the new democrats and their ‘hands on leader’ with his sleeves rolled up and a true man of the blue collar, Layton. They have relatively no chance in hell for victory but the more votes the increased visibility in parliament. You know to be honest I really like this party and the changes that have been made to date. They are truly a well rounded party that deserves attention. Many of their initiatives and responses on how to get them done seem completely plausible and in a positive nature. Will they get my vote this year????

Although I still state that the Green party is simply a one issue party hence why I would never vote for them. They have come a long way and I definitely have a greater respect for them. I personally want more green initiatives but what they lack in economics, foreign policy and so on, is just to grave. An honourable mention must be made for Elizabeth May as she if fighting the good fight and doing well to receive the attention the party deserves. They are not ready to lead the country but I believe they may get there one day.

Bloc; HA! Like I would waste my time on them. The only thing I will say is that if you didn’t read the Ottawa Citizen Sunday you missed a very funny table. Essentially it was the break down off all the issues and each party’s specific response. The most comical were the one sentence or sometimes ONE WORD responses for the bloc. It was rather entertaining, what a joke.

Bottom line; Harper and the Conservative will stay at the helm, although I believe he will not receive the majority he is looking for, leaving the Liberals in a close second. This will leave the periphery parties results to be a possible window into the future state of our political world in Canada. But this could all be meaningless if you are voting for a specific person in your riding as they may not be the party that you would like to represent Canada or visa versa. This is essentially where I am at a stalemate as the party in my district is not the party I necessarily want at the top. Seeing the ballot his evening I will make my final decision.

Regardless, tomorrow we will all wake up like any other morning and realize that nothing has, and as history states, nothing will change. We will look at the results and based on the outcome will decide if our vote was worth it or a waste of time. There are no great change agents in the running and this trend is starting to get repetitive, dull and ultimately depressing.