Just a quick reminder that today is the Federal Election in Canada. If you've already voted - that's terrific!
If you haven't voted yet and aren't sure who to vote for, check out voteforenvironment.ca for information on where the close ridings are, if you want to vote strategically.
If you have decided not to vote, please reconsider! Remember: we are more than just consumers, we are citizens! And as citizens we have both the democratic right and responsibility to vote. Today is the day that each of our individual actions add up to a collective decision, so get out there and vote!
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10 p.m. MDT - Conservative minority government elected. Thanks Stephen Harper, for spending 300 million dollars so we end up with the same kind of government as we had 5 weeks ago, before you broke your own law and called an early election. Do enjoy your next leadership review.
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8 a.m. Oct 15, 2008: A small consolation: NDP candidate Linda Duncan took the riding of Edmonton Strathcona in a very close race, preventing the Cons from yet another complete sweep of Alberta.
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9 comments:
I like your article - voting IS important, it's our only way how to make some changes, western democracies are simply based on voting! Yes many people will say "it has no meaning, all politicians are the same..." Yes, but why? It's because they know they will not be punished for their steps, because voters don't care!
So conservatives or liberals, we will see in some hours!
Take care
Lorne
Hi Lorne, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I daresay you will have more excitement awaiting results out your way than I will here, but I take heart in the fact that there are three close ridings here for a change, and that ALL my family members are voting this time!
Arrggh! 300 million dollars later, historical lows for voter turnout and no change whatsoever. I'm very disappointed, not to mention I feel a little jerked around. What a waste.
It was a huge waste overall, wasn't it! But Harper will be happy that he's broken the back of the Liberals, even though he has to grin and bear another minority government. Politics just sicken me, really.
Yep. The Linda Duncan victory is one of the few upsides of this election.
Dear Theresa,
I am a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and a supporter of Stéphane Dion. I was very inspired by the classy, substantive campaign that Mr. Dion ran during the election and by his visionary Green Shift policy jointly supported by Elizabeth Manly and the Green Party. Although our party did poorly I feel this was not so much a reflection on Mr. Dion as on a number of other factors (lack of election preparation due to snap election; internal dissension within the LPC, collusion between Stephan Harper and Jack Layton against Dion, lack of cooperation between the centre-left opposition parties,etc.)
Now that the election is over and loyal Liberal volunteers are exhausted and inattentive, certain "un-named senior liberals" aided by a hostile right-wing media are trying to force Mr. Dion out of his leadership position without even giving a chance for ordinary Liberal members to consider whether this is in the interests of our party or Canadian democracy. They present this as a fait accompli. They say that Mr. Dion is isolated and finished politically. What they do not realize though is that Mr. Dion is NOT isolated. Grassroots Liberals were energized and inspired by his campaign, by the Green Shift, by his refusal to play politics as usual. We do not believe that engaging in another self-destructive round of LPC leadership politics will serve our party or the country well. What we need to do now is to serve Canadians by concentrating on our role of official Opposition. We need to think seriously as a party about why we lost this election and how we can better organize ourselves to win the support of Canadian voters next time. We will not let this leadership coup succeed without being heard from.
There has never been a LPC leader who has placed a higher role on environmental policies as Mr. Dion did this past election. Elizabeth May feels he is a man she can work with. Greens can play a role on this debate. We need to hear how Green voters feel about Mr. Dion’s leadership.
Go here to learn more about what we are doing and to join the revolt: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40161095228&ref=mf
Best regards,
Jean Proulx
Hi Jean;
I have a feeling what you wrote is a 'form letter' of sorts, but just in case you do come back here are a few of my thoughts:
1) I'm sure you meant to say Elizabeth May, not Elizabeth Manly in your first reference to her - you may want to change this in future 'form letter' mailouts to Greens though.
2)I have a good impression of Mr. Dion and wish he had been able to form a minority government. I am no political pundit, but here in the west, any politician that is seen as representing eastern interests and who wants to mess with the oil industry just won't get elected here. People like me, who are eagerly awaiting a 'green shift' tax system, make up very little of the population in this part of Canada. Liberals will have to find a way to make the green shift's monetary benefits to the taxpayer much more understandable to the average oil patch worker before this will ever be accepted here.
3)I don't know if you will get a lot of Green party support for Mr. Dion. The Green party tries to do politics differently, and sees the Liberal party as part of the old way of doing things. As such, Greens are not surprised to see this carnivorous style of politics turn inward in those kinds of parties when things go poorly in an election. All the support in the world won't help Mr. Dion when the political system he's a part of is set up to devour those who 'lose'. True democracy can't be based on psychopathic principles like this, which is why the Green Party is trying to do things differently.
Hi Theresa,
Oh no. Elizabeth Manley? Really? Flashback to the Calgary Olympics.
Sorry you are right. I was sending out the same message to a number of high-profile blogs (and you made the cut!). Mr. Dion is under intense pressure by some in the Liberal Party to resign and we, his grassroots supporters, have only limited means to come to his defense.
Thank you for your interesting response. I was inspired by Mr. Dion and Ms. May's attempt to overcome traditional partisan politics, and felt that it may have endeared him to some Green supporters.
Best regards,
Jean Proulx
Hello again Jean - thanks for coming back. That is a pleasant surprise :)
Not sure what would be considered 'high profile' about this blog, but it is neat that does get read here and there!
I was very impressed with Mr. Dion during the debates, and would have voted Liberal if it would have made a difference in my riding. (Unfortunately, you could run a Conservative baked potato in this riding and it would still win. Such is the disappointing state of affairs in Alberta.) I had hoped he would do much better.
I do think Mr. Dion would be a good prime minister, but good people don't seem to be considered good leaders anymore - it's the glib, superficial and charming political figures that do instead. (I've written on this blog before about how society seems to value psychopathic traits, and old style politics is an instance where this is clearly true.)
Canadians as a group are (still) markedly more liberal than conservative, and I hope that by the time the next election rolls around, there will be a Liberal party ready to gather the majority together again. And I hope a couple Green Party MPs can be elected too!
(Elizabeth Manley - ah yes, she was an adorable silver medalist, if I recall correctly!)
Thanks again for taking the time to come back - all the best!
Theresa
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