Election 2011

The Canadian Federal Election is May 2, which is drawing near and the discussions about who to vote for, which party should lead us, which direction the country needs to take in these economically challenging times are some of the discussions Canadians are having.

The common thread among the conversations I am hearing is that there doesn't seem to be any one person that Canadians trust and who deserves to lead our country. That's right, DESERVES to lead our country. The leaders' debate was an embarrassing display of blame and fear mongering without a lot of platform discussion. What are the parties offering us?

The four major party contenders are the Conservatives lead by Stephen Harper, the Liberals lead by Michael Ignatieff, the Block Quebecois, lead by Gilles Duceppe and the New Democratic Party, lead by Jack Layton. The present government is a minority, conservative government lead by Stephen Harper. The platforms presented by the parties are simplistic and deal with major issues facing Canadians today, but realistically, will they follow through with their campaign promises? Again, trust is a factor here. The Liberals have Family Pack, a 5 point family plan, the Block Quebecois platform is a little more confusing and deals more with Quebec as far as I can tell (a lot of their website is in French, which I don't speak well) the NDP have the "Practical First Steps" plan, which requires enormous spending to improve several areas of concern, including healthcare and the Conservatives have a "Here for Canada" platform, which promises the same old of the current government in power. Harper seems to take that word power literally. My letter to the current prime minister would read: "Dear Stephen Harper, it's the power of the people who put you there and it's the power of the people that can take you out. You seem to have forgotten the people altogether, so perhaps this is farewell."

I'm frustrated, it's almost election day and I still have not decided who I'm voting for. I strongly dislike the election ads and campaigns that only bash the opposing parties, which all of the parties are using. These politicians underestimate the intelligence of the majority Canadian people and it's insulting to mine to hear these ridiculous, fear based advertisements. On the radio, on television, in the paper. They are everywhere I turn.

A friend of mine who is very well versed in Canadian politics said he would never run for office because of his somewhat "unsavoury" past some twenty five years ago. He would be exactly what we need in politics today. He has passion, he really cares, he's vocal, yet respectful, he would work hard for the people and he is trustworthy. But unfortunately the media and opposing parties would create some kind of scandal around him, just like they would anyone who is your average Canadian.

All I can do is familiarize myself with the platforms of all the major parties, make sure they are feasible without increasing taxes considerably and try to find one party that I can actually pretend to trust. Educating myself will be the easy part. Finding a party I can trust will be a little more difficult, but as my good friend says "just hold your nose and vote". Unfortunately, I may have to close my eyes too.