We Stand on Guard for Thee

All across the country we sing, "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!” Some stand for our country by joining the armed forces, some by volunteering, others by being public servants however everyone can stand on guard for Canada on May 2^nd by going out and voting.

Aboriginal rights • Affordable housing • Arctic sovereignty • Arts • Budget cuts • Climate change • Child care • Crime prevention • Education • Environmental protection • Foreign aid • Green jobs • Gun control • Health care • Homelessness • Immigration • Infrastructure spending • Interest rates • LGTB equality • Mental health • Mortgages • National debt • National defence • National parks • Pensions • Public education • Public education • Quebec sovereignty • Tar sands • Tax cuts • Tuition fees • Unemployment •  Voter reform • Women’s rights

There are so many issues to list that affect every single Canadian, yet every day, Canadians everywhere say, “I don’t vote.  I have no interest in politics.” Voting isn’t about expressing an interest in politics.  Voting is about standing up for the issues that matter to you.   Some people tell me they don't vote because they don't know anything about the candidates in their riding, or the leaders of the parties.  In this age of instant access to information, this is a paltry excuse, at best.  You are reading this blog, so you already know how to use the internet machine.  Go to Wikipedia and search for "federal ridings Canada".  Click on the very first result.  You've probably seen signs around your neighbourhood encouraging you to vote for candidate X, Y or Z so you likely know what riding you're in. Click on your riding and they will lead you to the names of the candidates in your riding.  If you're lucky, the candidates will have a wiki page.  If you're really lucky, it'll be more than a stump article.  If the candidate doesn't have a wiki page - that should tell you something, first of all - copy and paste their name into Google.  Take twenty minutes that you would have spent on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and find out something about the candidates.  If you don't know the name of your riding, go to www.elections.ca and enter your postal code.  It will tell you what your riding is.  Then repeat the wiki steps.

There is an issue that means something.  There has to be.  Fight for the issue that's important to you.  Take the issue that means something to you, put that into Google, along with the name of the candidate or party that interests you.

Global perception of Canada has dropped. Voter turnout has dropped along with it.  Social funding has dropped over the years; so has voter turnout.  Pollution has risen; voting has dropped.  Tell me you don’t see the correlation here.  On the other side of the world, people are literally dying for the right to vote. You already have the right... no... the POWER to affect change.  Use that power, and make the change you want to happen, happen.

This video applies more to the American voter, but the point still applies.


PS:  I wanted to keep this non-partisan.  I really did.  But if you really don't want another 5 years of a Harper government, consider making a strategic vote.  Amp your vote and vote for the party in your riding most likely to take down the Conservative candidate.

Better Know A(n Electoral) District: Vancouver South

I was going to write my own post about why Ujjal Dosanjh is the only vote for the Vancouver South riding but my partner, CoW_mAn - Ba(Hon), a political scientist, has a reputation for writing up great posts for specific districts about the various candidates which sums them up quite nicely. Below is his latest post:

Background (or why should I bother voting?): A recount was ordered for the 2008 election results. Dosanjh led Conservative challenger Wai Young by just 33 votes, which automatically qualified for a judicial recount. After the official recount, Dosanjh’s margin of victory dropped to 22 votes. However, Young appealed the results on the basis that only 28 of 184 ballot boxes were recounted. Dosanjh won by 20 votes after a second full recount in what became the longest recount in Canadian history.

Conservative – Wai Young
The issues section of her website contains exact copies of the issues pages of the Conservative Party website – she clearly doesn’t think for herself or have any specific issues that she thinks are important. And given the way that Harper has shoved the HST down our throats by buying off the BC Liberals with taxpayer dollars I don’t see how completely hanging your hat on the Conservative Party is enough to convince informed people to vote for you. A vote for Wai Young is a vote for Stephen Harper who drops funding for the arts, is a disruptive influence at environmental conferences, shows contempt for the laws the affect him, wants to rename the Canadian Government “The Harper Government” and tries to control and limit the media. If you like art, breathing, freedom, or democracy don’t even think about voting for this empty suit in Harper’s army.

Liberal – Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal has a law degree from UBC, he taught ESL at VCC, and he founded the Farm Workers’ Legal Information Service which led to the formation of the Canadian Farm Workers’ Union. He was elected MLA in 1991, re-elected in 1996, held cabinet portfolios as Minister of Government Services, and Minister of Multiculturalism, Human Rights and Sports. In August 1995, he was appointed as the province’s Attorney General. He became Premier in 2000 and was the first Premier to appear in the gay pride parade and before leaving office implemented tax cuts which I personally benefitted from. After losing his bid for re-election he returned to practicing law. In 2004 he won election as MP and was appointed Minister Of Health in the federal cabinet, he was re-elected in 2006 and was appointed National Defence Critic, later becoming the Foreign Affairs critic. I know the man – I’ve met him on several occasions and watched carefully his role in both provincial and federal politics and I can’t think of a time when I found myself in disagreement with him. Particularly as Premier and Health Minister I felt he was passionate about protecting key aspects of the Canadian identity such as universal health care and equality. I find him to be reasonable, rational, well informed, intelligent, and I find his policy stances agreeable. Recently he has been defending health care against Harper’s efforts towards privatization (see Tim Horton’s Health Care).

NDP - Meena Wong
Meena Wong doesn’t have an official website as I am writing this. She only has a LinkedIn profile. She works at Vancouver Coastal Health – her public life has been focused exclusively on the Chinese community. Traditional media is convinced that she isn’t on the ticket as a serious candidate in the riding but rather was nominated to help NDP candidates in OTHER ridings. The argument is that her strong ties in the Chinese community will bring out Chinese voters for the NDP in other ridings. I haven’t seen a single lawn sign or any other public show of support for her in the area. Personally I hate identity politics – don’t vote for someone just because they look and talk like you, vote for someone with good ideas, experience, and integrity (see Ujjal Dosanjh).

Green - Jodie Emery
Not a serious candidate. I think the Greens want this riding to go Liberal after the close call in 2008.

Conclusion
If you care about the Arts, Health Care, Freedom, Responsibility, and Democracy there is only one candidate: Ujjal Dosanjh. In fact as far as I’m concerned he’s the only serious candidate no matter what you care about – he’s the only voice of experience, education, and reason on the ticket.