Well today I did my duty as a Citizen and voted in our National Federal Election. It is the first day of voting by anticipation, this Thanksgiving weekend people can vote from 9am to 9 pm at polling stations. It’s easy and very well organized, it took all of 2 minutes. I had my voting card and one piece of ID, got my ballot, marked it and in the box it goes. No fancy machines, just a pencil and a piece of paper. Like most Canadians I have heard enough and my mind was made up.
I did not want to wait until 21 October which is the actual voting day, I’ve had enough of having to listen to lies and more lies from Conservative politicians and their leader Andrew Scheer. Whose father was a draft dodger during the Vietnam War, making Andrew an American Citizen, registered for the US Army reservist and travelling on a US passport. Something he hid from Canadians until just a few days ago. He also lied on his resume, he does not have a university diploma from Regina, and he was a gofer in an insurance company not a broker. He also hired Trump strategists to work on his campaign and receives funds from the GOP. So Andrew Scheer who wants to be Prime Minister of Canada is the Manchurian Candidate.
This election has 6 party leaders, though in reality only 2 really matter since only a liberal or a Conservative can actually get enough seats to form a government. The other parties will not get many seats. The Greens need 12 seats to be an official party, the NDP will likely be devastated in this election and may loose official party status, the Bloc only has candidates in Quebec and only represent that Province and the extreme right wing party of Maxime Bernier, the so called People’s Party will probably not have more than 1 seat in our House of Commons at 338 members.
We have had 4 so called debates, the ones in English a shouting match looking more like a food fight at a high school cafeteria with 5 moderators who did nothing but let the slug fest go on. The debate in French was far better and the moderator effective in controlling the leaders, the Media preferred the French version and its format and questions.
The big issues during the campaign were not discussed and the more offensive Conservative Premiers like Doug Ford of Ontario disappeared. While Jason Kenney of Alberta is on the one hand campaigning for the Conservative but at the same time challenging their leader Andrew Scheer.
The owners of Conservative papers, Postmedia, Sun, Globe and Mail and television Global and CTV were openly hostile to the Prime Minister promoting the Alt-right agenda, anti-immigration sentiment, bigotry, racism and violence against anyone who is not a conservative.
In other words our election process and the campaign have become like those South of the border. It is unfortunate but it also shows that Civic Illiteracy is well and alive and people do not know nor understand important issues. Are quick to blame to Government for what does not work in their personal lives. These negative feelings are difficult to explain given that the Economy is growing rapidly, unemployment is the lowest in 40 yrs, child poverty is the lowest it has ever been, etc..
The Alt-right and other hate groups have congregated around Andrew Scheer and his party, lawn signs for Conservative candidate stand next to signs advocating killing opponents. This was bound to happen here when you look at the Trumpian politics south of us. Conservatives in Canada admire Trump and wish we had the same white Evangelical politics. Andrew Scheer is their answer in this election. No it is not the genteel Canada we once knew.
What we do know for certain, it will be a minority government and this can give us some hope to avoid extreme politics.
Larry Muffin At Home 