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As expected, Prime Minister Stephen Harper dropped the writ yesterday and Canadians will head to the polls on October 14 for the third time in four years. I’ll keep my own political views out of this post and out of my blog as much as possible, but I will take this opportunity to implore you to get informed and get involved in this election.
The 2006 election was the first election in 10 years, federal or provincial, that I wasn’t involved in with some party. I have at various points actively campaigned for the NDP, the Progressive Conservatives, the Canadian Alliance, and the Liberals. Why all the party jumping? Well, it was a heady mix of changing youthful ideals, affinity for certain candidates, and growing disillusionment. What I’ve learned is that elections are much more fun when you can be a true mercenary. Getting involved doesn’t mean that you have to join a campaign or start plastering stickers and signs all over your neighborhood- in fact, I’d suggest you don’t!
But at the very minimum you should find out what issues are important to politicians, and decide what issues are important to you. I have a list of five questions that will be asked to any candidate or campaigner who knocks on my door or calls my house:
- Do you support the changes to the Copyright Act proposed in Bill C-61?
- What are your plans for Afghanistan?
- Do you support a carbon tax?
- Should income trusts be taxed?
- How should budget surpluses be spent?
This list is quite different now than it was in 2006 (v. 1), when same-sex marriage and other social issues topped my list. Your list will probably be different than mine, but it is important that you take the effort to figure out what issues you care about, and find out where each party and candidate stands on that issue. Ask questions. Answer questions. Debate, argue, defend. In other words, give a damn.
I’m not one of those mushy-brained political ideologists who thinks that every vote counts, or that your vote will make a difference- it won’t, or at least not in a direct way. But the act of voting is the most direct way for you to express your approval (or disapproval) of the policies and platforms of your government. Don’t think for a second that the world of politics doesn’t affect you- the taxes you pay, the benefits you receive, and the freedoms you enjoy are all directly linked to the government you and your compatriots have elected. It’s your duty as a citizen to cast your ballot, and your right to complain about or object to future policy decisions is based on your participation in the democratic process.
Or, in the words of P. Diddy, “Get out there and vote or I will muthaf*&kin’ kill you”.
Photo by nathangibbs.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Crazy… I was just thinking today that I’ll be asking about the Copyright Act and Bill C-61! Seriously, though, I need to make my own list.
Just out of curiousity, what is Bill C-61? And why am I having trouble spelling words involving “ous” tonight?
Bill C-61 involved amendments to the Copyright Act. As it stands, our copyright legislation is hopelessly out of date and inadequate. It’s doesn’t work well for copyright holders, and it doesn’t work well for content users. But rather than fixing the many problems we currently have, Bill C-61 made things even worse. While it has died on the order paper, it was the Conservative government that introduced this Bill, and it had the support of many members.
Rather than me ranting about the problems I had with this Bill, I’ll point you to Michael Geist’s website- he’s a law professor at the University of Ottawa and probably the leading authority on copyright reform in Canada. Browse around there to get a feel for the problems with this legislation.