Sunday, May 01, 2011

Canada needs every voter voting on May 2


Canada -- that's everyone who lives in this country, or ever has, or ever will, plus all our animals, birds, trees, rocks, mineral deposits, *everything* -- needs every Canadian voter to vote in this election. The issues are stark. Around here we are seeing posters that urge us to not vote. "Vote with your feet -- stay home on May 2" Really? The Conservatives will be totally down with that, it will favour them at the polls. And people, people, 'voting with your feet' does not mean staying home. It means getting out, as in leaving the country -- what *I* did in 1969 when I left the US of A. Sheesh! Staying home is voting with your ass.

So, vote on Monday, if you haven't already done so at the advance polls.

Here's how to do it, via Elections Canada: Ways to Vote. You will notice that you can register at the polls, just take ID.

Who to vote for? "Politicians all lie." Yeah, I suppose so. So look at their record and especially their party's record -- it ain't a sure thing, but it's the way to bet. You can use the CBC/Uof Toronto's Vote Compass to match your personal beliefs to a party's platform and history -- kind of like computer dating. Or you can find an issue that is important to you and look at your MP's voting record, or the record of the party of an untried candidate. You can find that at howdidtheyvote.ca

Then google around for the backstory. For instance, the Liberals were all keen on Bill C474, which would have made economic considerations, specifically exportability in the face of EU and other export markets rejection of GMO products, part of the criteria for approving GMO seeds. But they were strategically absent when the final vote came down and it lost by 3 votes -- more on the Bill C474 story here.

The Conservatives (so-called) are simply terrifying in their relentless drive to dismantle Canada, and they are careful about not leaving tracks, as per Senator Tommy Banks.

There's a Communist running, and a Christian Heritage guy, but neither of them speak to or for me, so I am ignoring them. Our perennial Marijuana Party candidate, Terry Parker is running, I love him at the all-candidates meetings and he actually makes sense, but I can't really vote for him this time, gotta be strategic.

My Green Party candidate seems to be MIA.

My Conservative candidate does not have a snowball's chance (whew!) so it is down to the NDP's Peggy Nash and the Liberals' Gerard Kennedy duking it out here in Highpark-Parkdale. Ouch! I'd say that's a win for Peggy, and the polls seem to agree.


So it looks like I can vote NDP. Hurray! I am basically OK with the NDP in general, actually got a match with them on the Vote Compass, although I think a long gun registry is a waste of time and I wish they were talking more about getting out of Afghanistan and now Libya -- my stars and garters, what are we *doing* *there*??? But still, it was an easy choice for me. I really, really like Peggy Nash. When she was our MP, every time I sat down to write her a letter, I'd find that she'd already spoken up about the issue, proposed a bill, led a delegation or was generally already on it.

Update: I voted in the advance poll on Apr 25 so now I'm just stocking in popcorn and will be reading the election liveblogging from CBC and slothropia, and, of course, urging everyone to vote.

4 Comments:

Blogger Den said...

Good stuff!

check out TruthOut on Harper
http://www.truthout.org/canadian-parliamentary-election-know-your-abcs-anyone-conservatives/130411337

May 01, 2011 7:23 PM  
Blogger Den said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 01, 2011 8:10 PM  
Anonymous Larry Jones said...

Hey HotFlash,

Thanks for the shout out.

See you tonight at slothropia's live blog of the election returns. Well, I won't actually see you but, you know...

Larry Jones

May 02, 2011 5:54 PM  
Blogger A-Gran said...

"Voting with your ass." HA! I need to learn more about Canadian politics. I'm American so you know I have no clue...

May 03, 2011 2:37 PM  

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