A Plea for the NDP

Well, most of the people who read this blog will be voting on Monday in the Canadian federal election. I guess I'm going to do my part and encourage everyone to vote NDP. Other than the NDP, there are four choices, and I will give you my quick rationale as to why those choices are wrong.

1. Conservatives
If your vision for Canada is one which looks alot more like the United States, you should vote Conservative! Their neo-conservative policies are very similar to those of George Bush (domestically). This entails cutting taxes and emptying government coffers and giving this money back. It would mean that the government would, in the long run, have to go back into deficit, or cut back on programs. With all the problems that we see in Canada at the moment, and the things that need fixing, is this the best course of action? Certainly, everyone would like some free cash back from the government, but at what cost? They also hold homophobic policies, support the weaponization of space, against abortion rights, etc. etc. The Conservatives are also filled with a bunch of sexist, racist, and homophobic zealots. Don't take my word for it, here are a few quotes from some candidates who are about to be elected:

“Nelson Mandela is a terrorist.”
- MP Rob Anders

“Immigrants are choking welfare systems, contributing to high unemployment, and many cannot read.”

- MP Art Hanger

"Let's lower the age to ten."

- MP Myron Thompson, commenting on the age at which he believes one should be tried as an adult

"There's a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It's not that women aren't co-participators. It's because Jesus knew women would naturally follow. Men, on the other hand, had to be called."

- Conservative Candidate David Sweet

"We saw that young American having his head cut off. What's happening, what is happening down there no different."

- MP Cheryl Gallant at a 2004 pro-life rally on Parliament Hill, comparing abortion to the beheading of American Nicolas Berg by insurgents in Iraq

2. Liberals
The Liberals are a well-oiled machine that has somehow gotten really rusted as of late. After 12 long years of rule under mostly majority governments (ie. no opposition), they have many achievements to be proud of. Balancing the budget was no easy chore, but I believe we are in a better fiscal position because of it. Mulroney previous Conservative government left the coffers in shambles, and something needed to be done. However, we cannot forget the dozens of promises that the Liberals have broken. Removing the GST, Kyoto emissions targets, etc. We live in a country under which health care has deteriorated under their rule, and tuition fees have risen sharply. Infrastructure is failing because of cut back transfer payments to provinces. On top of this, we have the persistent scandals and mismanagement. The Liberals have some accomplishments to be proud of, but they always tend to campaign on the NDP platform, and govern as Conservatives. The proof is that the Conservatives supported the last Liberal budget, because it was a Conservative budget.

3. Bloc
If you're in Quebec, the Bloc appears to be the majority choice. There are a few fundamental problems with the party. Even if you believe that sovereignty is the best way to advocate and sustain Quebec's unique culture, it is not at the federal level that you will achieve this. The Bloc will never have the power to do this at a federal level, and they are not a party that seeks to compromise and perhaps work toward mutually-beneficial solutions for everyone. They claim they are there to "protect Quebec's interests", without ever defining what those interests are, specifically. Only the Bloc can get away with this. They are supposedly socially progressive, and claim they do whatever is in Quebec's best interest (clearly a matter of opinion), and yet they persist in voting against bills which bring positive changes to Quebec. I won't begin to list details here, but you can look up their voting record and question whose interests they are fighting for, exactly.

4. Greens
The Greens' only real platform is to advocate environmental issues. The environment is obviously extremely important (see my recent post on global warming). However, the Sierra Club of Canada has openly endorsed the NDP's environmental platform instead. Essentially, this transforms the Greens into a useless party which people vote for as a protest toward the other four. It's like the old joke from the 70s and 80s in which people said they would vote for the Communist or Marxist-Leninist or Marijuana parties out of contempt for the main parties. The Greens cannot deliver even close to what the NDP can, has, and will in terms of environmental issues. They do not hold a seat in the House and won't hold one this time either. If the environment is important to you, NDP is the way to go.

Having said that, I'll just say a few words as to why I think that the NDP is the best option. Before the election, there were countless polls conducted asking Canadians what their positions were on specific issues such as health care, education, and taxation. Time and time again, these values fall in line more with the NDP platform and NDP values than any other party. Now, why Canadians don't vote more for the NDP remains rather unclear. I would suggest that it could be because of strategic reasons (the first-past-the-post system), and maybe because the NDP has some sort of mantra of "tax and spend" which, as we saw last election, is untrue. The NDP will not increase taxes, and has proven that it can advance its priorities (and, of course, Canadians' priorities) in the context of balanced budgets.

-The NDP advances real progressive values. The same values that the Liberals promise and never deliver. The NDP will address the decaying public health care system and not allow the American-style privatization. We have a public system that we are proud of and worked hard for. Let's not let it go to waste.

-Postsecondary education through the lowering of tuition fees, and increased funding for professional training programs, amongst others.

-Addressing the democratic deficit by introducing proportional representation. Last election, the Bloc Québécois got about half the votes the NDP did and yet got almost three times the number of seats. The parties in power also tend to benefit from the current type of electoral system. In the end, we end up with governments that do not truly represent the will of Canadians, and this has to change.

-The environment. As I discussed a bit in my post on climate change, the environment is a growing issue. For too long have we taken it for granted with our systematic rape and pillaging. The Conservatives want to scrap Kyoto and the Liberals have done nothing. It's time to act and actually do something about it.

-Affordable housing. Canada has a ridiculously high percentage of homeless people. Just walking around cities that I know well, Ottawa and Montreal, the number of homeless is shocking. We have a higher homelessness rate in Canada than in the US. The NDP proposes solutions to the housing problem that faces some 1.7 million Canadians.

-Child Care. The NDP has proposed a national day care program which would follow the model of the excellent system that Quebec has had in place for years. The Conservatives also have a policy on the issue, but theirs consists of a tax break of a few dollars a day. Not only is this far from being enough money to pay for day care, it is not a "child care" policy, it's a lack thereof. Those who would suffer the most under this system are precisely those who need it the most.

-Foreign Aid. The NDP will invest in foreign aid so that we can achieve the 0.7% of GDP that we are supposed to. We are currently well below what most other industrial nations give in this area. Also, there should be an increased focus on a peacekeeping role for our military. This has been our strength and traditional role for years, and it is what we need to focus on. Our peacekeeping troops have always played a central role in UN and other aid missions around the world, and have been a source of admiration and pride. This is what we need to look to in the future.

-Ethics. After all these money-scandals during the Liberal reign, and the growing distrust of Canadians in the responsibility of government, it is clearly time to clean things up. The NDP has proposed a whole package of ideas that would clean up how government business operates.

-Human rights. The NDP is the only party that unilaterally voted for the gay marriage bill. We don't live in the 17th century anymore, it's time to drop these ridiculous homophobic religious values and give equal rights to everyone. It's not even a matter of opinion, it's a matter of constitutional rights. The Conservatives will have to use the notwithstanding clause to reverse this, and they have stated that they intend to bring up this issue again.

To me, the choice is clear. Even if the NDP is not elected (and obviously, I don't think they will be), the NDP deserves my vote and your vote because they represent what I believe are closer to traditional Canadian values, and they represent a positive vision for change and for a strong future. The Liberals have simply stolen NDP ideas for years when running for office, and have rarely put forwards and delivered on their own ideas. The Conservatives are not the direction that I think we should be heading in, and I don't believe Canadians want to, either. While they have ran a great campaign that has turned many heads, I think people will be surprised at exactly what they intend to do. The NDP was able to exert a great deal of influence in the last Parliament and push forward some of their policies, and there's no reason why the NDP will not stand up and do the same this time around with even more MPs elected.

I could go on and on, but you would probably be better off checking out the NDP's website, and read all the details of their platform. Even if you don't want to vote for the NDP, I still urge you to check out their platform, it might give you a clearer picture. And, even if you are not convinced, and still do not want to vote for the NDP, the least you can do is go out and vote, no matter what party. Voting is a privilege and a civic duty that we all too often take for granted. You have a voice. Get informed, speak up, and use it!