Barking Space

You Were Expecting Something Different?

The dust has settled from the election for the most part. Mr. Harper is the new Prime Minister.

There is a lot of doom and gloom associated with this. People paint Mr. Harper as the devil (or worse). While I don’t like him, I would expect that we would at least give him a chance to screw up. This takes more time than just being in office for five minutes*.

Given how much of an uproar there is about this (at least from everyone I’ve spoken to), I wonder how we got to this point?

First, we must delve into my thoughts around this election…

The Election – A Jorge-centric Story

I’m not very politically-minded. I’m the first to admit it. I did a bit more reading this time around. Not just the platforms put forth by each of the parties, but also various other interesting tidbits. I used the internet to learn about what the parties had to offer. I chatted with locals to get their take on the local representatives.

As I was doing this, I wondered why I had never done it before. It’s quite enlightening.

After all of this research, I decided to vote locally rather than nationally. I placed a vote, not for the strategic purpose of filling the cabinet with a particular party, but rather for improving the immediate area in which I live. I wanted someone who could step up to the big table and voice concerns of the folks in my neighbourhood.

I’m glad she won.

Where the Problems Begin

Again, I’ll repeat that a lot of people I run into express surprise that the Tories even got in. They regard this as a step in the wrong direction.

Well, we all deserve it.

Part of the problem is that people don’t really give a damn about their country anymore. I can make this bold statement because from what I’ve heard and read, voter turnout was only sixty-four percent.

We, as Canadians, have no right to whine about how unfair our government is when we don’t even take the time (ten minutes – no lie) to vote.

Quite a number of people that you know will tell you how much they love our country. They will tell you how Canadian they are. Well, chances are that two out of every five people you know are not pulling their weight.

Knowing the national anthem and waving a flag around is only good if you’re cheering Canadian sports teams who participate on the world stage. Being Canadian is more than just eating maple syrup and being able to reference unimportant trivia**.

Would it Have Mattered?

Certainly there would be those that would question whether a higher percentage of voter turnout would have made a difference.

It might not have changed which party attained power. However, it would have offered a clearer indication as to what the preferences of the country were.

If everyone voted, you would have a crystal clear picture as to what thier perception of the best choice was.

Sadly, we are nowhere near this point.

Back to Me

While I don’t think that a Conservative government is the end of the world, I also don’t like a lot of items on their agenda.

But this is where things don’t look so bleak.

I will wait to see what they do. If I don’t like it, I can make my stand by presenting my case to others and voting at the next election.

After all, as a part-owner of this country, I have the power to effect change.

* – So everyone should calm down.
** – Try taking a real Canadian Citizenship test. It’s not easy.

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