A Leviathan Falling? Election Buzz in Canada

Well, the Federal budget fell still-born from the press yesterday, and now it looks like we are facing an election here in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Canada; yet again with no solid platforms from any of the parties other than the Conservatives. Do we get any honest information from any of the parties about what they think the key issues in an election should be? It is a sad fact about Canadian politics, having sunk so low, that an election platform can consist of “we cannot trust these guys” and yet offer no solid facts about why we should trust their opposition.

As always, the NDP has called on the government to put more money into social services. This is indeed an important issue, and one which most Canadians support. However, the budget did indeed offer increased services for Canadians in need, such as an increase in support for low income seniors. It was “not enough” according to Mr Layton. However, he does not state where the money would come from. Cancelling the purchase of the new F-35 fighter jets, perhaps? As with Mr Chrétien in the early nineties, would Mr Layton be willing to spend more to cancel a purchase if necessary equipment for the Canadian Forces, paying out MORE to cancel the contract than to see it through, and have our men and women in uniform again be denied the equipment they so sorely need to undertake the huge tasks we set out for them? Perhaps he would do the right thing, and take the funds from where they are needed the least, MPs personal slush funds, over inflated salaries, and obscenely high budgets. But why should he prefer such a prick to his finger, over the suffering that cutting wages to soldiers and civil servants, and reigning in of budgets for the RCMP, CSIS, the Canadian Forces, and various other departments that the NDP feel are unnecessary.

Mr Ignatief, leader of the Liberal Party, did not even state clearly how the budget had failed, in the eyes of his party. He repeatedly mentioned that it was not in line with what ‘ordinary” or ‘regular” Canadians need and want. In what way? We have been given no clues here as to what, in the views of the Liberal Party of Canada, we ordinary Canadians are looking for from our government. He quickly jumped topic to the fact that this current Conservative government has acted in such a way as to lose the trust and support of Canadians. That may be true, but we still have no reason to believe a spoiled little rich boy from the Liberal Party is any more in touch with out needs than a spoiled little Conservative boy. I refer to the politicians as rich spoiled children not to belittle them, but as, having watched question period in the House, and seen the way they act, it is somewhat reminiscent of little brats running amuck in a preschool. As the estimable Rick Mercer has frequently pointed out, MPs spend less time in Parliament then kindergarteners to in class. Watching them behave, it is no wonder why; the majority of the year, they are on “time out.”

Monsieur Duceppe, from the Bloc Quebecois, has given his obligatory “this budget offers nothing to Quebec.” And he is right. While the standard adage regarding Canadian politics is that Quebec says we want X and the finance minister pulls out his cheque-book, in reality the government cannot afford this, financially or politically anymore. So M. Duceppe is correct, there is not a lot of incentive being given these days by the Federal government to the province of Quebec. Appeasement has a long history of failures, and perhaps it is for the best that the Federal government accepts this now, rather than continuing to try and buy support of the separatists. What, pray-tell, would have been enough incentive for the Bloc to uphold the budget? And how damaging would it be to the credibility of the Conservative Party outside the province of Quebec to grant such boons? There were no incentives for Quebec, or indeed for most of the provinces. The goal was incentives for the people of Canada as a whole. That is the issue that needs to be addressed, and like the other two opposition parties, the Bloc has not made any clear effort to address it. Also, please note that not all French Canadians live in Quebec, not are all those who live in Quebec French Canadian. Moreover, not all French Canadians support the Bloc, so let’s hear an actual platform for a change!

This, unfortunately, leaves us with only one party that has consistently offered a platform in recent years. The Conservative party generally tells you what their goals are. They may not extrapolate on how much it will cost, or why it is important, but at least we get a sense of WHAT (in their eyes) are the important issues. Yet, as the opposition parties have pointed out to us repeatedly in the recent months of unofficial canvassing for votes that MPs from all parties, from all provinces, have been taking part in, this government has proven itself untrustworthy. Time and again, we see foolhardy moves, which cost Canada as a whole. Excessive spending to advertise the Economic Action Plan, which for all intents and purposes ended last year, propping up Air Canada and as a result costing Canada to be snubbed at the UN, funding cuts to the Employment Insurance, and Canada Pension Plan offices as well as staffing cuts; these things prove that, yes, the opposition parties are on to something when they say the government is out of touch.

Ministers who claim the Economy is back on track, because we are losing marginally less money this year, when in fact, unemployment is still up (the stats that say it is down are based on numbers of Employment Insurance applications, and lets face it, many who are unemployed have exhausted those benefits and have no where else to turn, so they do not get counted), or ministers that lie to parliamentary committees, these certainly do not foster our trust. And yet, where do we turn? Some of us remember what happens when the NDP form a government, and most voters still remember the Sponsorship scandal. Have the Liberals or the NDP given us any proof that they have cleaned up their act? They have not, in recent memory, approached an election with any sort of a clear platform beyond “we cannot trust Stephen Harper.” The response from the Conservatives to this is “look at what a good job we did for about six months two years ago” or “look on our website for our platform.” That, of course, is between the attack adds claiming that the Liberal Party is run by “Toronto elites” and that Michael Ignatief hates Canada, or that the NDP will bankrupt the country.

We need to see a change in Canadian politics, and we need to see it NOW. Voter apathy is an ever increasing issue in this country; the only groups with a consistent level of turn-out at elections are new immigrants, and the elderly. The reason, generally, is that they remember seeing first-hand what comes of a government not held accountable to the people it is supposed to represent. The majority of people who do not turn out at election time feel that there is no point. We call our MPs “the honourable” so and so, but when we see them speak in the house, or at a debate, honour is the furthest thing from our minds. Indeed, it is like watching squabbling children. They have no concept of the issues actually facing us, as Canadians; and why should they? Their income is secure, as long as there is still blood to be squeezed out of that stone we call the population of Canada. The biggest sticking point for most of them is ensuring they are still given a budget that allows them to spend the morning at parliament, and the evening in their luxury homes back in their ridings across Canada, or fill our mail-boxes with junk leaflets telling us what a wonderful job they are doing, or how horrible their opponents are.  

It is time we either get candidates worthy of the title ‘Honourable’ or get rid of the title. There is no honour in taxing the unemployed, or under-paid, in order to give bonuses to big business or campaign supporters, and give yourself yet another undeserved pay increase. There is no honour in smear-campaigns. Nor is there honour in dragging our nation’s reputation through the mud to prop up otherwise doomed corporations such as Air Canada. And there certainly is no honour in lying about the state of the economy to justify cutting necessary funding for the services which many Canadians are relying on to survive, and free up funds so that the MPs can have little slush-funds or waste tax dollars on little soirees for their friends and supporters.  

Enough with the mud-slinging, palm-greasing, back-biting nonsense; if we are being forced into an election for the sake of ego-masturbating politicians, at least let it be based on real issues, real facts, and solid platforms. Canadians have had enough of spineless, self-aggrandizing hypocrites. We are not a nation of mushrooms, so stop keeping us in the dark and force-feeding us horse-dung. Give us solid assurances of your parties’ plans to deal with the key issues facing the country. I want to know what Jack Layton’s proposal on national defence looks like, or where the NDP would get the money to cover their proposed increases in expenditures. I would just like to know where the Liberal party actually stands on ANY issue, as they really have not made that clear since Paul Martin, and even then, it was a little hasty. I don’t want to hear accomplishments from three years ago flaunted as proof that right now, my government is taking care of me. For the first time in decades, let’s see a political party try something new, and crazy, like, I don’t know, actually dealing with the political issues? That or bring back John A MacDonald; he may have talked trash, but at least he was charming!