What Happened to Policy

Since when did Canadians become complacent with the abysmal dirty politics of Bill O'Rielly and Ann Coulter: which subscribe to the school of he who yells the loudest has the correct opinion? That disregard the policies and instead attack the personal character of their opponents. When did Canadians decide that policies were less important than personality? At the end of the day we’re finding someone to run the country not the guy we can "sit down and have a beer with" as one American described why she voted for George W. Bush instead of John Kerry. It seems when we talk about politics today the party policies is an inconsequential issue that hangs in the dark smoky back rooms of party politics not public politics. The only polices that gain attention are those that contain buzz words like tax, environment, or crime. Furthermore, it seems that if the conservatives had their way we would toss away party policies, lock the party leaders in a room with a live feed to CPAC, give each leader a bucket of mud and watch them sling it at each other: whichever party leader is cleanest on the way out the door becomes prime minister. This week the conservatives have begun there work of creating attack ads against liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, because according to The Toronto Star a conservative insider told the media, the liberals are rising in the polls and furthermore, he/she went on to say that they were worried that they had waited too long to begin attacking the liberal leader and had lost their chance to brand him in a negative light. They are wading through a lifetime of writings transcripts and television shows that Ignatieff has been on or hosted to find dirt they can use. Politics should not be personal they are political. Our national parties should be debating policies that affect the nation not what they do after hours. I am not saying there isn’t a very large part of politics which is the court of public opinion, however, it is the role of the media and the voter to formulate opinions not paid political spin doctors. Parties should be attacking policy and providing viable alternatives to gain votes not attacking the personal character of its opponents. The money, time, resources and great minds of the conservative party, which could be working on policies to fix the economy, to fight crime in Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada, mind's that could be used to help alleviate wait times in hospitals, solving poverty are being wasted to attack the personal character of a man that is serving his country: great minds relinquished to the level of tabloid journalists.

The Wolf Smells Blood: Conservatives go for the Kill

In the past week we have seen the largest attack on Canadian Democracy in living memory. In the economic update The Prime Minister broke his promise to drop the partisan politics and work with opposition parties to help Canada navigate through the economic uncertainty we are seeing. Harper moved to bankrupt the Liberals while cripple the NDP, the greens and the Bloc: Harper moved to destroy the opposition parties for it is impossible to run a political campaign without significant dollars. He wouldn't compromise so he decided to get rid of them. How does forcing the people to support their political parties in cash strapped times help create jobs and increase the welfare of this nation. Conservatives tout that they are sacrificing the most when in fact they reap the rewards of the grass roots fundraising organizations created by the Reform party giving them the largest war chest of any current Canadian Political party: as was demonstrated in their ability to broadcast massive attack adds against the opposition parties this week, as well as in the last election. Harper seems to have forgotten he is governing a minority government. Meaning a majority of Canadians did not vote for him but the opposition. Harper bashed the Liberals for not standing up to him in the last parliament and now that have stood up for the people that elected them he bashes them as conniving and only grasping for power. It is partisan politicians like Harper that give politicians a bad name.

Furthermore, Harper offered nothing to help the economy in his economic update. It was not until he realized the opposition might actually stand up to him that began to compromise. Short months ago he told Canadians that if we were going to see a recession it would have already happened and that there were some good deals on the stock markets at the time, telling Canadians they should invest. What were Canadians suppose to invest with when they just watched vast amounts of their life savings vanish overnight.

Only Harper could call this current situation undemocratic: two political parties setting aside their difference to offer real tangible help to working Canadians. He forgets to mention he tried to make a coalition government when the Liberals under Paul Martin were floundering. However, if someone else offers to run a coalition government he is not a part of is unthinkable. The Prime minister governs with the grace of the Canadian people and a majority of Canadians voted to be represented by the opposition parties. These opposition parties represent the people of Canada and if the opposition parties have lost confidence in current government then in our parliamentary system this means the people of Canada have lost confidence in the government. Although I do not fully agree with this coalition in its current form it is the way in which our parliamentary system operates and as such must be respected.

There is a Problem With Our Education System

Over the past decades there has been a social shift in society that has led to the trades being looked on as a lower or a lesser job than those requiring university or college training. What society forgot to realize is that these jobs are not lesser they are equal if not more vital than the jobs that require university training. It was not until there grew a lack of skilled tradespeople that people realized the vital role they play in making everyone’s standard of living possible. Not everyone is cut out to sit at a desk all day just as not everyone is cut out to operate a circular saw. It is unfortunate that it took a drastic shortage along with an eternal need to increase the statistics of students obtaining an OSSD to bring the governments attention the importance of tech courses and co-operative education. Along with their policy of no longer penalizing late assignments and lowering a students accountability and responsibility they have started to realize that tech courses and a rounded education may help students succeed. One of these steps in the right direction the other is a misguided attempt at decreasing the drop-out rate. I know at my high school tech courses were an integral part along with co-operative education in ensuring student success. Helping students excel above and beyond the bar one step at a time: teaching them life skills such as responsibility, work ethic and accountability should be the goal of our education system. Not lowering the bar to allow them to stumble over it.

Fiscal Situation

When the liberals left office they left the Conservatives a comfortable buffer of money encase there was an economic slowdown. In 2 years the Conservatives have managed to squander that surplus, giving tax cuts to wealthy, and cut funding to numerous programs. If the Conservative can manage to squander a surplus in a "booming" economic situation we had a few short years ago. What hope do we have during this economic uncertainty?

Leadership Review Needed

As I watched the results come in last night I could not help but feel nostalgic. Not in any positive sense of the word. It reminded me of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Outnumbered in financial aid, perceived leadership and communication in English there was only one conclusion. This election was the Conservatives to lose.

Many suspected from the beginning of this election campaign its ultimate result; it seemed all one could do is put up one hell of a fight, hope for the best and wait for the damage report to come in. The Liberal party was in disarray: fractured over leadership and policy. However, now that the election is over and we have tallied the results there is no time to waste. Liberals will have to regroup and soon. The longer the Liberals are in disarray the longer they will stay in opposition. For Harper knows he has no real opponent until than and knows the liberals will not risk another election till they are ready.

Politics is neither fair nor accommodating. It is a game that has no rules and many judges. Sometimes even with the best intentions the best policies and the better vision things do not go your way and there is nothing that can be done. Sacrifices have to be made for the betterment of the country. The fact that Stephane Dion could not communicate effectively to a majority of the voting public represents one of these cruel realities. Public perception wins elections. Nothing more nothing less, it is not your policies but how the public perceives your policies, not your character but your perceived character. It is not that Mr. Dion is a bad politician I have the fullest respect and admiration for his political abilities, the fact is that he is not a national leader, a national face of a party, as we saw in the results from last night. One of the most valuable attributes an individual can have is recognizing their strengths and their weaknesses so that they can apply themselves to the best of their ability where they can make the most meaningful contribution. It is not his fault it is the fact that politics is the result of perception and because of this cruel reality, sacrifices have to be made and one must adapt.

If the liberals wait till the spring to have a leadership review how long before a leader is decided. How long would this new leader have to appeal to the Canadian public? Is this fair to the new leader?

Minority is not a Majority

Polls suggest that today's result will be a minority government. In today's politics with its extreme partisanship and absolutes it seems that those who win a minority charge forward as if they had received one hundred percent of the vote. They claim they received a strong mandate from the citizens of the country to enact there exact platform. They seem to forget that in a minority parliament more than half of the ridings voted against you: voted for a totally different platform. When I went to school when my assignment got 34% of the teacher's vote I failed. A government must take this in to account. We are a country that prides ourselves on compromise and accommodation. If you want to one day win a majority you must earn the respect of the voters that did not vote for your platform in the last election by doing things for them. Canadians do not like to waste money on elections every 2 years. A minority government will not win their votes by bulldozing legislation past the opposition, threatening to call an election when they do not get their way. A majority of Canadians voted for that opposition. The opposition is the voice of the voters you want: listen to them. They may not have done everything right, however, they must have got something right if you still have a minority. If a government wishes to govern a country with the people’s interests in mind a government must compromise and respect the opposition: there is no more room for one extreme than another.

When will they admit inaction is not an option?

How long will it take for the Harper government to admit that there is financial instability in Canada as we watch Bay Street tumble again today. Yet, Harper continues to testify that the fundamentals of the economy are strong and the only action to be taken is inaction: steady as it goes, ride through the storm and all the other cliches. Every other political Party in this election has put forward a plan and a platform on the economy. Yet, the conservatives have yet to release their platform just over a week before election day and advanced poll already open. Granted they have set a date of tomorrow to release their election platform, however, it is unclear whether this is due to pressure brought to bear by the opposition parties during the national debates. The conservatives seem to believe that continuing to lower corporate tax is the only way to support economic growth, when will they come to understand that their current policies are not helping main street survive. They must invest in research and development, invest in industry that supply jobs close to home. It is proven that the only way research and development is the fundamental necessity to not only ensure that jobs are created in the future but furthermore to ensure a competitive economy on the world stage.