rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog - Apathy Gains Majority In Federal Election
After spending $300 million dollars of taxpayers money, this morning
Canadians awoke to fact that another Conservative minority government
is in power. True, the argument can be made that if more people voted
the results might have been different – but then again, it can also be
viewed as a lack of confidence and interest in this nation’s leaders.
We
live in a democratic country – on paper anyway as perceived by millions
of Canadians - and therefore should cherish the power that we have to
elect our representatives, there’s no questioning that. But at the same
time, there is the very real possibility that many Canadians saw this
election for what it was – a political maneuver on the part of the
Conservatives to gain a majority. Like it or not, that does not
represent the people’s democratic interests, only the vanity of Mr.
Harper who took a gamble yesterday and lost. That gamble could very
well see Canadians return to the polls in another year, making it four
federal elections in five years.
Lastly, there is the fact that
this election cost Canadians $300 million dollars in a time global
economic crisis. This morning Mr. Harper unveiled a new six-point
economic plan to deal with the financial ramifications of the current
crisis. Unfortunately for Canadians, $300 million dollars that could
have been used to bolster social programs has evaporated for the sake
of an additional sixteen Conservative seats in the House. Ironically,
the addition of those sixteen seats will no doubt empower Mr. Harper to
claim that the Canadian public has given his party a clear mandate to
lead, despite the fact that it technically didn’t.
When all is said and done, Canadians have to look at both the last
government and this new government and ask a very serious question. If
the last one wasn’t working because of political infighting which saw
its ability to function diminished, how will this new one be any
different? If the Parliamentary blame game is going to continue to
consume the House, what did this election accomplish other than the
establishment of the status quo?
After spending $300 million dollars of taxpayers money, this morning
Canadians awoke to fact that another Conservative minority government
is in power. True, the argument can be made that if more people voted
the results might have been different – but then again, it can also be
viewed as a lack of confidence and interest in this nation’s leaders.
We
live in a democratic country – on paper anyway as perceived by millions
of Canadians - and therefore should cherish the power that we have to
elect our representatives, there’s no questioning that. But at the same
time, there is the very real possibility that many Canadians saw this
election for what it was – a political maneuver on the part of the
Conservatives to gain a majority. Like it or not, that does not
represent the people’s democratic interests, only the vanity of Mr.
Harper who took a gamble yesterday and lost. That gamble could very
well see Canadians return to the polls in another year, making it four
federal elections in five years.
Lastly, there is the fact that
this election cost Canadians $300 million dollars in a time global
economic crisis. This morning Mr. Harper unveiled a new six-point
economic plan to deal with the financial ramifications of the current
crisis. Unfortunately for Canadians, $300 million dollars that could
have been used to bolster social programs has evaporated for the sake
of an additional sixteen Conservative seats in the House. Ironically,
the addition of those sixteen seats will no doubt empower Mr. Harper to
claim that the Canadian public has given his party a clear mandate to
lead, despite the fact that it technically didn’t.
When all is said and done, Canadians have to look at both the last
government and this new government and ask a very serious question. If
the last one wasn’t working because of political infighting which saw
its ability to function diminished, how will this new one be any
different? If the Parliamentary blame game is going to continue to
consume the House, what did this election accomplish other than the
establishment of the status quo?
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