Dem civic duties
Voting is a laborious task when you're overseas. I still haven't managed to find a working telephone number for the Canadian Consulate. Guess I'll have to hoof it there sometime... soon.... June 28th approaches fast.
Of course, the bulk of the work exists even when you're at home, and that's finding out about your different party and candidate options. And I'm having real difficulty choosing.
Last time I did this (also proxy voting -- from Montreal, as my riding is of course in Vancouver), I only read party platforms instead of investigating individual candidates. As a result, I chose the New Democractic Party (the furthest left of the parties that actually wins seats) over the Greens, not because the Greens never win (the NDP had little to no chance of winning the riding either) but because they had no platform on education reform and didn't appear politically ready to be elected.
This time, I'm actually looking at the candidates for Vancouver Centre and I'm really impressed by the Liberal incumbent, Hedy Fry. She's been heavily involved in issues to do with health care, women's, LGBT and immigrant rights, and lots of other good stuff. No apparent interest in education though. Sigh.
In addition to liking what I've seen of Fry, I am not terribly impressed with the campaign the NDP is running -- consistent attacks against the Liberals (granted, coupled with policy alternatives of their own) and some kind of weird cult-leader style glorification of Jack Layton. Odd and discomfort-inducing. I agree with what they're saying... reinvest in health, education, cities, transport, affordable housing, and establish more (small l)iberal policies on immigration and foreign and social policy... but the way they say it gives me the creepy crawlies.
The bottom line is, I quite simply don't want to vote Liberal. Oh, I don't hate the Liberals. I recognise that, while "centrist" in Canada, they are pretty left-wing by international standards. I was thrilled and impressed by some of Chretien's legacy building gestures... ratifying Kyoto, moves towards equal human rights for gays and lesbians, the refusal to join the coalition forces in Iraq, the defense of Canadian-style public health care. In addition, I recognise the threat of the newly merged Conservative-Canadian Alliance party. A minority Liberal government, with the Conservatives (led by former CA leader Stephen Harper) as official opposition, is a situation only marginally less nightmarish in my view than the Conservatives actually winning.
But the Liberals, and especially the Liberals under Paul Martin, are just not enough for me. They do not push the envelope of truly watching over social needs far enough. Tuition is soaring. Health care is in a shambles. The downtown eastside of my fair city is a mess of homelessness, drugs, and drink. Most of this, I strongly believe, can be linked directly to Martin's too-draconian cuts to social spending when, as Finance Minister, he was so single-mindedly determined to eliminate our deficit. I also believe that Martin will not be so strong as Chretien was in defining Canadian policy according to Canadian standards, rather than caving to the demands of a certain superpower government to our south.
But the fact remains that the slated NDP and Green candidates do not have the political experience of Hedy Fry. And she's an impressive candidate in her own right. Very impressive.
*sigh* I understand that Americans overseas are allowed to vote in any state they choose... I must inquire a the Consulate whether this is the case for Canadian voters. If I could choose my riding, I'd just choose one where the NDP and Liberals are neck and neck, and where I adore the NDP candidate to pieces. But I suspect it won't be that easy.
Of course, the bulk of the work exists even when you're at home, and that's finding out about your different party and candidate options. And I'm having real difficulty choosing.
Last time I did this (also proxy voting -- from Montreal, as my riding is of course in Vancouver), I only read party platforms instead of investigating individual candidates. As a result, I chose the New Democractic Party (the furthest left of the parties that actually wins seats) over the Greens, not because the Greens never win (the NDP had little to no chance of winning the riding either) but because they had no platform on education reform and didn't appear politically ready to be elected.
This time, I'm actually looking at the candidates for Vancouver Centre and I'm really impressed by the Liberal incumbent, Hedy Fry. She's been heavily involved in issues to do with health care, women's, LGBT and immigrant rights, and lots of other good stuff. No apparent interest in education though. Sigh.
In addition to liking what I've seen of Fry, I am not terribly impressed with the campaign the NDP is running -- consistent attacks against the Liberals (granted, coupled with policy alternatives of their own) and some kind of weird cult-leader style glorification of Jack Layton. Odd and discomfort-inducing. I agree with what they're saying... reinvest in health, education, cities, transport, affordable housing, and establish more (small l)iberal policies on immigration and foreign and social policy... but the way they say it gives me the creepy crawlies.
The bottom line is, I quite simply don't want to vote Liberal. Oh, I don't hate the Liberals. I recognise that, while "centrist" in Canada, they are pretty left-wing by international standards. I was thrilled and impressed by some of Chretien's legacy building gestures... ratifying Kyoto, moves towards equal human rights for gays and lesbians, the refusal to join the coalition forces in Iraq, the defense of Canadian-style public health care. In addition, I recognise the threat of the newly merged Conservative-Canadian Alliance party. A minority Liberal government, with the Conservatives (led by former CA leader Stephen Harper) as official opposition, is a situation only marginally less nightmarish in my view than the Conservatives actually winning.
But the Liberals, and especially the Liberals under Paul Martin, are just not enough for me. They do not push the envelope of truly watching over social needs far enough. Tuition is soaring. Health care is in a shambles. The downtown eastside of my fair city is a mess of homelessness, drugs, and drink. Most of this, I strongly believe, can be linked directly to Martin's too-draconian cuts to social spending when, as Finance Minister, he was so single-mindedly determined to eliminate our deficit. I also believe that Martin will not be so strong as Chretien was in defining Canadian policy according to Canadian standards, rather than caving to the demands of a certain superpower government to our south.
But the fact remains that the slated NDP and Green candidates do not have the political experience of Hedy Fry. And she's an impressive candidate in her own right. Very impressive.
*sigh* I understand that Americans overseas are allowed to vote in any state they choose... I must inquire a the Consulate whether this is the case for Canadian voters. If I could choose my riding, I'd just choose one where the NDP and Liberals are neck and neck, and where I adore the NDP candidate to pieces. But I suspect it won't be that easy.