Let's Think Differently This Election

To anyone paying attention to politics in Canada, this fall's federal election came at no surprise. On the surface, it seems like the Prime Minister is attempting to take advantage of the unpopularity of another Conservative leader, and our country's relative success in our Covid vaccination plan. Well, things can change in the blink of an eye, and as of writing this, the Conservatives have matched the Liberals or even bested them in recent polling, and the country is heading into a forth (and possibly worst) wave of the pandemic. On top of that, recent economic numbers are not looking so great, which rarely fairs well for the incumbent party.

It is likely that much of the Conservatives' gains are coming from disaffected Liberal voters who are being wooed by token platitudes that seek to hide the fact the Conservative base still does not believe in climate change. Erin O'Toole's party is far away from a majority, however, and with a sinking Liberal ship, there is now an opportunity for the NDP to make even more gains as this campaign carries on.

After all, Jagmeet Singh is more popular than both Justin Trudeau and O'Toole and the NDP are currently projected by some polls to have the largest seat gain out of any party so far. That is still not enough to form any kind of government at the moment, however. So, why is that? In the last election, 46% of Liberal voters considered voting for the NDP, but ultimately chose not to. I don't think it would be a stretch to assume that many of those previously undecided voters chose to vote Liberal because it was perceived to be the safest option in order to stave off a Conservative win at the time.

In fact, I was one of those people who would have considered voting strategically if it made the most sense to prevent a Conservative win (I moved away from Ralph Goodale's riding just before the 2019 election and would have certainly voted for him, but ended up voting NDP in the riding I moved to). It's an uphill battle for Singh and the NDP but anything can happen in a short amount of time and Canada really does need something other than a constant swap between blue and red every 8-12 years.

Housing. Tuition. Groceries. Internet. Mobile. Prescriptions. Mental healthcare. Climate change. The cost of all of these things and more are going to continue to rise and get worse until we re-prioritize how our economy and society works. That is not going to happen under a Conservative or a Liberal government, however, no matter how many promises they throw at us.

Both of the major parties, but in different ways, think that free market solutions are going to solve the problems that the free market itself has created. The free market as it is today is only concerned with solving one problem: generating the most amount of profit as possible. Everything else is secondary. If we want to effectively solve the major problems we are facing today and into the future, we need solutions that put human needs before profits.

My experience working for large corporations showed that quarterly profits were the most important measurement that drove business decisions and nothing else. If we are going to ditch that kind of short-term, unsustainable thinking in government, then we must stop electing people who wish to run government like a business.

Let's be honest, climbing the corporate latter is all about who you know. The vast majority of us don't get to choose our bosses either. So, why are we modelling our democracy off of a system that is inherently hierarchical and authoritative? Why are we focusing so much on short-term economic growth, without any regard to our ability to have an economy in the future?

If you at least agree with me that we need to find effective solutions to these problems, then I invite you to find the courage to put the trust in a party that is at least willing to try something different. Government can be fixed with the right leaders who delegate tasks to the right people with the right skills. Canada is full of smart and good people. They just need the right direction.

We also need to think differently ourselves and accept that we are living in a shared society, on a shared planet. When we are at the ballot box, we must think above ourselves, instead of thinking how we might directly benefit from our choice. We have to throw out that short-term, corporate-like thinking and start investing in our future to ensure we have one to benefit from.

And if you need some help in thinking differently, as I often do, let me leave you today with some of the last words of the late and great Jack Layton:

Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly.

New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. ... Our party is an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.