Many people are struggling with what to do in this election, but for me…I’ve never felt more confident about an election decision. And it’s not Martin’s shipping company or anything of that nature. He’s done nothing on the scale of Cheney and the other Americans who have been corrupt business people. It’s unpleasant and perhaps unpatriotic, but it’s not corrupt. I don’t believe Martin is corrupt in the least.
My problem with Martin is that he is willing to sacrifice certain federal powers such as the “notwithstanding” clause, in order to appease certain provincial groups, particularly in Quebec. That alone is enough to reject him this time around.
Rejecting Harper is a no-brainer. He’s unreliable and shallow. He does not have a feeling for the fundamental values of this country and he is way too naive when it comes to dealing with the Americans, who have proved themselves duplicitous and dishonest. Softwood lumber is the glaring case in point, but there are many others.
Progressive Conservatives like Joe Clark and William Davis the former Premier of Ontario cannot abide Harper’s hunger for power at whatever coast…not to mention his willingness to sell out our healthcare system, rather than improve it and fund it properly.
ISSUE OF LAYTON VISITING THE SHOULDICE CLINIC
The Shouldice Clinic north of Toronto was established by a visionary doctor decades ago, well before medicare was introduced. It was set up as a non-profit clinic to treat hernia patients. No one has ever had a problem with “grandfathering” that clinic, because it signed on to the concept of universal care and has always operated as a non-profit clinic, open to all- rich or poor and no one can jump the queue there. Once a patient is referred, he/she must wait in line and gets treatment on the basis of medical need. So those who criticize Layton for having his hernia operation there, are out to lunch.
I don’t like Layton personally, but I do believe he is true to his political principles and to Canadian values.
So there you have it. If I thought my Green Party candidate had a chance of being elected, I would vote Green…but I believe the NDP candidate here does have a chance and so I’ve made my decision.
I had to make my decision on the big issue of whether we are determined to keep Canadian values alive and the only choice for that, I’ve concluded, is the NDP.
They may not win, but they may get a high enough percentage of the popular vote to make an impression. And if it’s a minority government as I believe it will be, then we need the balance of power in the hands of people who can be trusted.
