Tyler McKay | Assistant News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay
What are you going to do this federal election? Do you know who you are going to vote for yet? Are you still undecided?
At this point, the election is fast approaching and will happen in less than two weeks on October 21.
Unfortunately, it appears as though people may be leaning towards a vote for who they think will have the best chance to beat the person who they do not want to win.
People who would support the NDP or the Green Party may feel compelled to vote for the Liberal Party only because they do not want to see Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party take over leadership of the country. The same can be said for people who are hesitant to vote for the People’s Party of Canada for fear of the Liberals remaining in power.
This is an unfortunate situation as the diversity of ideas in Canada, an important pillar of freedom and democracy, is not being expressed as well as it could and should be. This practice could lead the country down a divisive path.
This division can foster resentments and contribute to increased political polarization as we have seen in the United States with the Democrats preparing to go head to head with President Donald Trump in their 2020 election.
The United States is essentially a two-party system where only two main platforms are expressed at the federal level each election cycle. It is important to have a diversity of ideas when undertaking something as important as governing a country.
This is especially true here in Canada where we have a population of over 37 million people being represented in parliament.
However, the smaller federal parties stand little to no chance of forming a government so people may not vote for them, because people commonly think that it is a waste of a vote in both the United States and Canada.
Nevertheless, one or more of these smaller parties could potentially hold the balance of power if a minority government were to be elected. This recently happened in the British Columbia provincial election where the NDP was able to oust the governing Liberal Party by forming a coalition with the Greens.
When you cast your vote, think of bringing positivity back into voting. Vote for the party that espouses the ideas that you believe in.
If you believe in either the Conservative or Liberal platform, vote for them because of that, not because you think that they have the best shot at stopping the other.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said it best at the federal leader’s debate Monday night: “What we have here is Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Scheer arguing about who is worse for Canada. We have to start presenting who is going to be best for Canada.”
Look for who presents an optimistic and positive outlook for the future while remaining realistic and responsible. Don’t let fear be your limiting factor when voting for a party.
Be informed. Ask questions of the candidates in your local riding. Get involved and think critically about who you vote for and what it represents.
Remember, every vote counts. So, what are you going to do with your vote?
