Reza Raeesi
Contributor
Early reports show that the conservative party “allegedly” paid companies to make thousands of calls that could have affected participation in certain constituencies. When Harper’s majority government was won by less than 8,000 votes last year, this “possible” hijacking of our democracy should be taken very seriously. No fingers have been officially pointed as it is early in the matter, but it is of grave importance that we shouldn’t let anyone get away with election fraud.
Politics in Canada right now is stained by unprincipled tactics and smear campaigns from each corner.
So the question is: Why is our beloved democracy not running as smoothly as it should be? I say the answer is political apathy.
Our system is not perfect. However our indifference, disengagement, and detachment from it is also to blame. In the last decade, two out of five Canadians have been indifferent towards voting, and now we are letting Harper cruise through without pressuring him to atone for his actions.
On March 5, on Parliament Hill, there was only a small crowd gathered to denounce robo calling, and the protest in Vancouver only attracted a few hundred people. In Toronto, an election fraud rally that was expected to bring thousands of people, only accumulated five hundred. For an issue as national as this, more people should be attending and voicing their opinion.
Now if you say you don’t care about politics, that’s up to you, but you’ll have to accept the aftermath of your indifference. The more you inform yourself and the more you participate, you will see that it does make a difference.
The first step is to get angry. The fact that the conservative government holds a majority tainted by dirty politics and acts such as robo-calling should not go unnoticed by the public.
Remember that in parts of the world, governments ban freedom of speech with military and police. Let’s exercise the fact that we have the right of free speech proudly.
