Tuesday

Yes, Seems to be That Time Again

The ducks are being lined up for another election. It seems to be in the cards for this autumn. The deciding factor will be if the NDP decide to use their leverage to advance some of their agenda with the government. I know people will complain, but this is really how the NDP add value to our system. They are not going to get elected in the next decade, surely. I'm a bit doubtful that they will ultimately survive the next few years, with pressure from the greens.
However, their value in the past has been to use what leverage they have to advance items from their platform with the government in power to get change for which they can claim ownership. Hey, it got us medicare didn't it?

Meanwhile, the Liberal party leader Mr. Ignatief seems to be in a decent jumping off spot. The media is kind of getting this wrong, saying, 'oh look he's neck and neck with Harper, what tough times for any chance of a Liberal win.' But in reality, this is his starting position. He's basically been neutral, AND had a negative campaign attack for a few weeks - though I haven't seen that lately.

So as he begins to roll out his platform details, he has the opportunity to build on, or subtract from, this current position. Basically any positive response, and he's in the black.

The Liberals have also managed to test-fly a few items. They haven't got much response to a campaign built on EI reform, so now they're tuning it to address jobless numbers. They need to move forward with an autumn election, because the recession is wrapping up, and they don't want the conservatives - who denied there would even be any downturn at all a year ago - to take credit for this incoming tide.

Two things resonate with me for this coming election. One - leadership: I MUCH more trust a guy who has actually had a job. Seems a minor thing, but look at Mr. Harper who has never really held down a job - he went from school to political backroom activity under Manning, and into eventual political leadership. How does a person like that relate to the process of applying for a position, going to interviews, answering to management hierarchy, getting paycheck (or not). It's a fundamental life-skill thing. And delivering things! He's probably never had to create and deliver something! Ignatief as a journalist and a professor has had to deal with deadlines, delivery and completion of tasks. Man, these are such basic things that we SURELY should have in our leaders.

Add to that the leadership ability on the world stage - who would you want someone who has never travelled anywhere on his own time (post PM-ship doesn't count), or someone who spent decades travelling and reporting on issues around the world. I feel much more comfortable with the global awareness of an Ignatief, than someone who has never been there.

Even when he does travel, Harper cannot seem to figure out such basic things as how to get to a meeting on time. Again - a skill we learn in the workplace, but not having held a job, Harper is habitually late for media events when EVERY other leader in the G20 can manage to pull it off.

So that's the leadership piece.

The second issue for me is respect for the rights of Canadians. There seems to be case after case after case of Canadians abroad who are ignored by our government when they get into difficulty abroad. The most infuriating is the case of an autistic man in Africa who was abandoned for 3 years and STILL isn't able to come home. There is the disturbing element that all the people affected appear to be people of colour.

Add to this the case of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khater. Every rule in the book says that we need to bring this young man home. Regardless of his role in the Afghanistan. I think that our civilization proves itself not in the easy situations but in the difficult situations. Not under idle calm but under stress. We demonstrate our humanity and fundamental principles through how we handle the difficult situations. A minor child involved in a war situation - the UN position on it is clear. The position of the courts is clear. Yet the government continues to appeal court decisions and allows the guy to remain in illegal US detention.

I dislike what the man and his family have espoused and advocated. But we should recognize that as a Canadian he has unalienable rights that we will support. We either have or should have a means for dealing with him here. We can imprison him if necessary, apply judicial process, and restrict his personal freedom in an appropriate way. However, he has an unalienable right to have his government support his return.

There seems to be an innate racism in the Federal Conservative party that pokes it's head out occasionally. Even though their approach has become to never allow anyone except the inner cadre to ever speak to Canadians through the media, it doesn't manage to mask that ugliness.

So those elements- leadership and the rights of Canadians abroad - are big issues for me. I don't know that I will vote for Liberals, but I have to advocate an anyone but Conservatives position.

Independent of those two issues, the other element I touched on there, the isolation of the government from the people is surely something that is not appropriate for a democratic government. Media interviews are almost never granted, and the politicians never speak except in very scripted situations. Can't we get some people in there who can think on their feet, aren't so bigotted and inept that they have to be muzzled?

Bring on the election! We need some change. For once it seems like we're a year behind the US political status. They flushed their right wing wackos last year, we're still stuck with ours.