The provincial election is over. The federal election is ramping up. Does this seem like too much politics?
Frankly, our cynicism, our impatience with politics is not good for us. Get over it, catch your breath and get thinking about matters beyond the daily, ‘what’s for supper?’, ‘who’s picking the kids up?’ and the plethora of work-related items.
Will life under one party or another be any different for you?
That’s the question that candidates and their speech writers will try and answer in the next 35 days or so.
We often complain that our political leaders are short sighted, just aiming for votes to stay in power, or get into power.
What about us? How far-sighted will we, the voter, be?
Will we spot policies that will sustain our nation into the next 10, 20 or more years? Or will we gobble up policies that ease our own burdens next year? What are the tensions between those two perspectives?
In our own lives there’s the tension between enjoying ourselves now, or saving for a rainy day. There’s struggle to develop a business so we, and the next generation, can enjoy a little more, later. And that’s the beauty of choice. We have choices to make.
We are 152 years into this democracy. Do we take our freedoms, our prosperity and our safety for granted?
Yes.
Every Remembrance Day speakers implore us to value our hard-fought freedoms.
Our way of life, however, is much deeper and broader than winning a war against a demonized political system such as the two World Wars were about. It depends upon integrity at all levels.
In reality, with the exception of a few first-generation immigrants who have citizenship and can vote, almost everyone who will put pencil to ballot in the Oct. 21 Federal election knows no other way than the Canadian lifestyle.
Will our children and their children inherit this fine country complete with democratic and personal rights and the freedom to make the choices that we can make?
Let’s pay close attention to the candidates. Do they have vision that will protect Canada’s future?
We have a mere 30+ days to determine if a candidate, who may seem to have the right idea, has the courage and strength to actually make good on their promises.
