Here we go again

Because it's his party and he can go to the polls if he wants to.

I’ve lived in Toronto for four years. This is the THIRD federal election I will have voted in since moving here. Third! I feel like that’s kinda crazy. And they wonder why no one votes. You’d have to be living under a rock, literally, to not know there’s an election on in the States. Here? People are like ‘There’s an election on? Didn’t we just have one?” Ah, the convenience of being Stephen Harper. Fixed election dates? Only when it suits him!

Anywho, care we must, so these are some of the things that are important to me for this election:

1. Cities: We, Ontario, handle more people’s needs than any other province. More specifically, we have more new people here and they need help. There was an article in the Star this morning about higher infant mortality rates among immigrant families here. That’s awful! Here, in a first world country. Transit and infrastructure are also huge priorities here.

2. The environment: How to make a real, significant, measurable difference without damaging the economy. An oxymoron? I don’t think so. We just have to mean it.

3. Child care: I’m still livid about the dismantling of the national child care plan. Now that many of my friends have small children, I see this need more acutely than ever. Simply handing families a taxable cheque for $1200 is a tragic replacement. Has anyone seen what it costs to keep a child in care in a major city??????

4. Foreign Policy: I think dropping out of the Kyoto protocol sent the wrong message at the wrong time about Canada’s commitment to the global community. And I think it was lame of Stephen Harper not to go to Beijing. But I do support the mission in Afghanistan. We can’t just leave and let that country devolve into warlord-and-fanatic land again. Those poor people have been through enough. If staying to 2011 will help get the country to where it needs to be, then I think it’s the right thing.

PHOTO: ItzaFineDay, Flickr Creative Commons.