I've always been a strong believer in the concept that every vote counts.
However, over the years, my opinion on whether it matters who wins a federal election has been waning. I’ve lived in different ridings with various members of parliament representing those regions, and honestly, I’ve never really noticed a difference. I’ve always thought there hasn’t been much difference between the two main parties that usually make up the government in Canada. If there is a minority government, it’s all about compromises, and everyone sort of wins or sort of loses—depending on how you think. There are so many checks and balances, and things take forever to push through that nothing drastic can happen overnight. Not much seems to change in my daily life. Maybe I’ve become jaded, or perhaps I’ve always felt safe and confident in our government. So, I have always voted for the person, not the party. Especially in a small town, I see the candidates on the street and get a sense of who they are as people. On the flip side, I don’t normally see their leader walking and talking down Main Street or canoeing down the river.
Now, having said all of that, I am observing what is happening south of the border. I know our government systems are set up differently. Our Prime Minister doesn’t quite have the sweeping powers the American President seems to have, but still, my thoughts are changing. Maybe it does matter which party is in power. The stakes are high. Getting out and voting on April 28 is important, but so is research. Voting for both the person and the party is now even more crucial. These days, I'd also say that learning more about how our government and our politics work is key.
My only hope is that each voter considers who they are voting for more than my children have. On our daily drives to school, they have been noticing more and more election signs popping up, which has sparked some good conversations during our car rides. Currently, we see signs for three different parties along our route. I have three daughters, ranging in age from 4 to 9. My oldest has assigned each of her siblings to a party solely based on the color of the signs. My middle daughter’s favorite color is blue, so apparently, she would vote Conservative if she could. My youngest’s favorite color is purple, so she is team Christian Heritage, and my oldest has said she will take the NDP because she doesn’t mind the color orange, and it was the last choice. I told her there was also a Green Party candidate running in our riding and that her signs would likely be green; now she can't decide. Her head may actually explode.
As I began to try and explain each party’s policies to my children so they could be better informed and choose based on something other than color, my oldest daughter interrupted me and asked when the election was. I told her it was on April 28. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at her sisters, whose eyes also lit up. She said, “You know what this means? Mom’s working late! SLEEP OVER AT GRANDMA’S!”
I tried so hard to tell them this was also exciting for Canadians and democracy, but I was drowned out by plans for a late night, too much tablet time, and crazy recipes that involved too much sugar.
Sigh...
