This federal election was mired with negative ad campaigns and a lot of name-calling. Many voters are still undecided, indicating the state of limbo the country is in and perhaps the closeness of the race.
Amidst all the ads and all the insults, the leaders have focused on the faults of the other parties, failing to offer reasons why they should be elected. The main theme of the Conservative and NDP ad campaigns has been “we’re not the Liberals, vote for us.” The Liberals, conversely, have done little but paint Stephen Harper as a dangerous politician with a hidden agenda. But this is not enough of a reason—or at least, it shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, some voters will buy into this and vote strategically rather than putting their into a local candidate they actually have confidence in. Lost in all of this is the fact that yes, we are electing our prime minister, our representative on the global stage, but we are also electing candidates who will best represent our ridings and our local interests.
In of the actual candidates, it is disappointing that of the six candidates running in Kingston and the Islands, there isn’t one woman and there isn’t one member of a visible minority. The slate is hardly representative of the constituency it is competing to represent. A similar gap between candidates and voters seems to characterize the election as a whole. The parties need to be reinvigorated with new faces and clearer platforms if they plan on engaging the next generation of voters.
Voters, too, need to realize that involvement in the democratic process is not confined to casting a ballot on election day. Communicating with MPs is important in ensuring that our voices are heard. They are our representatives and are ultimately, able to us.
The election is going to be tight, and although we are always told each vote counts, now is a time when that is all too true. Most likely the election will result in another minority government. We can only hope that this time around, the parties will forget about trying to bring down the government and focus on co-operating to create one.
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].