Gotta love Canadian Politics

I just read that the Canadian parliment has been dissolved and a new election is coming up.

Well, I've been told that one should rarely give their views on politics, as it only causes tension and problems between people. I also believe that disagreement is not such a bad thing and can solve problems, so here I go.

The Liberals have been in deep water the past year and a half. With this sponsorship 'scandal' (I love that word, it just sounds so sinister). As much as I think it's awful that tax dollars were so blatently wasted, I don't understand how people seem to be so shocked. Politics is an ugly game, and for the most part, intelligent people don't go into politics, as they understand what's in store. So when politicians do something immoral or even illegal, I always have to think 'well, of course they did it, theyre politicians'.

From the politicans I've personally talked to, it's always the same old story. So rarely are they running to actually enforce change and progress in the community/nation, and too often are they spouting the same old BS about what would happen, if we vote for them. Come to think of it, Ive never personally met a politician who I would ever consider voting for. They love to make promises, but when Ive questioned them on how they will make the impossible possible, the answer is always so shady and unconvincing that I'm immediately turned off from supporting them.

I will admit that to fix large scale problems is extremely difficult. The solution can never be explained to people in the short time that we all get to speak to politicians. I have always tried to keep my ear open for someone running who is willing to admit, that one person in a short 4 year (max.) term can really affect large scale, long term problems. At least the honesty would be there, even if the grand solution were not.

Im going through some of the criteria of the current Canadian parties in my head, and who would be best suited for governing a country. From my personal experiences and opinions, here's what I got:

NDP: Good hearts, Decent planning, Awful implementation.
- NDP are strong supporters in social, government subsidized programs such as health care. This, as most Canadians would agree, is great. We've all been lucky to have had the opportunity to recieve nationalized health care. It's a great system and must stay put. Of course, the problem is: its bloody expensive to fund. My beef with the NDP is that they poorly consider where the cash is going to come from. As much as I don't like the capatilistic monetary system, I've learned I have to accept it. So if one wants to pour billions of dollars into a program, you should be damn certain that it's feasible. In short, I feel the NDP have a good idea of what needs to be done but they don't take the responsibility to ensure that it is sustainable.

Conservative: Low morals, Fiscally wise, Short sighted vision
- It's pretty clear I am very NOT conservative. In my mind, this is where the monetary system goes afoul. When cash and dollars are the prime objective, bad things happen. Pretty much all bad things, except for the money that is saved (or made). I believe that a conservative government would be awful for Canada. Main issues that have been brought up in recent months: same-sex marriage, marijuana decriminalization, health-care privatization, ... , I could go on, but I think this is enough for me to not vote for them. The only people who should be considering voting conservative are people who actually stand to gain from their ideals, namely business people. In this case, I would also probably vote conservative too. Tax cuts are great for businesses, privatization opens new opportunities for capital growth, etc.

Liberals: Good implementation, Fiscally wise, Often slow
- Sponsorship scandal aside, the Liberals have done well in the past 10 years for keeping Canada afloat. They balanced the budget which resulted in a surplus every year for the past 5+ years or so, which I see as a daunting task. I believe that the Liberals know what they are doing, moreover, I think Paul Martin is an honest man. He was a businessman back in the day and was the finance minister under Chretien, but he doesnt seem like the stereotype politician. He stammers, he's not too nice to look at (well, neither was Chretien), and he says what he means. I can respect that. But it's also maybe time for a change. We've had a Liberal government for like 12 years now and for the most part, theyve done a good job, but, they are also pretty slow implementing major important changes in the country. One of the biggest stalled issues in recent years, in my mind, is the marijuana decriminalization. Canada has a large marijuana drug culture which is quite profitable (BC alone has a $9 BILLION per year industry). As of now, the majority of that cash goes into organized crime when it could be going into the tax system, improving everyone's life, even if youre against the drug. I'm starting to get off topic here, so I'll leave this here.

In short, we have three major parties who are in contention for parliment. I don't like politics, typically hate politicians, and downright don't trust the lot of em.

And after all my careful, typed out, thoughts on the parties and what should be done....I'm voting Green Party. Screw it, I know they are not fit to lead, but one term under a green leadership may change our country for the better.

This post is long enough, I'd love to hear some opinions of other people on this topic. I have to get my overseas voting registration going as I will not be on the continent for the elections.