With a possible federal election happening in the spring (yes! that soon! maybe), Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s 20/11 tour is traveling across Canada, visiting 20 ridings in 11 days. His message: Canada is not better off than it was 5 years ago when conservatives took power. I think thats highly debatable, but the verdict is still out.
What is the purpose of these magical visits you might ask? Each riding he’s visiting is on the cusp of the Liberal party. These ridings have been know to flirt and tease with the Liberals, but sadly didn’t ask them to dance. Sunday, he was in Kitchener-Waterloo campaigning for two former Liberal ridings, now held by conservatives.
I sympathize with Mr. Ignatieff, just like a student scrambling between a project and a midterm, he’s preparing for doomsday. Do you study for the mid-term, or finish your project? Also, they are both worth 100%
The liberal party needs to win all these proposed ridings if they have any hope of reducing Stephen Harper’s minority government in the *possible* election.
So what’s Ignatieff’s problem? All he has to do is kiss some NDP and Green party babies for photo ops and viola! Not exactly. Ignatieff’s choice to woo NDP and Green party voters from the political left will definitely cost him votes from the more conservative liberals. He faces a trade off, how this will play out has yet to be determined. Either way, just like the student, he’s going to make a sacrifice.
What should this mean to you? It means vote. The government is not some static thing, but rather dynamic and changing. Vote for the parties that represent the world you want to live in. If you don’t agree with any party, mark your ballot with “Abstain” to show how dissatisfied you are. Its easy, and it’s the first step to being an active member in decision making. The student vote can make a huge difference, but it needs to be taken for a walk more often.
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