Red October?

The 2016 federal election, and what you aren’t being told

Author: Scott Pettigrew – Contributor

If you are alive and currently living in Canada, chances are that you have probably heard a thing (or ten) about the upcoming election. You have probably heard every major news outlet in the country call out Harper for being a fascist racist homophobe who is setting fire to our wilderness and defecating on our constitution. Without too much regard for the truth, the CBC and the media at large are ferociously criticizing Harper (perhaps his goal to massively defund the CBC is loosely related to this attack plan). Their massive lack of criticism for the NDP, however, shows their bias almost even more eloquently. This constant bad press and ruthless persecution is a repeating trend in this election. However, the likely result of the vote count tells a different story.

The lie that you are currently being told is that the NDP is leading the country’s popular opinion. This statement could not be more misleading. Yes, Mulcair polls higher than any other leader, but in Canada that is beyond trivial, as we do not directly appoint a prime minister. If you look at CBC’s current poll tracker, it proudly trumpets right at the top of the website that Mulcair and the NDP are in the lead,.. however, a brief scroll down will reveal the truth; if there was an election tomorrow, the Conservatives would win with a projected 114 seats. That’s right, the Conservatives, not the NDP, are in the lead. Oh and that “left wing coalition” you keep hearing about? Fat chance. Trudeau has repeatedly stated he would never ally with Mulcair, which means that a Liberal-Conservative alliance is highly likely. So, no, we will not be flying an orange flag anytime soon, or, realistically, anytime at all. Now that I’ve cleared up some confusion, let’s chat.

My first piece of advice is to run away from the NDP as fast as possible; nothing good can possibly come from massive government expansion and overreach (especially in the precarious economic state we currently find ourselves in). I know they seem shiny and new, and the word “progressive” probably gives you a nice fuzzy feeling, but the consequences of the NDP’s policies are sizable and disastrous. However, due to the vague nature of his platform, the scale of those consequences remains unknown.

What’s even more unknown? How Mulcair is going to pay for all of his programs. He simultaneously says that he is going to introduce massive new government child care programs, create make-work government jobs, and dump all kinds of cash into the healthcare system, while also maintaining he will balance the budget. What he hasn’t stated is a concrete corporate tax plan; and that, my friends, is almost certainly where the money will come from. Straight out of the economy, keeping with the classic NDP style that we know all too well in this province. This, of course, would inevitably lead to massive job loss and most likely a transfer of Capital away from Canada’s borders; we will quickly become uncompetitive. Either way, Mulcair’s statements indicate that either he knows his strategy and isn’t sharing it with his voters, or he legitimately has no clue what he is going to do. It displays either malicious intent or brazen stupidity; either of which I believe our friend to be capable of.

And, now, for my second and most controversial tidbit of guidance; if you don’t know and you don’t care, then don’t vote. Now, of course, I support and champion everybody’s right to vote; I also encourage all of you to become more educated in our national and provincial politics. That said, if you are casting your ballot because you like Trudeau’s smile, because your dad told you to vote conservative, or you think Tommy and his NDP are going to give you free shit, please just refrain altogether. You wouldn’t write a test on a subject you have no clue about, so don’t play guessing games with the future of our nation.

In all the doom and gloom of the election media coverage, sometimes people can get a little separated from the reality in which we are living. We have a great legal system, universally accessible health care, relatively excellent employment averages, and a culture that appreciates and protects freedom of expression. So, let’s remain grateful for living in such a prosperous and free country, and let’s hope that we will continue to enjoy that prosperity for many centuries to come.