The Canadian Election:

The Decided, the Undecided, the Traditionalist, the Apathetic

The Decided:

     You've been following along throughout the campaign; you know the important issues, non-issues, divisive issues. You're ready. The 19th of October will arrive before you know it. You could take advantage of Advance Voting; might be a shorter waiting line than on the 19th. You'll find the dates and place on your Elections Canada Voter Information Card. If you haven't received a Voter Information Card in the mail by now you'd best check to see if you are registered. You can do that at:

Online Voter Registration Service - Elections Canada E-Registration, 
www.elections.ca/register
Online Voter Registration Service. Use this service to: check if you're registered to vote; update the address on your voter registration, or; register to vote. Keep in ...

The Undecided:

     You're back and forth, think you're decided and then one candidate or another says something to make you question your decision. This has been the most divisive election campaign I've experienced in the 41 years I have been a Canadian citizen, mainly, I think, because the CPC has hired a consultant who has purposely buried the real issues under BS issues like the dress habits of a very small minority of women. This non-issue brought out a xenophobic, racist side of Canadians many were unaware of, even in themselves.
     Those of us who are looking for a change feel that the Conservative government has been using their parliamentary majority to significantly change the essential character of Canada. We are no longer a neutral, peace-loving nation. Our international reputation has taken a serious hit; our armed forces are no longer peacekeepers; libraries are being closed without funding to enable computer back-up of their contents; veterans' offices have been closed; the serious plight of missing and murdered aboriginal women is being ignored; a Barbaric Cultural Practices tip line (smacks of the McCarthy era in the US) is being established so we can start reporting the strange behaviours of our neighbors; area after area has been removed from environmental protection; the pursuit of scientific knowledge is being squashed by dropping funding; we are pretending climate change is a hoax; a huge trade deal is being negotiated in secret; there's corruption in the Senate; and so on and on and on.
     Maybe you're not looking for change, maybe the status quo is a safer bet. Are the Conservatives whistling your tune? Or is something off key? You are undecided! Try taking this on-line quiz - it may help. At least it gets beyond the divisive rhetoric we're being bombarded with every day.

Canada Election Quiz, https://canada.isidewith.com/political-quiz
See which political parties match your beliefs on the most important political issues in Canada's 2015 General Election. ... In 2015, Canadian pension funds stood at 89% of estimated liability for .... Yes, aboriginals should be further compensated for their hardships and use of resources ... Let the citizens of Quebec vote on it. ‎Electoral Reform... - ‎Commercial Drones Poll - ‎Pension Premiums - ‎Pension Tax...

     Are you looking for change but figure a vote for change where you live won't make any difference?
     I live in an area where the CPC is very likely to win - rural Alberta. And, to top that off, we in the west often feel the election is already over before our polling stations even close. So my protest vote may not count for anything. But I'm still going to vote. If you live in a riding where the vote for change may be split, allowing the Conservatives a win, you might consider strategic voting. Check this site out.

Vote Together, https://www.votetogether.ca/
No matter where you live, our new election website will give you all the tools and ... This time, if we vote together, we can stop the riding-by-riding vote splitting that ... candidates to defeat the Harper Conservatives and move Canada forward.

The Traditionalist:

     Some people vote the way they always have, the way their father and his father before him did. They say, "Our family has always voted this way and I see no reason to change." Or they might say, "I'm voting the way my husband votes, I don't know the issues and he does. Besides, if I vote differently I'll just cancel out his vote."
     Times have changed a lot since great-grandpa's day. This is a lazy way to vote and you might be shooting yourself in the foot without even realizing it. Check out the above two websites. You may discover the party you've been voting for is no longer in tune with the way you think.

The Apathetic:

     Maybe you're just too buried in your family and work life to take the time to follow the issues. Maybe you think it's a waste of time to stand in a voting line. For what, you say - one party's as bad as the other; they're all liars and crooks! Hmmm, maybe they are. But leaving the same government in power time after time makes it worse. They get cocky and begin to run rough-shod over the public, no consulting, no caring, just furthering their agenda while an apathetic electorate fails to pay attention.
     Democracies don't work if the people don't vote. It's your only chance, outside of kitchen table conversations and social media, to have your say.

Please VOTE! And better yet vote for change.