Greens will be seen

With all the news about the US presidential race taking up the majority of space in the media these days, it might come as a surprise that Canada’s having another federal election – our third in four years.

I guess it’s a good thing then that the whole process moves at a quick jaunt. Our election was declared and will be decided in the time between Obama being selected as the first black Democrat presidential nominee and the first black president. Us Canucks are efficient.

Well, if you call efficiency having a minority encumbant government that gets to call an election when they feel they are in the best position to win it.

But qualms about our electoral process aside, I couldn’t be happier.

The reason for the grin on my face? The Green Party of Canada will finally be included in the televised party leaders debate. For years the Green Party (a party I’ve run as a candidate for at both the provincial and federal levels) has been fighting to get in this debate. And rightfully so.

There is absolutely no argument that true democracy is based on an informed electorate, and if a well-established party is excluded from one of the primary sources of that knowledge, how can they ever be expected to compete for votes?

Now, we’re not talking about a small fringe party, 660,000 Canadians voted for the Green Party in the last election, and polling shows that could hit well above the million mark in this election (even without being dealt a fair hand for publicity).

But now they’re in. Not long after releasing a request to raise funds to initiate legal action in discovering why they are routinely left out of the debate the broadcasters have reversed their decision of exclusion.

Are the Greens going to take Parliment? Not likely. But this is most certainly yet another step forward for the little party that can.

Finally the Greens are getting out from under that tree-huggin’ hippie umbrella that they’ve been labelled as and being shown as the strong political platform that they represent. A fiscally responsible, sustainability-minded party that deserves a voice in Ottawa.

Hell, I might even try to navigate the process of voting while overseas just to show my support.

7 Responses

  1. Damn, I jump on over here to grab your email so I can ask you about this very topic. And here you have it all neatly gift-wrapped for me to read…

    So how does one go about voting? Did you vote here on the last election? You were in China for the last election right? I am just fed up with that douche that we have in right now. (I mentioned that to some Chinese friends and they were blown away that I would call my “leader” such a name)

    Vance

  2. It seems you’re taking it as a foregone conclusion that Obama will win the election. Last time I checked, which was yesterday, McCain was ahead in the polls. So, we’ll just see about all that.

  3. @Vance: It’s a complete pain in the ass to vote while abroad. I’ve wanted to do my patriotic duty both times, but in the end can’t see how one vote is worth a day or two off (to travel to Shanghai) and the costs involved. You can find all the details (and forms to fill out) at the Elections Canada web site.

    Is Harper a douche or a turd sandwich?

    @Stuart: From what I hear if McCain doesn’t have a lead after all the press he’s getting for choosing the moose-hunting, non-aborting, Hilary-with-a-gun then he doesn’t have a hope of beating Obama come time that polls actually mean something.

    But as for my foregone conclusions…. I prefer to live in a world where my American presidential predictions are reality. Bush never actually won in 2000/2004… I’m going to wake up in November and it’ll all have just been a bad dream 😉

    … one that killed a fuckload of innocent people and virtually assured that will continue well past my waking…

    America doesn’t need Obama because he’s the best candidate (which I think he is), or because he’ll tighten the sails and bring the ship ’round (which I think he will). The US needs Obama to win so the rest of the world might (at least begin) to stop thinking Americans are a bunch of pricks.

    Because y’all aren’t. You’ve just got bad press.

  4. FYI – I have heard from a good source that your own mother will be voting for Obama…tee hee.
    Oh sorry are we suppose to be serious on here.

    GO GREEN OR DIE BABY!

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