OT: Canadian Federal Election

[BlackRose]

The National Reserve is currently led by a coalition of 12 Business Men/Women from corporations around Canada appointed by the Dep of National Defence.

these are their goals

From the Canadian National Defence Website

Several objectives, in order of priority, derive from the mandate and mission:


To encourage an interest, knowledge and appreciation of the Primary Reserve Force among employers;


To seek a commitment from employers and educational institutions to enhance the availability of primary reservists for training and operations, without penalty;


To advise primary reservists about the value of employer support and provide them with the tools to achieve their employer support aims;


To prevent and aid in the resolution of conflicts caused by primary reserve service;


To sensitize the Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence about the value of the Reserve Force and the nature of employer support for the Reserve Force;


To recognize the contribution and support of employers; and


To encourage and assist the hiring of primary reservists by employers who support the Primary Reserve Force.

This is what the Green Party wants them to do

Canada’s security at home should be managed by one department. Search and rescue, coastal patrol, airborne maritime surveillance and disaster assistance would all be coordinated under one roof. A merged and enhanced National Reserve and Coast Guard would share the mission to protect our society from internal and external threats.

So now we can decide which better serves Canadians.

[Murph]

I'm also from BC and I agree with a lot of what Blackrose is saying. We're in a situation in this province specifically and this country in general where we vote for what we perceive is the lesser of the evils.

The NDP screwed up in BC, badly. So people vote against them. They voted for Cambell and the Liberals, and I don't think that you need me to spell out for you where that got us.

Now people don't like what the Federal Liberals have been up to. I don't like what they've been up to either. Massive waste, corruption, pork-barrel feeding on a huge scale, nepotism, Cretien's despotism and basically playing fast and loose with the trust of Canadians.

About par for the course for our federal government, IMO. So we're going to vote against them? Well, I am, anyway. I voted against them before, though. I've despised the Liberal government for years, for a variety of reasons mainly related to what I felt was their hypocracy.

But the problem I'm seeing here is that we're going to get another party that won't do a good job in their place. And if we vote conservative, we're going to get a party that is going to roll back a lot of the "liberal" things which I feel make up part of our national identity, things like abortion and gay marriage.

You say Stephen Harper isn't going to push hot buttons? Harper isn't even fully in control of his own party, and a "rabid" bunch is a good way to describe them. Plus, Stephen Harper got to the top of the Conservative Party by taking advantage of the rules in the party leadership race, and possibly commiting fraud (in the form of lots of suspicious new party memberships) in pushing the merger through in the first place. Not too auspicious a start, methinks.

If you like what's happening in BC right now, vote Martin. If you LOVE it, vote Harper.

I'm tired of voting for someone so that my "vote is counted". I'm voting Green, and I hope a lot of other people in BC do to. At least they say they're going to try and change things. Everyone else is just putting on bandages and hoping the bleeding will stop.

Even Layton has more of my respect than Martin or Harper (notice I'm not mentioning the Bloc, I don't even think they should be taken seriously federally at all) because at least he's telling us some of the truth.

And the truth is that we cannot afford to keep things going the way they are going. Not financially or socially. 1 billion on the federal gun registry is chump change. Small bills to government, and the sponsorship scandal was the pennies you dig out of your car ashtray. Not saying that it wasn't bad, but this is not the big problem.

The big problem is Health Care and the environment. I love health care, but when the boomers get old, it will kill our economy. I'm not saying scrap it, but we must change it. And the environment, by now, I hope people are starting to see that we are shaping up a catastrophe, and I'd love a government that would take that seriously.

If all you care about is your job, your car and maybe a nice round of golf at the end of the day, by all means, vote Liberal or Conservative, but voting for somebody you don't really trust because he's less untrustworthy than that other guy, thats what I call a WASTED vote.

Oh, and if you don't vote, you don't get to complain. You passed up on your say, and you did it voluntarily.

Sorry about the rant.

[BlackRose]

I loved the rant I think it shows that a bit of a movement is starting up and starting to gain momentum. I just got off the phone with my father to wish him a happy fathers day. He's always voted but finds himself in quite a crux, he's reviewed all the platforms, the Conservitives scare him, he all but despises the NDP, and felt he was being forced, quite reluctantly, into voting Liberal. He hadnt cosidered the Greens an option and wasnt really familiar with anything they offer. He kinda lumped them in with the NDP as irresponsible. We spoke at great length and I could feel the receptive warmth that was starting to come from him. He liked a lot of the 'Green' ideas and Is going to contact his rep to get a copy of the platform (older guy, doesnt like the internet ).

It's funny actually, a month ago I didnt consider the Green's a possibility either but the more I delve into it the more I'm commited to voting their way. As my commitment grows I find it infectious as I talk to people they agree, then they talk to people who agree and the process continues.

Certainly it is a small movement at this stage and the party is young and not accustomed to power (which often brings corruption) but there is a growing number of us who will vote for them.

Here's to hoping they get enough of our votes!

I also strongly reccomend a visit to the green party website, as I said earlier they have the option for you to approve or disapprove of most aspects of their platform, I just love that touch!

[Renegade 13]

Haha, you kind of make it sound like a cult!! You wouldn't happen to be affiliated with the green party in any way would you?? Sounds like advertising to me...lol!

(OT: Damn it's hard to type with a broken hand... )

[BlackRose]

Nah, just got a breath of political fresh air, that's all

As I said heading into this election I was a staunch conservative. Voted for ol' Stockwell Last election (sigh ). Usually vote conservative in provincial elections as well.

But for now I AM trying to spread the word as much as I can, vote is in a few days afterall

[ June 21, 2004, 04:05: Message edited by: BlackRose ]

[David E. Gervais]

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
(OT: Damn it's hard to type with a broken hand... )

Harder still to type with a broken keyboard.

Sorry, I couldn't help it. And I tend to have a dry sarcastic type of humor.

Cheers!

[narf poit chez BOOM]

*A large mouse walks into the thread and faints*