Tomorrow, I'd usually be voting for fiscal responsibility and business opportunities and that nice Chinese boy who I feel could best represent my unique view point as an Immigrant. However, tomorrow, I will not. I will be voting for my right to be a Canadian. Melodramatic much? Not really. Read on if you don't have your head stuck firmly in partisan sands.
I'm making one last appeal for you to really think on what it is to be Canadian, and not to vote conservative, even if you like the nice man in your riding (although how you know anything about his policy issues outside of propaganda is a mystery to me, because no conservative candidates have attended public debates or discussions...). Because no matter how upright, intelligent, or sensible a conservative MP your riding sends to the hill, in the end, he's just a warm body to advance the most badly thought out, least successful, and anti-Canadian agenda I've seen.
If you've been following my posts, you've probably noticed that I'm pretty anti Harper, and in this election, that means I'm anti conservative. What you might not know is that I believe in fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and freer trade, and I believe in providing opportunity and not handouts (which is a loaded phrase in itself), all conservative ideals that the Harper government says they represent. I do not believe they have accurately or responsibly represented this ideal.
The Harper government has crowed about their ability to save money through flashy, attention grabbing moves, like eliminating the penny and reducing the GST by a percentage. They've bragged about steering the economy through 08-09. I submit that they were a beneficiary of policies they would've opposed, that Canada's stricter regulatory environment was in a large part responsible for us staying the course so well, as was Jim Flaherty's (RIP) sensible fiscal stewardship and the Central bank, which is run at an arms length from the government and patently does not respond to partisan interests. I submit that their so called savings have come at the expense of our most vulnerable, like veterans and low income or single parent households, and the silent necessities, such as information (Statistics and the Library) and the environment (by totally ignoring it and defunding research that points out that we, the 3rd largest country in by landmass with the most fresh water, might be in deep shit sooner rather than later). I submit, moreover, that the government spends stupid money and continues to lie when they've been found out to have the fiscal responsibility of a teenager with Daddy's credit card - see the F35 accounting scandal, and senate expenses, and they even refuse to let the public see what consequences these vaunted tax cuts have. Finally, I support that their continued unbalanced support of a volatile commodities marketplace has left Canada at a disadvantage on the world marketplace, as our resources are not renewable, thus our competitive advantage is not sustainable, and we have not invested in the research and development to make it so,
What I believe even more strongly in, however, is the principles this country was founded on and my right to be a fucking Canadian, like any other Canadian, blond and blue eyed with ancestors who came over as a loyalist or someone who was just sworn in yesterday, niqab or all. I have a right to pass on my citizenship to my children no matter where they were born. I have a right to expect my rights, as outlined in the Charter of Rights and Freedom and the freaking Constitution, to be honoured. I have a right to be considered a fucking Canadian, not some inconvenience that snuck in through a backdoor, by my leaders. I may be a vocal Canadian, and I may be a Canadian who disagrees with them, but by all gods, I am a Canadian.
To Stephen Harper, we are not Canadians. We, immigrant born, strange looking, not old stock, are not true Canadians and thus do not deserve the same consideration that true Canadians do. You might think that well, that nice boy from Barrhaven is an immigrant, so hopefully he won't be so bad, but no - he will be forced to support the inane policy of a paranoid party leader renown for his control over his party. You might think, well yes, but as Chinese people we're in no danger of being stripped of our citizenship because Chinese citizenship laws are so strict, but as naturalized citizens, not born citizens, that means we can't live or work or marry or convert abroad without worrying about becoming vulnerable. You might think that well, you have no intention of doing anything wrong in your life, but bill C24 doesn't require you to have done anything wrong - all it requires is that the federal government suspect you have done something wrong, such as being an environmental activist or not living in Canada long enough - there is no judge, and there is no burden of proof. It is a dangerous precedent that we cannot allow to continue.
I'm voting Liberal tomorrow, for a few reasons. First, I support the infrastructure investment as a solid way to create growth. Secondly, unlike the NDP, I believe they can strike a balance between idealism and fiscal responsibility. Thirdly, and most importantly, I believe that they will treat me like a real Canadian and reverse some of the truly appalling laws that the conservatives have created in the past few years.
So tomorrow, please, I'm begging you, don't vote Conservative!
I'm making one last appeal for you to really think on what it is to be Canadian, and not to vote conservative, even if you like the nice man in your riding (although how you know anything about his policy issues outside of propaganda is a mystery to me, because no conservative candidates have attended public debates or discussions...). Because no matter how upright, intelligent, or sensible a conservative MP your riding sends to the hill, in the end, he's just a warm body to advance the most badly thought out, least successful, and anti-Canadian agenda I've seen.
If you've been following my posts, you've probably noticed that I'm pretty anti Harper, and in this election, that means I'm anti conservative. What you might not know is that I believe in fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and freer trade, and I believe in providing opportunity and not handouts (which is a loaded phrase in itself), all conservative ideals that the Harper government says they represent. I do not believe they have accurately or responsibly represented this ideal.
The Harper government has crowed about their ability to save money through flashy, attention grabbing moves, like eliminating the penny and reducing the GST by a percentage. They've bragged about steering the economy through 08-09. I submit that they were a beneficiary of policies they would've opposed, that Canada's stricter regulatory environment was in a large part responsible for us staying the course so well, as was Jim Flaherty's (RIP) sensible fiscal stewardship and the Central bank, which is run at an arms length from the government and patently does not respond to partisan interests. I submit that their so called savings have come at the expense of our most vulnerable, like veterans and low income or single parent households, and the silent necessities, such as information (Statistics and the Library) and the environment (by totally ignoring it and defunding research that points out that we, the 3rd largest country in by landmass with the most fresh water, might be in deep shit sooner rather than later). I submit, moreover, that the government spends stupid money and continues to lie when they've been found out to have the fiscal responsibility of a teenager with Daddy's credit card - see the F35 accounting scandal, and senate expenses, and they even refuse to let the public see what consequences these vaunted tax cuts have. Finally, I support that their continued unbalanced support of a volatile commodities marketplace has left Canada at a disadvantage on the world marketplace, as our resources are not renewable, thus our competitive advantage is not sustainable, and we have not invested in the research and development to make it so,
What I believe even more strongly in, however, is the principles this country was founded on and my right to be a fucking Canadian, like any other Canadian, blond and blue eyed with ancestors who came over as a loyalist or someone who was just sworn in yesterday, niqab or all. I have a right to pass on my citizenship to my children no matter where they were born. I have a right to expect my rights, as outlined in the Charter of Rights and Freedom and the freaking Constitution, to be honoured. I have a right to be considered a fucking Canadian, not some inconvenience that snuck in through a backdoor, by my leaders. I may be a vocal Canadian, and I may be a Canadian who disagrees with them, but by all gods, I am a Canadian.
To Stephen Harper, we are not Canadians. We, immigrant born, strange looking, not old stock, are not true Canadians and thus do not deserve the same consideration that true Canadians do. You might think that well, that nice boy from Barrhaven is an immigrant, so hopefully he won't be so bad, but no - he will be forced to support the inane policy of a paranoid party leader renown for his control over his party. You might think, well yes, but as Chinese people we're in no danger of being stripped of our citizenship because Chinese citizenship laws are so strict, but as naturalized citizens, not born citizens, that means we can't live or work or marry or convert abroad without worrying about becoming vulnerable. You might think that well, you have no intention of doing anything wrong in your life, but bill C24 doesn't require you to have done anything wrong - all it requires is that the federal government suspect you have done something wrong, such as being an environmental activist or not living in Canada long enough - there is no judge, and there is no burden of proof. It is a dangerous precedent that we cannot allow to continue.
I'm voting Liberal tomorrow, for a few reasons. First, I support the infrastructure investment as a solid way to create growth. Secondly, unlike the NDP, I believe they can strike a balance between idealism and fiscal responsibility. Thirdly, and most importantly, I believe that they will treat me like a real Canadian and reverse some of the truly appalling laws that the conservatives have created in the past few years.
So tomorrow, please, I'm begging you, don't vote Conservative!
