time to vote strategically
Today I was stopped outside the Safeway on Davie St. by an Adrianne Carr volunteer. Ms. Carr was standing close by, but her volunteer did a good job of defending the party and promoting Ms. Carr without having to rely on Carr herself to keep my attention. It is heartening to see Carr out with her volunteers chatting up citizens of the West End. Vancouver Centre is much larger than just the West End, but it is in this neighbourhood (my neighbourhood) that the Green Party needs to pick up most of its votes. The West End is generally the most progressive part of the riding.
While I am excited that Adrianne Carr is running for the Greens, and that Michael Byers will almost certainly be the NDP nominee, I am saddened that in the next election the only sane choice, in my view, for progressive voters is to swallow hard and vote for Hedy Fry and the Liberals. I have lived in the Vancouver Centre riding for 6 years, voted here twice, both times for the NDP, but next time around I cannot see how a vote for anyone but Hedy Fry makes much sense. Federally the Liberals and the Conservatives remain very close in the polls, the campaign will matter a great deal and either party could win. The Liberals need to win as many seats as possible, and losing Vancouver Centre would be a big blow to them. In both 2004 and 200y6 the Liberals were led by Paul Martin, who is in my view too conservative. Now with Stephane Dion at the helm, and a real chance of forming the next government, it is important for progressive minded Canadians to do what they can to make sure that Dion’s Liberals, and not Harper’s Conservatives, form the next government.
I am generally a proponent of voting for the candidate and or the party that you most want to vote for, and not voting strategically. I think that our electoral system is not democratic enough. If you vote for anyone but the winner you effectively get no representation. I have in the past chosen to vote for who I wanted and blame the electoral system for failing to properly represent my vote. In the past this has meant voting for the NDP even when I was certain that they had no chance of winning in my riding. Now however I will likely vote strategically and vote for a candidate that I would rather not support. It is important to end the reign of Stephen Harper. Issues like immigration reform, and potential censorship of Canadian film and television through discretionary tax credits are just two examples of underhanded and devious moves by the Conservatives to move Canada towards the right. Harper simply cannot be trusted and must go at the soonest possible opportunity. The only other party that has a chance at forming a government is the Liberals.
My mind is still open to being changed. I would like to be able to vote for Adrianne Carr or Michael Byers if their main opponent were a Conservative. I do not like Hedy Fry much and would rather not vote for her, but every Liberal MP will be of the utmost important in the next government. I will do what it takes to help put Canada back on the path of social justice and environmental leadership. Ms. Carr or Mr. Byers could change my mind, and I am sure that they could change the minds of many voters in Vancouver Centre, but it is going to be a tough sell.
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I guess it depends on what your issues are as to whether Hedy Fry is considered progressive. I met with her about issues around technology law and copyright, and she really seemed stuck in a time warp with little to no understanding of the changes happening in the economy, in the access that individual citizens have to knowledge, and the ways in which individual citizens are able to more fully participate in culture. All she seemed to want to do was protect the older entertainment industry from these changes, at pretty much any social and economic costs.
I have already had a chance to do an email interview with
Michael Byers, and I am quite impressed. In fact, he is part of a growing team of folks who are already in the NDP caucus or who have chosen to run under their banner that have very forward-looking views on these issues.
I know that if I were in the riding I wouldn’t be seriously considering Ms. Fry. As much as I am a fan of the Green Tax Shift which the Liberals have joined the Green Party on, tax shifting is only one important piece of the equation. Moving out of industrial-era thinking with our move into a knowledge economy is just as important to sustainability and the protection of human rights.
Our articles about Vancouver Centre
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/edid/59029
Personally, I do not believe that strategic voting has a place in Vancouver Centre. The Conservatives are not going to win in this riding. Their candidates in the last 4 elections have only pulled 9 to 20% of the vote.
So, whether this riding goes to the NDP or the Liberals it will still result in one less seat for Stephen Harper. That being the case the voters in Vancouver Centre should vote for the candidate who will best represent our riding.
For me that will be the NDP. They have the best policies on climate change, human rights, affordable housing and homelessness, the war in Afghanistan, electoral reform, and an economy that works for everyone.
I for one will be voting my principles in the next election and I encourage everyone to do the same.
I think Dion is committed to doing something about the environment, whereas Harper isn’t, so in that respect, it will matter a lot which one wins more seats.
While I voted NDP last time, I’m disappointed with how the NDP is handling the debate about carbon pricing. I particularly expected more from Byers in this regard, but he has simply repeated some of the NDP lines about fuel already being too expensive, so one shouldn’t add a tax that will increase the price. I assume he is intelligent enough to understand cap and trade, so this must just be politics.
I would like a preferential ballot. Until then it would seem that one does have to vote strategically. We need to unite to get the right wing out of power.Otherwise we are in for more boring getting nowhere and endangered stuff.
Before voting is decided, we and when I say we, I mean people who dont want to support the military industrial complex, old boys reime… we need to make this rejection of Liz`May a HUGE issue. This is a SIN against DEmocracy. I am furious about it .I cannot believe Jack Layton was in on it. They are afraid of her because Elizabeth is so gosh darn articulate and knowledgeable that she will leave them STUTTERING on their podiums . They know it. Thats WHY they say they wont participate. Only Dion respected her talent and the gifted person that she is to the Canadian electorate. Both Elizabeth and Adrianne cannot explain issues so that any common person can understand and appreciate but also succint enough to impress every intellect.
Here, here
Strange that a country that is by majority leftist. Where most of it’s citizens generally want out of Afghanistan, that want to keep socialized health care and want to get out from under the economic wing of the US could lose it all because of their political system. Vote strategically! It’s, ironically, the only chance of a representative democracy at the moment.
Hey Casey. I just stumbled upon your blog, and I love it.
I also live in the West End and am considering who to vote for. I wish we had PR, so strategic voting wouldn’t even come into it.
I don’t think the Conservatives will be a factor in this riding, so if dislike Hedy Fry, don’t vote for her. The seat projections from Democraticspace.com have the Cons polling 4th right now. Vancouver Centre is a perfect riding to vote for the left-leaning party of your choice without fear of Conservatives. Personally, I’m debating between Byers and Carr, and leaning towards voting NDP.