Vote, and Vote Liberal

Results of May 2, 2011.

For the third time in twelve months, it's election time. Last October, municipalities across Ontario voted for their city government. Hamilton turned down former mayor Larry DiAnni and elected Mayor Bob Bratina, while Toronto rejected the path of David Miller and ushered in Mayor Rob Ford, boosted by the city's suburbs countering George Smitherman's downtown support. Months later, Canadians returned to their local schools, community centres, and churches to cast their ballots for aspiring Members of Parliament. While Stephen Harper stayed constant, we saw a huge shift in federal politics - a majority government for the first time in seven years, an NDP-led opposition, a crushed and leaderless team of Liberals, and the demise of the Bloc Quebecois. Oh, and Elizabeth May won her seat!

Both Hamilton (my school home) and Toronto (my home home) are changed cities. Nothing revolutionary, but different nonetheless. Toronto's shift to the far right began with tax cuts rarely seen in recent years, but the city is now battling over service cuts, or "efficiencies". Meanwhile, Hamilton has been adjusting to the Mayor Bratina, dealing with issues including a proposed "rain tax" and the mayor's lack of commitment to plans for Light Rail Transit.

Obligatory Parliament Hill Picture.

Whether we like it or not, politicians have a dynamic effect on our lives - whether it's through education, healthcare, communications regulations, or fundamental human rights issues including citizen's arrest and privacy. Races can be decided by a surprisingly low amount of votes: Etobicoke-Centre was decided by 26 votes this past May. Every vote has some say.

Democratic governments, as inefficient as they can sometimes be (re: American Congress), is even worse when it grows stale. Thus, each election campaign seems to follow the same formula, with opposition parties advocating for change, like Obama's campaign of '08. This leaves the incumbent camp defending its own policies, while throwing in some new incentives to match the competitors' promises. Despite some of the appeal in the PC's Changebook, the NDP's Plan for Affordable Change, and the Green Party's "It's Time (Five Point Plan)", here's three main reasons why the Liberals have my vote on October 6:

1) They've done well in the last few years.
The last couple years have not been easy for any government in the world, but the Ontario Liberals have done reasonably well. Our education system has improved, and full day kindergarten has been introduced. The introduction of the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) was successful, unlike the costly chaos in British Columbia.  Of course, no one likes taxes - but this tax is a simplification of our previous tax system that makes it a single value-added tax, a much better environment for businesses. Note that this change was also a goal of the Federal Conservatives, and that none of the three other parties wish to remove the HST, though the NDP has suggested removing the provincial portion of the tax from gasoline. I think this move would be a step in the wrong direction - tax breaks should not be used for pollutants and would be counter-intuitive to their environmental initiatives. The whole idea of a carbon tax is to place a charge on pollution-heavy materials and encourage green alternatives.

The next couple years aren't going to be easy either, but I place more trust in a government led by a returning Premier that has already weathered a recession. Yes, the current government still faces inefficiencies, and not all promises from previous elections have been fulfilled, but the Liberals under Dalton McGuinty have been moving in the right direction. On the other side, there are two parties with new leaders who insert the word "change" in almost every sentence. Change for the sake of change is not good enough, and most of the "new" policies are simply a dismantling of Liberal initiatives, usually a costly exercise of its own. Along with the Progressive Conservatives' lack of appreciation for statistics (and yes, I'm still upset with the voluntary long form census), I'm also concerned in the continual insistence that Ontario is plagued with "the war on the car" when a study has already indicated that a new highway is not necessary at this time.

Simply put, change for the sake of change can put us in a messy position. Given the tough years ahead, let's elect someone who has the experience to keep Ontario strong in the coming years. Lastly, the Liberals have remained committed to uploading municipal costs to the province until 2018. Tim Hudak has not been able to promise the same. Given the financial situations of our cities, they need a committed provincial government, and I believe that the Liberals would be the best choice.


2) Realistic support for education and students.
As a student, education is definitely one of the top issues, especially since post-secondary schools are largely funded and regulated by the provincial government. Rising tuition is obviously the big problem, though I feel that none of the parties address this well. Of course, it's a lot easier to throw money at the issue. The NDP and the Green Party have promised to freeze tuition immediately (along with transit costs), and allow the tuition to rise no higher than the rate of inflation. Losses will be payed by the government. The Liberals will allow the universities to continue raising tuition at a maximum of 5% per year, while giving $1600/ per year to students from middle to low income households. Both have their pros and cons; the Liberals give current students more immediate relief but don't address the tuition problem at all. The NDP strategy puts more pressure on universities to reduce costs; this burden may hamper the quality of education.

Outside of tuition issues, both the PCs and the Liberals promise more or less the same. Full-day kindergarten and more post-secondary education spaces. The Liberal platform is more or less a continuation of its current policies. The changebook promises to increase the transferability of credits among universities, a real issue that is finally being addressed. The insistence on removing the already small-percentage of scholarships for international students concerns me though. Using the term "foreign" as a negative term appears to be a theme in their platform.

Riding specific thoughts:
Scarborough-Agincourt: Soo Wong, as a public school trustee for the riding for the last 5 years, she has been actively involved in the community and is familiar with our education system, albeit at a elementary and secondary school level. This background should definitely help her with dealing with education on the level of the provincial government.

Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale: Ted McMeekin, MPP for the riding for the last eight years, has had plenty of experience working with McMaster and even the McMaster Student's Union. With clear endorsements from former executive members, including 2010-2011 President Mary Koziol and VP Academic Joe Finkle, Ted's re-election would ensure continued contact between McMaster and the Ontario Government. Progressive-Conservative candidate Donna Skelly, was not even able to attend the on-campus all-candidates debate.


3) Avoiding the Conservative Trifecta for Health Care - 2014.
My third and last point is my concern that having Conservative leadership at all three levels of government (if I consider Toronto my home) would close public discussion and result in more backroom deals. Prime Minister Harper, Mayor Ford and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty have already some lovely BBQ times, and are just waiting for the addition of another Conservative.

Our health care system is up for major reform in 2014 when the current ten-year contract ends. Dalton McGuinty was the one who last discussed these issues in 2004. Not only does he have the experience, he has shown himself to be willing to disagree with the Prime Minister and demand more from the Federal Government. With a Conservative trifecta, concessions would likely be made as each government aims to support the others without a fight.


Ultimately, be informed. As I've said, politics has a rather dynamic impact on our lives, even if we don't see it on a day to day basis. So get out tomorrow, learn more about your candidates, and Vote!