Lost... election time again

[segnosaur]

Thanks for the replies...

I work as an electrician in Alberta.

As a Canadian I find the following things important. No specific order.

-freedom of expression/speech, religious freedoms, democratic freedoms, less big brother

-strong stable economy, economic diversity

-safe food, GMO labelling

-healthy environment, clean air

-transparant govt, less govt wastage

-foreign policy that is not so paralleled to the USA

-less/no lobbying

-upgrades to infrastructure

-education reform

-reduction in needless military spending

-better image internationally

Another poster did an OK job pointing out how the various parties would fare in each of those areas.

Just wanted to add a few notes:

- Keep in mind that some of the items on your list are actually contradictory/mutually exclusive. For example, upgrades to infrastructure sound good, but it requires additional spending, which might interfere with your goal of reduced waste

- Before you talk about the importance of having a foreign policy that differs from that of the U.S., you have to decide what you want that policy to be, and why it would supposedly make Canada (and the world) a better place. For example, are you wanting Canada to avoid going to war against ISIS? Then you have to decide whether the war against ISIS is a "just" war

- Your goal of reducing military expenditures may sound like a good idea, but the issue can be more complex than at first glance. For example, our military does have uses other than bombing various 3rd world countries, and we need equipment to carry out those missions. Cutting military spending now might make things more expensive a decade down the road when the equipment we need starts to break down. Then there's the issue of Canada's various commitments around the world.... to NATO, and to UN peace keeping. Do you really think it helps Canada's stature to be isolationist?

- You will be unlikely to find any party that meats ALL your ideals. You will often have to pick and choose which ones are more important

- You should also keep in mind that in many cases you will be forced to choose the "lesser of 2 evils"

I myself voted conservative last time. I recognize that the party and its leader have some significant flaws, and I certainly don't agree with many of the things they've done (some questionalble spending, its use of omnibus bills, etc.) However, I cannot compare the conservatives to a hypothetical idealist party that does everything perfectly; I can only compare them to the real alternatives (the Liberals and NDP). I had to ask myself "Do I vote for a party that gave us a $50 billion deficit, or should I vote for a party that had plans for a $55 billion deficit."