When you vote, think about what it takes to make ‘Canada’
Who doesn’t get a lump in their throat or a warm spot in their chest when they see or hear another report suggesting that from a world-wide perspective Canada is one of the best places in the world to live? Maybe even a touch of smugness when you consider how much respect for the USA has dropped while the White House is a looney bin.
Where does that perspective come from? Is it from knowing that we have a decent health-care system that tries to ensure that everyone can be helped, or is it knowing that students from all over the world come here to improve themselves in our public education system? Is it knowing that we were early leaders in social revisions like gender equality, civil rights, democratic institutions that confirm LGBT rights, etc.? Do we deserve our reputation in peacekeeping? Is it from realizing that we can criticize our leaders without fear of political backlash or threats to life and limb? Is it a relatively reliable transportation network, or public institutions like the CBC that attempt to ensure that a Canadian identity is preserved against the influences from the elephant next door? Maybe it’s a judicial system that is credited with a low rate of recidivism because rehabilitation takes priority over punishment. How about our protected reserves, parks and environmental sensitivity? None of these aspects has been perfectly achieved. Governments and bureaucracies make mistakes that sometimes need to be reversed or revised, but the overall stature remains pretty good on a work in progress.
You can see that there are many aspects to making Canada a great place. We’re currently near the voting date for municipal politics and provincial electoral reform, and not that far from provincial and federal elections as well, so now is a great time to think of what kind of leadership helped to get us to that point. Could it be leadership with a vision for improvement of the community (whichever version of community you ponder) — or would it be leadership that wishes to pinch every penny and withdraw from the world at large because everything costs too much? Check the obituaries and see who was admired/respected: it probably isn’t the guy who sits in the corner counting his pennies. More likely to be the one who was generous, involved, and leading improvements in his community. The almighty dollar greases the wheels of progress, but it isn’t a good altar. Conservative isolationism isn’t generally something to be admired.
We constantly hear: “My taxes are too high, and it’s not their money!” Many claim they’ve earned it fair and square, so they should get to keep it. Well, they’ve earned it in a society where you don’t have to worry about goon squads extorting protection payments from you, and even if you equate governments to such confiscating scenarios, have you been forced into bankruptcy from the taxes you pay? Don’t you have enough left for a comfortable existence?
So, when is enough…enough? Is it when there’s a second car in the driveway (the garage is never big enough for all our stuff), or after there’s a sailboat at the marina, or the second world cruise — maybe the third? We may consider that we have a classless society, but tell that to someone who wonders if they have enough for tonight’s dinner or if they will have a warm spot to sleep. Those are the sorts of things that still need to be worked on to keep us proud of our society, and we have a chance to provide some input on them in a few days. How about accepting that enough comes when all or nearly all of our fellow citizens have at least a minimum standard for a safe, healthy life.
When you go to vote, think about why you’re a proud Canadian — and if that’s important to you, choose leaders who will take or maintain whatever path you believe has helped make that the reality.
Bruce Wilkinson
North Cowichan