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Why vote? We lived in Mexico for almost 5 years, so because it was coming time to come back or lose my Canadian identity altogether, I convinced my wife that it was time to move. I emailed Canada's Foreign Affairs and told them we'd check in every 24 hours, because we were driving back, from central Mexico, which is a bit risky, all the way to Winnipeg, through Texas, which is also a bit risky, especially since we had to pass near Waco, Texas. My wife was ill and we chose to move all our small stuff ourselves in a trailer, so we weren't driving too fast through all these 2,600 miles. Before we left, we checked out many cities, and I told my wife about the qualities and downsides of the Cities I had lived and worked in throughout Canada, and so we decided on Winnipeg and Manitoba, because it was Safer, Greener, and Cleaner. My wife asked why is Canada so people-friendly. I said because we vote, and our votes count. Our votes do count, and in 55 years, living across this wonderful country, I've seen how those votes have made different parts of Canada better or worse. The worse parts, unfortunately, happened because people stayed home and didn't vote. I loved Ontario when I lived there in the 60's and mid-70's, it was a go-getter province for Community Colleges, great beaches, cheap energy, and voters pushed the Big Blue machine (The Conservatives) to change or go. The voters relaxed, thinking they'd arrived to the Promised Land, and the new NDP/Liberal Government couldn't follow up with a second term to finish what they got started. Look at Ontario now. Incredible energy bills, lots of pollution, huge drug wars, incredible traffic problems, even lower-than-average incomes. BC was a great Province in the mid-80's, now they've got a mess, huge unemployment, and forced into making bad deals to keep it all together until they can overcome the high cost of government debt, from previous corruption and irresponsibility. People didn't go out to vote during those 'phony' spin-doctor doctor governments, and where are they now. I lived in Alberta in the early 80's, and the Province went bust. People had it good, so the Conservatives had a majority and no opposition, and they lost it all. The voters slept at the switch. People lost their homes, went on welfare, moved to Toronto or St-John's, when even most of Canada was suffering from bad budgets at the Federal Level. There's a price to pay as Canadians, if we want our Nation to remain more than a US National Park. Its called voting. A 15-minute drive to the polling station and a few X's. If we don't get excited about our Canada, we'll end up voting for Provincial Senators, Provincial Judges, Provincial Marshals, Provincial District Attorneys, Provincial Sheriffs, and all the Federal ones, just like the US. In the US, as we've just seen, the Man with the Gold, makes the Rules. We have to vote, more so than ever, so that we can donate to help people, not new government institutions, not to bribe or buy specialized justice, or preferential justice. An old Nova-Scotian Navy saw-filer lived with our family when I grew up and his favourite saying was: "God helps those who help themselves, but God help those who get caught! (helping themselves to what's not theirs.) Well if we don't vote, for whichever party, we're telling our future pro-American Federal Government candidates that we'll just accept whatever they think is right. We won't empower our Provincial Government with our view of our Province, the way we want it. Our votes count, that's why I came to Manitoba, because Manitobans love their Province, and they want it to continue to be safe, green and clean, they want it to be a successful part of Canada. Voting will ensure that Government pays attention and that our elected Officials speak for us. I want my wife to share the pride I have for my Canada, and my Manitoba, and that wouldn't happen if I didn't even take the time to go to my neighbourhood school, a few blocks away and VOTE. Please vote, for all of us. Please. Normand G. LaBine |
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