As the Election Winds Down to Voting Day...

After 35 days of frenetic campaigning, and innumerable billions of dollars won and lost in the high stakes gamble of political promises, it all boils down to where Canada's voters will put their 'X' tomorrow.

On the news, we see the leaders winding up their campaigns - Stephen Harper is quietly idling his way from Edmonton to Calgary on a bus; Paul Martin is flying across the country, stopping in a few critical ridings, and Jack Layton is doing a similar last-ditch blitz.

In the last few weeks, I have gone from disgust with the Liberal government's track record in Ottawa to developing a deep suspicion towards Stephen Harper's Conservatives. The more I read and learn about Harper and his crew, the more disturbed I become about letting these people anywhere near the corridors of power. Why do they worry me so? Not for what they say, but what they don't say, or where they evade issues.

Harper starts ducking out the "back door" when protesters show up to challenge his unstated, but clear belief in a radical form of social conservatism. The fact that the party is trying to "distance" itself from these statements doesn't mean much - trust me - I live in "Ralph's World" (Alberta), and the social conservative out here is alive and well - and as two-faced and vicious as Harper's minions keep hinting they are.

Then, John Ibbitson did the following write-up on Harper's "mentors", which, when I combine it with the following article by Stephen Harper, published in "Report Magazine", makes all the hair on my neck stand on end.

Further, in today's Globe and Mail, I found this article by Linda Silver Dranoff which reviews the social changes and accomplishments of various parties. The "old" Progressive Conservative party didn't exactly rank very high on this list - and they claimed to be "progressive"! What's currently calling itself "Conservative" is a much uglier form of the animal, one that appears to desire a return to a social structure that died in the early decades of the 20th Century.

The Conservatives have long complained about "Judicial Activism". I find it mildly amusing that this only comes up when they dislike the findings of the judiciary. "They should interpret law, not make it" is the frequent declaration. I hate to point out the obvious, but the courts are interpreting law - starting at that foundational document called the Constitution. If the laws were written intelligently, and justly, those rulings wouldn't happen in the first place. The Conservatives have hinted that they would take steps to redefine what's in the Charter of Rights. To me, this speaks to how little they actually understand about the Constitution. The amending formula for the Constitution makes it virtually impossible for the kinds of changes the Conservatives want to institute to be embedded in the constitution. The only way they could do it would be by legislation backed by the "Not Withstanding Clause". The blind desire to invoke that clause to repress legitimate rights of people scares the heck out of me - when do I become one of their targets? There's a social nastiness about these people that speaks to a combination of ignorance and maliciousness.

While the Liberals don't make me "happy" as a voter, I actually think that Martin is basically honest - what he says is what he means. Odd, but for a politician to give me the impression of basic honesty is not only rare, it's disturbingly so. Martin's Liberals do have in their favour a rack record of balanced budgets, and at least "holding the line" on social issues. They could do better than they have, but at least I don't think that Martin's people will legislate us backwards in time 50+ years.

I'm hoping to see both the Green Party and NDP gain seats in the House of Commons. Both parties have a great deal that they can contribute to this country, and I look forward to their continued growth as contributors in Canada. The NDP has always been the "social conscience" of our governments, and with Jack Layton as their leader, I see them taking that banner back to Parliament. The Green Party surprises me - given time, I think that they could replace what used to be the "Progressive Conservative" space in our political spectrum. They seem to occupy that middle ground quite nicely, and with a bit of evolution as a party, I really think there is a great deal of potential.

On a more local level, I see a lot of "Candidate-Induced-Angst". The local Conservative candidates in several local ridings I am aware of are less than desirable. The players are either oblivious to their constituents concerns, like Jason Kenney who ignores his constituents when they express opinions that disagree with his view of things; Stephen Harper who couldn't even be bothered to campaign in his riding during a by-election, and so far seems to hold the press and those who oppose him with contempt. Rob Anders, who has repeatedly demonstrated that he is both a complete nitwit in the House of Commons, and refuses to discuss issues that his electorate want to discuss (e.g. Education...). Sadly, with only a few exceptions, the alternatives aren't exactly inspiring. The Liberal Candidate in Anders' riding seems to be quite a decent individual, but he's a rare bright light in an otherwise disappointing group of contenders.

The Conservative Party slogan has been "Demand Better". As a voter, I do demand better. I demand that my MP have the brains and courtesy to acknowledge communications. I demand that my government govern wisely, and protect the rights of all of this country's peoples, not just the so-called majority. I demand a government that looks forward for inspiration, not backwards into the past. I demand a government that has a vision of what Canada will be in 10, 20 years. Right now, I don't see that coming forward in any meaningful way - from either of the front-runner parties. I want something better than the narrow-minded, blind representation that I have suffered under since Jason Kenney was first elected.

Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's vote, I fully expect Canadians to be back at the polls within a year or two, depending on who forms the next government. If the Liberals form the next government, they stand a chance of holding it together for a couple of years. I can't imagine the Conservatives being able to work with any of the other parties in a minority situation. Harper has already said as much, in refusing to ally with either the NDP or the Bloc, and I can't imagine those parties standing for a lot of what various members of the Conservative party have said they'd like to legislate.