Ghost of a flea

David Watters

Canada's "first past the post" system means there are no silver medals for a parliamentary run. Traditional political parties and Cabinet government mean that voters only get to vote directly for their Prime Minister if he or she happens to represent their particular riding. It follows that voters have at least two decisions to make: which party to best govern the country and which candidate to best represent their constituency.

It is Hobson's Choice for big-tent, small-l libertarians like myself. On the one hand are parties that claim to advocate the freedoms of minorities in Canada but who side with dictators abroad and on the other is a party that is marginally more likely to stand with our southern neighbour in these troubled times but which has failed to gain my trust on "social issues". That there is no Canadian political party that will stand up for Canadians who wish to smoke a cigarette while watching the hockey at their local watering hole speaks volumes for the state of Canadian civil society.

Our southern neighbours fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have chosen to stand for peace, order and good government. Given a choice between a curmudgeonly cigarette and righteous disapproval Canadians choose the wagging finger every time. I would vote Libertarian but the national party has yet to reply to two emails of a month ago so I could not tell you if they are standing candidates anywhere let alone my constituency. A party that cannot answer the mail should relinquish the name to people who would make better use of it.

I could always fall back on contrarianism. After all, any party that fat cat Michael Moore condemns is probably on the side of the angels. But even Mr. Moore's unsolicited, self-serving opprobrium is not (quite) enough to earn a vote. Simply put: "gay marriage" is a deal breaker for me. I am not trying to pick a fight. Just stating a fact. Stephen Harper is not the devil he is made out to be by Liberal party hypocrites. He strikes me to be a man of genuine, considered opinions who will act in what he believes to be the best interest of the country. Unfortunately, our disagreement on how best to manage disagreements about marriage seems hard to bridge. If Mr. Harper was a candidate in my riding I could not vote for him until that disagreement has been worked through.

But I do not live in Mr. Harper's riding. I live in Trinity-Spadina; ground zero for Canadian stupid. My vote will not change the Liberal/NDP coalition that looks set to take power once our Governor General has waved her hand from on high. My vote will not equip the Canadian armed forces and it will not withdraw our support from the parliament of dictators called the United Nations. My vote will not sell off the CBC for scrap or imperil Canadian media monopolies with competition from FoxNews. My vote will not change generations of group-think or inspire Canadians to stand up for their hard won freedoms in the face of medieval barbarism. This country is broken and will not be fixed with the wave of a hand. And my choice? A Martinite Liberal reported to have one of the worst attendance records of any MP and an NDP (socialist) Toronto city council member who stood with the mob as they attacked police officers and their horses at the steps of Queen's Park.

But I have a choice. I have a candidate who stands for tax relief, debt repayment, respect for Canada's military and will support gay marriage in a free vote in Parliament. That candidate is David Watters. The Flea endorses David Watters in Trinity-Spadina.

And then... I noticed there was someone standing for "The PC Party" on my ballot. The elections officer for Trinity-Spadina should not have allowed for this chicanery. If someone wants to run as a "Progressive Canadian" that is how their party affiliation should be described. To do otherwise risks confusing voters and I believe this was precisely the intention. For shame.

And then... Colby Cosh shares my low church opinions on marijuana, cigarettes and the idea that "freedom ought to be the default consideration".

Posted by Ghost of a flea at June 28, 2004 08:57 AM

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