Why I'm Voting New Democrat Tomorrow and Why You Should Too

We are on the eve of a profoundly important election.  Tomorrow Canadians go to the polls with a clear choice:  the failed and contemptuous policies of Stephen Harper's Conservatives, or the sweeping vision of a prosperous, respected and free Canada offered by Jack Layton and the New Democratic Party.  I urge you all to vote and to be part of the change that is coming to Parliament.

 

For too long our democracy has been treated by Mr. Harper as an inconvenience, a thing to be treated with disdain and contempt.  He has shown his disregard in so many ways.  From refusing to tell the Canadian taxpayer how many billions he plans to waste on mega-prisons to shutting down the government rather than face a test of the House's confidence, Mr. Harper has dodged accountability for his actions at every step.  

 

Tomorrow he will be judged by the Canadian people.  And I trust and believe that we will soundly reject the politics of fear and division and, instead, embrace the inclusive and empowering agenda offered by New Democrats.  Jack Layton and his NDP team have always been prepared to work hard to make Parliament work for Canadians.  It is time to have a Prime Minister that believes that the role of government is to enrich the lives of the people.  It is time for a Prime Minister that actually respects the Parliament that he leads.  Tomorrow, together, we can make that a reality.

 

Crucial to achieving this goal is to get out the vote.  That means calling your friends and family and reminding them how important their voice can be.  Volunteer at your local NDP riding office, or one in a contested riding near you.  Talk about voting, and why you support the New Democratic Party in this election with people you meet all day long.  Together we will make a difference for Canada.

 

As I said, the choice is clear.  It is also stark.  Stephen Harper has vowed to enact regressive penal legislation within 100 days if he forms a majority government.  He will impose mandatory jail terms on low level drug offenders despite reams of evidence that such policies cause harm, waste money and are wholly ineffective.  Stephen Harper's Justice Minister, Rob Nicholson, signed an order sending my friend, and Canadian icon, Marc Emery to spend five years in a cage for selling the seeds of a beneficial plant.  For Mr. Harper and his ilk, locking fellow Canadians in jail for political and ideological purposes while selling out our sovereignty is par for the course.  We must not allow him to destroy our principles any further.

 

Meanwhile, last Parliament's "opposition" Liberals marched with Mr. Harper in lockstep for years, repeatedly voting for his incarceration agenda and virtually any other legislation he wanted.  It was a Liberal - the inaptly described human rights expert Irwin Cotler - that began the extradition of Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams.  And Mr. Ignatieff's LIberals voted for Mr. Harper's mandatory minimums before finally deciding that it was politically safe to oppose.

 

All the while Jack Layton, Libby Davies and our allies in the New Democratic Party have consistently opposed the mass jailing of Canadians, the ramping up of a US-style drug war and the persecution of Marc Emery.  They did so when it might not have been politically safe but, instead, was the right thing to do.  I believe that a Parliament led by New Democrats will finally bring evidence based drug policy reform to Canada and that Jack Layton will stand up for the rights of all Canadians.

 

Tomorrow I will proudly cast my ballot for a my New Democrat, Jean Crowder.  It is a small act, but a profound one.  By voting New Democrat, together we can restore integrity to Parliament, end the politics of fear and division and usher in a new and positive era of Canadian democracy.