Ignorance is Bliss

• Canada’s debt stands at $560 billion. After over a decade of budget surpluses, our latest deficit is $55.6 billion, the highest in Canadian History, despite having a government that continues to run on a platform of fiscal restraint.

• Our government has shut itself down twice in the past couple of years. Once to avoid a non confidence vote and the second time to avoid having to answer to the Afghan detainee controversy. Both times left us without representation for months.

• Despite the fact that the majority of Canadians voted for a party other than the current governing party, our current government manipulated people to believe that a coalition government would not represent the will of the people.

• Our current government is the first in Commonwealth history to be brought down with a non confidence vote because of being found in contempt of parliament.

Our federal election goes down in 24 hours. Our current scandal filled government is hoping to win its first majority through a campaign of fear. Fear of what will happen if another party gets elected but seemingly oblivious to what has already happened under their administration.

Our democratic process has been slowly dismantled over the past five years in the name of economic growth and security. We need to remind ourselves of the danger of letting something like that pass without protest. Even if you trust the guy in charge while this is happening, you need to consider the precedent he is setting and the fact that he won’t always be the guy in charge. A democratic system must be adhered to by every elected official, not bent to serve any agenda, whether it is good or bad. Personal rights and freedoms are easy to give up but next to impossible to earn back.

I have never been politically active and I would never belong to a political party. I do feel culpable though when it comes to the current state of the world. Activism is the key to social change and political activism is imperative for any type of lasting social progress.

“When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is frankly when it’s rapidly losing its moral authority to govern.” - Stephen Harper (b.1959)