It’s time for the smaller parties to rise

It’s surprising how much Canada has changed since the Liberal government came into power. A major change that broke my heart was the division created by the Liberal government in other parties. The New Democrats lost many seats to the Liberals in the election, weakening the NDP. The Green Party was divided by the Liberals as one of the three Green Members of Parliament Jenica Atwin was lured by the Liberals to leave the Greens just earlier this year, creating further division among the Greens. On top of this, there seem to be some splits emerging in the Conservative party. 

Now, is the solution a stronger Liberal government that can pass any law that it wants? The major constitutional laws that it has proposed to pass in the last year have each targeted freedom of speech, making Canada at times feel more like a theocracy with less and less public space to be free and speak your mind. 

The solution is, inevitably, for the smaller parties, such as the Greens and Libertarians to rise. 

Along with this is that now an ordinary Canadian too must have the courage to vote on what they truly believe rather than “strategically.” Voting is one of the only ways left to express yourself politically. 

What good are civil liberties, freedom of thought, if we don’t exercise them? 

They are as good as gone, and “Liberal” party legislation after legislation can make them disappear for all of us.

If you believe in the green economy but are told that the NDP might lose in your riding if people don’t vote strategically for them, you should still vote for the Greens rather than giving up your convictions.

“True” voting rather than strategic voting makes the votes much more informative as well. It’s very useful to know, for instance, that green and libertarian voters are increasing.

True voting shows what direction we may be headed, and what possibilities may lay ahead.