Why I'm NOT Voting "Conservative" In This Election

So the writ has been dropped and we are well into the longest election campaign Canada has ever seen.  Voters have until October 19th to listen to the politicians make their promises and release attack ads on their opponents.  The voters are left trying to sort fact from fiction.

I've become increasingly outraged by almost everything the Harper Conservatives have done in the past few years and since there is a clear record of what they've done, that's what is mostly influencing my decision about who NOT to vote for in this election.

NOT voting Conservative is easy for me.  I've never really been a supporter of that side of the political spectrum, but my loyalty has shifted over the years.  There was a time, however, when I would have willing conceded that certain Conservative leaders and governments were at least sincere, honorable and decent.  Not any more.  The party of Stanfield, Clark et al is unrecognizable.  These are not "all honorable men".

During this campaign, given access to social media, I've been quite astonished and dismayed with what too many of my fellow Canadians think is acceptable.

One rant of mine covers what some people accept as fact without doing even a simple Google search.

There are others.... An open letter to Mr Harper and another claiming that the Harper Conservatives are well past their expiry date.

Canada's political environment is certainly attracting some attention.  Canadians should be concerned, if for no other reason than it's window on what's going on.  Sometimes some perspective from a distance is a good thing.  Recent articles in The Independent and The Guardian are revealing.

Comments following recent articles in numerous Canadian newspapers are downright shameful.  It reveals the fallout from the actions of a political party that is quite happy to tear the fabric of Canada apart just as long as it serves their own crass political agenda.

It's not hard to stoke the embers of racism, bigotry, xenophobia, hate, and fear, but is that really the role of the supposed leader of a country?

This time I feel more strongly than ever that there is a real need to oust the current government and replace them with, really, any other party, just so we can start repairing the damage done to Canada.

Governments should be judged on their record, not their promises, so I'm not advocating for any particular party.  I'm really only looking at the record of the current government, the one we've had, reluctantly, for the past 9+ years. 

Here is a collection of my various posts on that Harper record:

• Electoral "Reform" - the "Unfair Elections Act"
• "It's the Economy Stupid"
• Canada's Military
• War.  What is it Good For?
• Tough on Crime?
• The Attack on Science
• Electoral Fraud
• My "Dream Portfolio"
• Refugees
• The Politics of Fear and Loathing
• Dog Whistle Politics
• Stephen Harper's Abuses of Power
• The Niqab - Suddenly Everyone's an Expert

I'm not alone.  Many others have come forward with similar lists and comments.

A good one can be seen here.

Near the end of August, another writer came up with a "short list" of reasons why voters should NOT support Harper and his Conservatives.  I've covered this list, and added a few more, in this post.

The Tyee published 70 serious abuses of power in an article called: Harper, Serial Abuser of Power: The Evidence Compiled.

And then there's this fellow's Facebook page - 78 Days, 78 Reasons.

Just as an aside, articles critical of the government (of any stripe) or promoting progressive values are often dismissed as just being the writings of the so-called 'liberal media".  This concept is discussed here.  It's aimed at the American situation, but many points are appropriate to Canada.  The "liberal media"?  Not so much as some would have you believe.

On October 19th, VOTE, and vote to get rid of this cancer on the fabric of Canada.