Thoughts on this Canadian Election

So it seems that this coming Monday we will have another opportunity to traipse over to another field and cast our vote for whom we would like to govern us for another 2-3 years.

Interestingly, this election was called while we were in Vancouver, and we followed along in Southern Ontario, then Northern Alberta, and now back to the field. Because of this I've had extra time to listen to good debate on the radio, but I've been frustrated by a lack of good discussion on the radio, or television for that matter, over the issues and the party platforms. More and more its just about spin and attack and "I don't want to participate with your discussion just because..."

So here I sit, in rural Alberta (where the conservatives have ruled since Alexander the Great decided to go on holiday to India.) My vote will have little consequence, whether for the Conservatives, the Liberals, or the New Democratic Party.

After this election race, these are my conclusions.


The Conservatives

From their TV commercials I know that the Liberal leader is sleazy and un-Canadian, and so is his wife and father. Policies? What policies? FAIL.

From different Radio interviews, more than from any other party, I've heard; "We contacted the -Conservative leader, / the local Conservative party member, / the local Conservative member of parliament, who has declined to participate in this round table discussion.
FAIL. You want my vote? Then be available.

Mostly however, with the Conservatives I'm concerned with their understanding of the PMO, the Prime Ministers Office. They seem to have a more exalted sense of that office, much like the President of the United States approach. They have worked to limit press access, and seem to run a type of "My way or the highway," sort of politics. I don't like that at all.

I vote for parliament, more specifically I vote for a Member of Parliament. I don't get to vote for the leader, so I want that leader to work together with parliament to accomplish some good for this country. In fact I want him or her to be a shining example of leadership working together, SERVING the people, not creating levels of separation from them. Work with the people Canadians send to Ottawa, and at least respect the varied opinions of who we send to work with you. Your government fell because of a charge of being in Contempt of Parliament. That would land you an "F" in the "Works well with others" category.

And for Peters sake watch who you invite into your inner circle to gain influence with you. Be more careful who you give access to, in terms of unelected individuals with a nasty history. When you are caught red handed, you should resign as a matter of course out of respect for the institution and people you serve. You need to start getting this right because if you forget your position, remember 1993 when you dropped from an absolute majority of seats to only two seats. That was the worst electoral disaster in Canadian history, and it happens.

While I have voted Conservative in the past, this bunch is really making me take a second look at the other options. I don't like this flavour of bossy conservatism.


The Liberals

Not a badly run campaign, but your leader, and how you decided he would be a good choice, what was the thinking there? I know he had to rebuild the party and work elsewhere, but for a party leader who believes in the process, I'm surprised that Michael Ignatieff missed 58% of the house votes.

I also know that the Conservative strategy was to attack your party leader, like it did successfully with the previous party leader, but you failed to show me something better. Your leadership approach just hasn't inspired me to believe in you, and quite honestly your in house antics in choosing and supporting a Liberal leader doesn't fill me with confidence that you have it together enough to do a responsible job.

Honestly I'm kinda nervous that after this election you will respond with a jerky knee and replace Mr. Ignatieff with Mr. Trudeau thinking that a quick face change and a youth movement will solve all your problems. But it won't. You need to deal with the seeds planted by Mr. Chretien and how he dealt with Mr. Martin, and how they led the party. It will take a strong, building sort of a leader to dig into the foundations a bit and build up something good and worthwhile.  And that will take some time, from a good leader. But if you do it well, and with integrity, I think you'll stand a great chance down the road. Especially with a younger generation.

I have voted Liberal in the past but I'm not sure they have it in them this time to give us good leadership.


The Jack Layton Party otherwise known as The New Democratic Party

We here in Canada are reading that the polling is indicating that this third or fourth position party in federal politics is suddenly moving into a position of respect by voters and may end up forming the loyal opposition. Wow. I never saw that coming. (Which is being repeated by political pundits across the land.)

No, it isn't all about the almighty dollar and there are more things at stake here like people and how we watch out for one another. I actually agree with you.

Your leadership seems to have made a strong impact in the political realm, and what, your strongest support is coming from women and young people under the age of 35? That is some demographic to attract. Well done that.

Is this sudden shift in polling the result of young people stepping up into their place in society and voting? Is it that the Liberals and Conservatives have been so busy flinging mud at each other that you've come up the side relatively clean? I'm not sure, but the prospect of new blood in Ottawa is refreshing.

You don't seem to be in the back pockets of the unions any longer, at least since these times have been changing. And you've had some good provincial examples of strong leadership, fiscally and otherwise. Roy Romanow in Saskatchewan, and Gary Doer in Manitoba seem to have done ok by their people.

Yet you are untested, nationally at least. You haven't had to work within the pressures of leading a country or leading the loyal opposition. All we have is your track record to date, and I suppose a vision that has drawn the attention of Canada's next generation.

I have voted NDP in the past, and I might just be in a mood to see what happens to this tired, mud specked Parliament if some new faces were seen.  Of course I had great hope for the fresh faces of the Reform Party too, before they joined the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative Party.


Bloc Québécois

This party located only in Quebec, was born with the agenda of having Quebec separate from the rest of Canada, and now presses for Quebec interests in Ottawa.

It seemed that early in this election campaign they were doing well, however the party leader, Gilles Duceppe, has recently been frustrated by the polls showing the party to have a growing disconnect with voters.

This encourages me. Having a regional party that only represents the interests of it's own part of Canada seems to be a vision that is too narrow. I believe that the younger generations are less about actual land boundaries and more see themselves as citizens of the world. They have less and less interest in sustaining their own little country.

This is the one party I have never voted for before, simply because I don't live in Quebec and they don't run candidates elsewhere in Canada.


The Green Party

Though their leader Elizabeth May, is articulate and has some good ideas, they have yet to develop a platform that is broad enough to include the nations interests. I also don't believe they run candidates in each riding.

Although I believe I voted for them once, it was more of a frustration vote against the status quo than it was for the Green Party. Besides, I live in rural Alberta and there are no Green Party candidates here.

The great lake in The Field

These guys won't be seeding any time soon.

Wherein I rant about a public housing waste of money and an insensitivity to the elderly

Today I went to check up on a couple of people from here who have moved into a beautiful brand new multi million tax dollar built care residence. I was shocked by a series of unbelievable design decisions that are clearly mistakes, that will cost a good deal more dollars to fix, if they get fixed at all. I am wondering who didn't think through the design implications for these elderly people?

It's bad enough that none of the rooms had phones hooked up before they were moved in, and for people limited in mobility and access to mobile phones, they have really been cut off from their families. They are also getting bored because the cable TV hasn't yet been hooked up. Now ok, either of these things I can justify as some early new building growing pains sort of things.

But the design fails or elder insensitivity I just shook my head at?

- Extra high ceilings and carpet less floors so now they can't hear each other when they sit and play games because their voices echo and bounce around the room so badly.

- Closets with high placed bars in them that very few can reach to hang their clothing on.

- Electronic thermostats in each room that NO ONE can figure out how to work and there are no instructions for them and even the staff can't adjust them.

- Big metal blinds on each room window that are so heavy that the elderly can't pull them up or let them down so they peek out between the slats to see outside.

- Perhaps the biggest design flaw was the meal time. In the previous place their meals were set before them at the table they sat at, awaiting their lunch. Now it's cafeteria style, and all the aged people have to get up and line up and take a tray with their hot food and drinks back to their tables and sit down to eat.
I happened to pass by one of the dinning areas as I was leaving the place and I couldn't believe it. The line threaded around the side of the room, and all but two were pushing walkers or in wheelchairs they pushed themselves, or even with crutches. How do you hold a tray in a wheelchair or holding a walker? How do you get your hot water or coffee back to the table without dumping it on yourself?

It was as if the designer had never been around anyone over 60 before.

The disappointment is that it is such a beautiful building and a great place to spend a few years, except that it seems no one was thinking. That is really frustrating. I know these people have been waiting a long time for this new place to live in because the old place was very, well, old. But at least it fit who they are, and didn't mock their limited abilities.

Ok that's enough for now. Let's see what they do to fix this.

Holy Weekend. An update.

As one pastor said to me the other day regarding people in his church who were quite unaware of the work and planning that go into a weekend like this, he said, "They have NO idea..."

Nor should they I suppose. Because it's not done for credit or big happy smiles of appreciation, although those are nicely welcome. It's done for reasons that have to do with the arrangements we personally have made with God, who directed us to these places in the first place.

Maundy Thursday was a delight. It always is my favourite service of the year. It is simple and very relational and it welcomes us to Christs Table where we share together with Him. It presents his struggle in the garden far better than I often realize. That he, Jesus of Nazareth had his own prayers and desires, and they were not about dying on a cross. Still he laid down his own desires, for ours. Now we try to live likewise.

Friday we were in town for the community service. I had to be there early, which meant leaving the house even earlier. The morning was surprisingly good, considering there were five pastors preaching, all limited to three minutes each and two managed within that constraint. We shared in the Lords Table there as well, and I think I can say with honesty, that it was good.

Today is quiet in the field. I have a couple in for Premarital counseling, and some things to get ready for tomorrow, the first Sunday back in two weeks of traveling Canada. It will be good tomorrow. There will be food and coffee and visiting and worship and light and remembering and I'm going to talk a bit about this coming back to life thing that Jesus did, and why it is important to us. I'm also going to talk a bit about how, for some, coming back to life from the dead is already happening even now. Should be fun.

Then things should quiet down I think. At least for a day or two.

Oh and my mom is here for the weekend, and that's a nice Easter surprise.

So I think tonight Herself is roasting up a Turkey and a Ham because what else do you do for Easter when you love to cook? And I of course who love to eat, will be enjoying the mini feast too.


A most blessed and life giving Easter to you and yours this weekend,


From The Field.