on the federal election

I am somewhat alarmed for the country with a Stephen Harper conservative majority. Although voting 4 times in 7 years is as frustrating as many journalists have recently suggested, I'd gladly do it every year if it meant avoiding a neo-liberal majority.

I have grave concerns for the environment, especially oil tankers off the BC coast, the AB tar sands, and most importantly, the health of wild BC salmon while farmed salmon remain in our oceans (I have lived very near to these net pens and I have seen the damage they cause first hand).

I am also lead to believe that women's rights and reproductive freedoms may be at risk?! Further, the same sources suggest gay marriage is similarly at risk?! Some sources say Harper won't legislate anything specifically regarding either issue, rather, he will appoint ultra-conservative judges who will attempt to affect these matters. Other concerns include dismantling the CBC, privatized health care or slashing public services to pay for corporate tax cuts.


I also have concerns for the demise of the Liberal and the Bloc Québécois, as suggested by these two articles. Although I am pleased for both the Green party on electing their first MP, and for the NDP on becoming the Official Opposition for the first time, I worry that neither now has any effective power (my sources were the elections coverage last night on CBC, CTV and CHEK).


However, this was the very first time in all my history of voting in both federal and provincial elections that the candidate for whom I voted was first-past-the-post. This will be the first time in my life that I am represented in my riding by a candidate with similar political and social values. So this is a small personal victory, I suppose... I'm just having a hard time celebrating.