Many Canadians care little about who hold the reins in Ottawa. “They’re all the same,” is a frequent lament. What this implies is that our personal lot remains largely unchanged, regardless of which party holds power.
There is an underlying rationale for this. Aside from the international economic upheaval of the last few years, things seem much as they were five or 10 years ago, despite all the hot air billowing from Ottawa.
But this year it really is different. In this election, millions of lives literally hang in the balance.
At the G8 the Conservative government promised $1.1 billion in health funding for the world’s poorest women and children. Despite this promise the same government has deeply cut aid funding, and looks to trim a quarter of the total federal deficit through reduction in foreign aid. The human life that will be lost because of this is staggering.
People turn away from politics because they believe their choices have little impact. Yet only one party has publicly sworn to slash desperately needed support to the world’s most vulnerable citizens. The choice we individually make on this election will determine whether countless lives will be saved or lost, a power we can scarce imagine and may never have again.
Nathaniel Poole
Victoria
