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ED I T O R I A L
HIIRAAN ONLINE
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
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| The three major political parties of Canada are Liberal, N.D.P and CP. |
Canada votes on October the 14th. Three federalist parties, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) are vying for the votes of all Canadians, including Somali voters. We must vote on election day because neglecting this crucial civic duty will result in others deciding our future for us.
The question Somali-Canadian voters must ask, however is whom shall we vote for?
The most rational way to go about this is to identify our priorities, as a community, and checking if the platforms of the three main parties match these priorities. We could also render sound decision, if we compare and contrast the positions, promises and past performances of parties and candidates who seek our endorsements.
We may also need to keep in mind that the three main political parties in Canada have a long history, tradition, political culture and values. Each party often aligns itself with one segment of the electorate. For example, the Conservative Party has always been pro business and traditionalist in moral issues. The Liberal Party claims to be “the natural ruling party” of Canada and it caters to the middle class and the New Democratic Party pushes the agenda and aspirations of the disadvantaged, the poor and vulnerable parts of society; the NDP is also known for its laissez-faire outlook in moral issues.
In the past, the Liberal and Conservative parties formed federal governments in Canada; in all likelihood, one of these parties will form the next federal government.
Successive Liberal and Conservative election victories were due to these parties addressing (in addition to their base voters) the needs of other identifiable segments of the public. For instance, both the Conservatives and the Liberals, after they promise to meet the needs of their traditional constituents, pledge to address important issues affecting families, teachers, pensioners, farmers, small businesses or ethic voters – and come election time, this tactic often helps tip the balance.
In this election, both the Conservatives and the Liberals presented, with fanfare, election goodies intended to entice voters whose vote they want to capture. For example, on September 24th, 2008, the leader of the Liberal party, Stéphane Dion stopped at a Jewish community centre in Winnipeg and announced that his party will earmark 75 million dollars for the security and protection of ethnic religious places of worship and cultural institutions. Stephen Harper, the leader of the Conservative party announced at an Indo-Canadian chamber of commerce luncheon that if reelected, his government would open a commercial office in the Indian state of Gujarat. Commenting on the politics behind the Prime Minister’s pre-election move, the Toronto Star, wrote, “Harper's move set off "an overwhelming response" in the 145,000-strong Gujarati community in the GTA…”
The promises and pledges to all sorts of groups are too numerous to count. As far as we know, leaders of the Liberals nor the Conservatives had not stopped at a Somali mosque, function or event and announced what they might do for Somalis in Canada or for that matter Somalia, our battered homeland.
The chance of Stephen Harper zeroing in on Somali issues and needs - domestic or overseas - is remote. His past record and that of his party attests to this reality.
Similarly, the Liberals when they were in power were oblivious to the Somali issues even though we have more than two hundred thousand voters in Ontario. Worse, the Liberals take the Somali and all minority votes for granted!
The question we must ask and answer is should we root for the Liberals who have some chance to wrestle power from Harper and his conservatives even though the Liberals will not even notice our cheerleading screams! That is exactly what happened the last time around.
Alternately, where do we stand on the NDP, a party who stood in the trenches for years for the underprivileged? More importantly, it’s quite conceivable that the NDP may not have the necessary support base to form the next government. What will happen to our votes then, notwithstanding our disagreement with the NDP on its stance on a number of important moral issues to the community!
Hiiraan Online calls upon Somali-Canadians to reflect on the options before them, consult with their conscience and vote on October 14th. Obviously, in the absence of a party platform that is attractive to the Somali Canadian voter, many of us would need to hold our noses when we cast our votes this time around.
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