The Canadian election is on April 28th and like all the others is the most important to date. Elections are great opportunities to make improvements, but I am skeptical. There are always emotional elements that seem to overwhelm important issues. Those with big money have a way to appealing to our baser needs. To top it off, the reality afterwards never matches the will of the people, including those who elected not to vote.
Would you like your vote to really count? After you take time from something you enjoy or have to do and get in a line. The candidate who gets the most votes in your riding is the only one that gets to vote in the legislature. Every other vote doesn't advance a candidate even if they all add up to more than the winner. Another wasted vote is the extra ones that put the winner on top. That is why some people indulge in strategic voting.
I line up with the Greens and sympathize with the progressive parties. It seems that the conservatives are mostly against climate change and in general seem to have less respect for civil rights. I do respect their concern for financing as the government paying avoidable interest hurts us. But not all government programs are bad for the budget Health care is a prime example. An ounce (gram) of prevention is worth a pound (kilogram) of cure.
How about you? Do you favor the NDP or the Liberals (against the Conservatives). Depending on your riding you could vote for your preferred party or choose a second or even third choice for your best chance to stop the Conservatives. Maybe you prefer the Conservatives, but you could also find yourself trying to stop the dreaded opposition depending on your riding.
Climate change is guaranteed to get worse even if government policies change as it will take time to readjust from more than a century of abuse. Wealthy investors want to protect their investments and have more convincing resources than the rest of us. Alberta relies a lot on fossil fuels and has the legislature to support them.
Most people think that somehow the Covid 19 pandemic is behind us. Unfortunately the impact is still with us. Inflation has been very definitely aggravated by it. Consumers tend to look at current prices and get upset when they are up. Certainly there might have been different choices made, but supplies were cut and consumer and work patterns changed. Compared to other nations Canada wasn't so far behind. More of us survived than in many more reckless nations. Someone who supported the Convoy protest, like Poilievre love to point out inflation as though there was no connection to forces outside government forces.
The fear against Conservatives leaves the progressives split. In many elections the progressive parties (Liberals, NDP, Green) do collect more votes, but are often losers. Bloc Quebecois are unique in that they want to be free of English Canada, but are now
concerned about American influence. I believe they could be a coalition
partner with a progressive party
Don Trump is a critical election issue all by himself. As soon as he was officially president he started making offensive statements. He referred to Governor Justin Trudeau and Canada as the 51st state. Since then he has become even more aggressive. On the economic front he is promising heavy tariffs against Canada and other countries claiming to want businesses to relocate to America. Our two economies are very integrated that optimizes both nations, although Trump insists America has been subsidizing Canada. He has shown favors to Putin from whom he has probably picked up a plan to expand America. He feels that the Panama Canal should belong to America even suggesting military action may be necessary. Greenland needs to be turned over as a security tool. Mexico is also being treated very roughly. See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/why-isnt-trump-in-prison.html
Scary for me is Trump plans to dismantle the Department of Education and turn it over to the states, some of whom have racist tendencies. Canada also has our provinces responsible for education.
Taxation is always an issue. The poorer citizens need more money to survive. The wealthy resent sharing their wealth with ordinary people. Governments (those that get elected) try to spread the wealth around with a variety of programs, but they have to get the money from somewhere. Unfortunately as there is much resistance to taxes they end up borrowing money and in turn paying interest. A progressive tax system should help, but the top end is the most resistant and has developed all sorts of wrinkles that cut their contribution. Somehow they have to figure out a fair system benefits everyone, even themselves.
The dilemma of many voters is that their riding has a history and maybe even current polling suggesting a party they want to avoid. The closest they can get to that is to vote for an opposition party that has the best chance to upsetting the hated one. This works against all parties in particular ridings. Sometimes their vote does make a difference, but not always. and not their preferred candidate.
There is a better system adopted by much of the world. Proportional representation allows your preferred vote to make a difference. It encourages all politicians to be politer to their opponents because there is a good chance they will have to work with them. More people are willing to make the effort to vote and even to study the issues. More views are considered before policies locked in.
To understand how unjustly voting is distorted under our First Past the Post system check out the recent Ontario provincial election...http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/03/ontario-voters-were-cheated-again.html
Don't be fooled by ranked balloting. Only one candidate is elected per riding and although you may have contributed to the winner it is not necessarily your first choice that would better reflect your preferences..
Should you get a chance to talk to a candidate ask them what they think of proportional representation. Tell your friends and neighbors. Candidates want to know how they can get more votes.