Re: “Don’t let Conservatives take Kootenay Columbia”
I wholeheartedly agree with Gerry Sobie’s bleak view of another four years of federal Conservative government. However, the problem is not split votes, but uncast votes (also called “the abandoned vote”).
Our first-past-the-post electoral system and heavily-partisan politics have turned off many voters. This is a serious problem, especially not attracting new young voters. This is, in my opinion, part of the “mammoth effort on the part of all citizens” that Sobie urges us to undertake this year. We need to be curious about what matters to those who are reluctant to vote, and encourage them to register to vote (can be done online now or in person closer to the election).
Sobie’s suggestion for us in Kootenay Columbia riding to “join forces to identify one progressive candidate who will represent our interests and get that person elected so we are well represented in Ottawa” is a good one. I feel the Green Party is the only truly progressive option.
The Green Party is the fastest-growing political movement in Canada. There are two Green MPs in Parliament, Green MLAs in two provinces, and Greens elected locally throughout BC. A growing number of voters are voting Green because they consider Green policies to be the policies of the future and are increasingly disenchanted with the status quo parties. Greens draw support from all parts of the traditional political spectrum, and do not fall neatly into traditional left-right political designations.
I feel the Green Party can gather the vote needed to ensure a brighter future for Canada.
Lisa Bramson, Nelson
