Welcome back, Greater Sudbury, to a new school year. Just in time to start learning about anything you set your mind to. This fall, thanks to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, we’ll have some more learning to do before yet another election.
For many people, elections are a necessary evil — a ritual in the democratic process that has to be fulfilled. For others, elections are a chance to get all fired up about the “cause célèbres,” engage the candidates on the issues and mire themselves in the hustle-and-bustle that only power-hungry individuals and spin doctors can create.
Do Canadians want another election? Polls are indicating the answer to this question is no. But when a minority government is in power, as is the case with Harper’s Conservatives, anything goes. So there’s no use in griping about it - time to get on with learning about it.
Lifelong learning is an active philosophy, and one that is not always embraced by those who just want to be left alone to do their jobs, raise their kids, and push through to another weekend. Lifelong learning means pressing those boundaries and expanding our minds and thoughts to encompass more of life.
During the last federal election in 2006, voter turnout was up — an encouraging sign on anyone’s watch. Why did more people head to the polls? Perhaps voters, miffed by the sponsorship scandal, were ready to show the Liberals that they wouldn’t put up with lying of any kind.
A hot-button issue like the sponsorship scandal will get more people out voting in the next election. It seems people need some excitement to get them out practising their right to have their say. And there are plenty of issues that can spark a fire of debate: gas prices, the environment, and food safety, to name a few.
What does your local member of parliament think about what’s happening in Greater Sudbury as it relates to the rest of Canada? What do MP-hopefuls deem important? Where do they stand on issues that matter to you?
Pick up the phone and call them. Go to their websites. Visit their offices. Take the time to learn about who they are and what they represent. Then take that information and put it into the context of what you think. Will this person or that person best represent your point-of-view?
Getting involved in the “why?” an election, beyond the mark of an “x” on a ballot, can be an incredibly empowering and invigorating experience — and hopefully one that will make an impression upon our youth, who are still apathetic and uncaring when it comes to elections and voting. One can’t blame them for feeling the way they do - even the best politicians wear thin when they break promises again and again.
Lifelong learning is critical to making good choices. Hopefully, during the next election, those who are elected will consider this philosophy important as well.
Wendy Bird is managing editor of Northern Life.
