Election:
It’s tough to focus on writing a column right now. I’m glued to the TV, watching election results roll in. Okay, I muted the audio. Maybe now I can zero in on what I want to say.
This election, like all of them, is divisive, but they’re getting more so. The NDP got tossed under the bus, losing its status as an official federal party entirely. Fear drove it: fear of Trump, fear of the Conservatives, fear of not standing up to Trump or selling out to him… or something.
The good news for me as I write, is Gord Johns is projected to win in this riding. Considering only seven ridings that have gone to the NDP this time around, we can pat ourselves on the back here, though credit goes to Gord for his lengthy track record in serving this community.
Why am I writing about the election? Honestly, I don’t usually pay much attention to politics. It’s a bit “six of one, half a dozen of the other”; no matter who we vote for, the government always wins. But this year, I’m riveted. The drama! The emotion! I shed a tear or three during Jagmeet Singh’s resignation speech. So gracious, so generous, so raw. I’ve always had a soft spot for the NDP. Growing up, my family voted NDP, and I’ve identified as a supporter, if anything. I’ve voted Green too, but the NDP holds a special place in my heart. We owe them a lot. They’re the big losers this election, through no real fault of their own.
Jagmeet’s been through a lot lately, leading up to the disappointment of losing in his own riding, and the crash and burn of the federal NDP. He’d received some credible death threats, and he was at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver when tragedy struck: 11 people killed, many injured. He’d left the site only minutes before. That’s a lot for a human to go through. (Note: I call it a tragedy, not a crime, because the driver was struggling with mental health issues. That’s a whole other issue–the urgent need for better mental health resources–but back to the election.)
This wild election. Two out of three major party leaders lost their own ridings! If you count the Greens, it’s two out of four, though, because Elizabeth May, the Green co-leader, seems comfortably ahead in hers. I’m glad about that. But the NDP and the greens are effectively out of the picture for the next election cycle.
I’m amazed at how many friends and relatives are convinced that if the Liberals win, Canada’s doomed. Dead! Done! You can hear the lamentation for miles. I can hear it from up north, where some of my own relatives are freaking out. If the Conservatives had won, the other side would’ve been shrieking just as loudly. I don’t think it’s that dire. Politics won’t kill us. I don’t think Canada’s in danger of dying or becoming the 51st state. Everyone needs to take a breath. I might not be quite so sanguine if the conservatives had won, but I wouldn’t have been panicking either. The liberals are only marginally better than the cons in my opinion.
That doesn’t mean I’m thrilled with our political system. I’m not even sure I believe in countries, but if I had to pick one, I’d rather be Canada than America.
I think our only hope lies in community. We need to build from the ground up, connect with neighbours and friends, no matter who they vote for. We all have way more in common than our ballots suggest. This system might crash and burn, and we may need to come together in real, practical ways to survive. In some sense, that might not be the worst thing. Nothing unites people like necessity.
My grandfather would say we’re all too soft, spoiled by “lotus land” out here on the coast—plucking food off the ground, basking in sunshine, as he saw it. I can’t even imagine what he would make of this modern world. Back then, politics weren’t such a big deal. What mattered was who’d show up if your car was in a ditch or you broke your leg and couldn’t chop your own wood. The cultivated relationships with your neighbours because you needed them.
I’m not saying I want to go back to that world, or that I want disaster to befall us, to force us to come together. But it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. Neither is this election result. This is the world we have, and this is the country we have. We work to change what we can, of course.
I have a lot of faith in us humans, despite all evidence that faith is misguided. Faith doesn’t need evidence. Faith can create. Faith can move mountains. I’ll put my faith in faith. I’m may be wrong, but faith feels way better than doubt. I’m going with that.
That’s what I think. What do you think? Email me at Phoenixonhornby@gmail.com.
