#votecompass

okay so there’s election soon in canada. like, soon as in october. and while i know who i didn’t want to vote for based on how things have been run in the past few years, i had no idea who i wanted to vote for. and i don’t have cable and i’ve been sort of struggling to figure out where to start from to look into it a little more. like, i followed some stuff online, but nothing really gave me a precise idea of what each party was going to focus on and stuff like that. or where they stood on things that i felt was important.

so i was browsing some websites, and was on the cbc website, trying to catch up. then i found their link to this wonderful thing called a vote compass. where i got to answer a series of questions, that basically asked me how important certain things were to me, and how i felt on certain subjects. (ex: ‘Longer prison sentences are the best way to prevent crime’, to which your choices of answers are ‘strongly disagree’, ‘somewhat disagree’, ‘neutral’, ‘somewhat agree’, ‘strongly agree’ and ‘i don’t know’) based on my answers, it then told me towards what party my ideals (or whatever you want to call it. opinion? thoughts?) leaned. and it also gives you a percentage as to how much what you answered matches with certain parties (for example, i only match 22% with the conservative party once i had answered all of the questions).

this then helped me figure towards which party i was leaning. and also helped me focus on looking more into the two parties i matched most with, so i could figure out exactly which i felt i wanted to vote more for, and whether this was even correct or not. 

granted, this thing isn’t perfect. but it was fun to do, painless to fill out, and gave me a better idea of where each four big parties (i believe there would be five for the people from quebec, who would also have the option to vote for the bloc québecois) stood on different subjects and how it matched with how important these things were for me and how i felt about them.

so anyways... just wanted to recommend it for anyone from canada who like me, have no idea who to vote for or no idea what the parties are even focusing on and what not.

so yeah... check it out!

Before the Vote Compass I wasn’t planning on voting Conservative. After the Vote Compass...yeah nothing has changed.

Some stand out points (in my opinion): 

1. How much should the government do to make amends for past treatment of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada? Conservatives are the only ones to say “About the same as now” while the rest agree that a lot more should be done

2.Canada should introduce a publicly funded childcare program. Liberals are neutral on this saying they will make it more affordable for middle class Canadians while the Conservatives claim that the money is better off in the hands of Canadian parents

3.The Canadian government should put a price on carbon. Conservative party is the only one to strongly disagree saying praising Tony Abbott saying that putting a price on carbon is “job killing”

4.The most effective way to create jobs in Canada is to lower taxes. Conservatives are the only ones to agree

5. Canada's budget should be balanced no matter what. Conservatives and NDP agree, Liberals disagree saying that investing in infrastructure will create a minor deficit but stimulate te economy enough to rebalance the budget by 2019

6. The Senate should be abolished. NDP is the only one to agree.

7. Illicit drug users should have access to safe injection sites. Conservative party is the only one to strongly disagree

8. How much of a role should the private sector have in health care? Conservatives think somewhat more, Liberals think about the same as now

9. Government workers should not be allowed to strike. Conservatives are the only ones to agree saying that up to 80% of the bargaining unit will be an essential service according to bill C-4, allowing there to be a strike without a civil service shutdown.

10. Longer prison sentences are the best way to prevent crime. Conservatives are the only ones to strongly agree. 

11. Handguns should be banned in Canada. NDP are the only ones to agree.

And here is where I explode internally:   

12. Terminally ill patients should be able to end their own lives with medical assistance. Conservatives are the only ones to disagree.

13. Possession of marijuana should be a criminal offence. Conservatives are the only ones to agree. 

Yep. Moving on. 

14. How much tax should corporations pay? NDP thinks somewhat more.

So I try to not be overly political in general, but I wanted to share this. Most people I've spoken to are still undecided about how they're going to vote on Saturday - many wishing there was a "None of the Above" option (if that was an option it would be interesting to see the outcome!). I've mentioned before my voting method for the past few elections has pretty much been on the scale of "less evil" to "most evil", as I really don't prefer ANY of the candidates. (Also, VOTE BELOW THE LINE!! Choose your own preferences!).  But don't vote uneducated. Research the policies of the parties. There are a few good sites that can help you out - the ABC have Vote Compass which is a great place to start. As for Clive Palmer, anyone who's campaign is essentially "Vote Clive Palmer for Prime Minister" (WHICH IS NOT HOW IT WORKS) shouldn't be allowed to stand. For more reasons, click HERE

And here ends my political rant for the 2013 Federal Election.