Some hope for October 19

I’m getting ready for the elections, and I’ve got some thoughts I’d like to share, which I think are full of hope. So, if you will…

Imagine the following outcomes for the coming election:

1. MPs who choose to work in collaboration and in civility, rather than a climate of needless competition and sticking to the party line;
2. Movement on climate action and renewable energy, which will creates more jobs than oil subsidies and work toward something that’s (at least) not catastrophic for our children;
3. Sound policy that’s backed by science, that’s adaptable and that’s sustainable;
4. An electoral system where voters can express their vote with more confidence.

Here’s how it can be done:

The first step is to make sure the current Conservative party, led by Stephen Harper, doesn’t get to form a government. He needs a timeout to cool down a bit, and we need to undo some undemocratic stuff he’s done — like concentrating so much power in the Prime Minister’s Office — so that no other party leader can wield so much influence on government ever again.

To do that, my best bet is the Vote Together campaign at votetogether.ca. By signing a pledge to vote together, and with enough signatures and donations, a poll will be done in your riding before the elections, and you’ll be able to know who to vote for to beat the leading conservative candidate in your riding. Some ridings already have had a poll conducted, so check your riding to make sure.

The second step is to make sure no other party gets to run the country like Stephen Harper’s conservatives did.

To do that, let’s hope for a situation where no party gets a majority (according to the national polls, there’s a chance no party will take the majority), and let’s count on the fact that any MP can call the Governor General and ask for time to decide on how to form the next government. The last time this was done, it was the time of Lester B. Pearson and we owe our national healthcare to that stable and productive government. Elizabeth May said she’d make that call to the Governor General, encouraging the Liberals and the NDP to form a coalition, and the Greens acting as moderators and conciliators (skills which are in her strengths right now). So let’s hold Elizabeth May accountable to her pledge (@ElizabethMay on twitter) or let’s pester our newly-elected MPs to do the same if she doesn’t.

If we get this, we’ll get MPs which are ready to collaborate (they have much more in common than they seemed to demonstrate during the campaign), and we can get to the most important topics to address, like climate action, sound investments, proper taxation on corporations, science-based policy, and a reform of our electoral system so that we stay hopeful for the next elections.

So to start:

1. find your riding on votetogether.ca;
2. make sure you’re registered to vote;
3. make sure to prepare to bring the proper ID to vote;
4. go out and vote!

Thanks for reading, and please share with me the ways you stay hopeful.