IN DEFENSE OF NOT VOTING FOR CRAIG WESTCOTT

In defense of the ABC, and my own attacks on Conservative candidates (in particular Craig Westcott), in a discussion thread on P&P, I was motivated to answer why I am not voting Conservative in this election. Beyond the purely provincial and justified issues, Stephen Harper and his brand of Conservatism scares me.

If my mother ran as a Conservative in this election I would campaign against her. I hope that is clear enough! Blood would not be thick enough to convince me to support an individual running under the banner of the Conservative Party of Canada. The type of Canada I want is not reflected in the Conservative Party ideology.

When a person decides to run under the banner of a political party, he or she accepts that party's philosophies. Sure there are red Tories and blue liberals but for good, bad or indifferent once you sign on as a candidate, you're expected to support the platform - toe the line.

That is the sad reality of partisan politics in this country. I would love to see more people like Craig in politics. However party politics is a difficult place for non-conformers, or non kool-aid drinkers. It's all or nothing it seems, and I have had quite my fill of that, thank you. Look at Garth Turner. There is no room for moderation in this Conservative Party.

The problem is that Craig is running as a Conservative not as an Independent. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives scare me. They divide and conquer, mostly at the expense of those who cannot fight for themselves or are disadvantaged. They turn us on each other by promoting greed and forgetting about building a just society.

I am financially much better off after a couple of years of Conservative governments. If that was my prime motivation, perhaps I would vote for them. However it is not. I believe in gun control, I believe in government regulation of our food industry, I believe in a woman's right to choose, I believe that government needs to take a strong role in dealing with climate change (although I like the NDP approach better) and I would like Canada to pull our troops out of Afghanistan.

I disagree with the Conservative approach to re-engineering the way government works and provides services to citizens in today's Canada. They threaten to cripple our ability as a nation to mount effective national social programs. They would pare back Ottawa's role to matters of defense, security and foreign affairs and leave social programs and health care to provincial governments, which is a recipe for greater disaster.

Does Craig Westcott believe that a life long ideologue had suddenly become a moderate? Do you want Canada to become Argentina? Does he agree with: cancelling the Liberals' national child care initiative; P3's for public infrastructure; cuts to funding for women's advocacy groups; cuts to cultural/arts groups; inviting two-tier and profit into health care; and does he agree with canceling Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol? Seriously there are more issues at stake than those important parochial provincial issues which have created this ABC movement.

When people like Craig Westcott step forward for Harper they are giving his vision of Canada legitimacy. This is by far one of the most important elections that you and I will ever participate in. Harper has not changed his spots. I have had a taste of this guy and I would hate to see him unplugged.

You have to admit that changes the dynamics entirely.

Now that being said, there might be an argument that the Liberals have acted more like a coalition partner over the past three years by propping these guys up. That is a post for another day.